A true story of compassionate customer service

I can’t remember being so excited about a vacation since I was a kid.

As we approached Mountain Harbor Resort outside Hot Springs, Ark., the road snaked through forest, down, down, down, toward the shore. We couldn’t see the water yet, but everyone was eagerly anticipating what it would be like.

We’d only seen pictures online. We’d seen ones on the lake many times and dreamed of one day being on one. My youngest daughter was intentionally visualizing “something smaller and not very nice so that I’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

This was our time. My wife, my three daughters, my mother and I ready to enjoy four days on a beautiful lake in a houseboat.

First impressions didn’t disappoint. She was a beauty. Seventy-five feet of floating fun on the water. Even a water slide. Her name was “The Islander.”

After we’d loaded up and finished the captain’s orientation, we set sail for the high seas of Lake Ouachita. Not a care in the world, ready to enjoy the amenities and luxuries The Islander had to offer.

Until the air conditioning quit working. Not good for July in Arkansas. Not that it was smoking hot, just that we “expected” it to be cold inside. We called the houseboat marina hotline, not sure what to do.

Apologizing profusely, Bill, the owner, immediately sent out the air conditioning guy, William, all the way from Hot Springs, who was at our boat within a few hours. He checked things over and found nothing wrong. We felt silly, but William reassured us that our comfort was the most important thing and validated that indeed we had no cold air.

Then, somehow, a little cold air started blowing, and we thought things were OK. I guess houseboats are like cars: They never act up when the mechanic is watching.

So William left, giving us his business card with an adamant invitation to “call me right away if anything isn’t right.” Bill reiterated that his cellphone was on 24/7 and not to hesitate to call for anything, no matter how small.

Within minutes things weren’t right, but we felt badly for William. We were several miles out on the lake and a little harder to get to. So we waited, hoping the air conditioning would magically fix itself.

Finally we called William, and he was eager to come out even though it was 10 p.m. Because it was night time by then and the outside air was cool, we decided to open the windows and wait it out.

At 8 a.m. sharp, here came a speedboat across the lake toward us with William on it. He was friendly, eager and ready to fix our problem. After an hour of problem-solving, he still had found nothing but magically the air conditioner was working great.

By this time we felt downright stupid for all of William’s time and energy we had wasted. How much had this cost by now?

Not only was there no charge, but Bill promised to refund one night on the boat rental to compensate us for our discomfort. Amazing.

That was the end of our boat-related troubles. Until two nights later when my mother fell and injured her hip during the night. We didn’t know how serious it was, but … now what?

Out in the middle of a lake, miles from anywhere. What to do?

We called Bill. He expressed his deep and genuine concern and offered anything he could do, be it coming out to pick her up or calling local water rescue. We decided to drive the boat in.

When we arrived at the marina, Bill and his crew were waiting to dock our boat. They had found a wheelchair at the local volunteer fire department and had it ready.

Several staff helped us get my mother into the car and off to the emergency room in Hot Springs, where she was admitted with a fractured hip.

We still had two days left on our boat rental. So we went back out to try to enjoy the rest of the week on the lake, even while visiting my mother in the hospital each day.

The staff bent over backwards to accommodate us. They ferried us back and forth to our houseboat as needed so we could drive into town. Everyone on the team asked about how my mom was doing and continued to offer anything they could do to help.

We are all back home safely with a ton of memories, even more pictures, and my mom is doing great.

As I reflect on our experience, I’m struck by how the houseboat rental company practiced compassionate customer service by showing openness, resourcefulness and persistence.

Open customer service

Every staff member showed genuine concern and caring. When we had problems, they listened. When we felt silly or stupid, they affirmed us. When we were afraid and worried, they reassured us. We never felt judged.

In fact, even when a staff member was relaying a story of the previous week when a group of guys had rented one of their boats for a bachelor party and broken several things, there was no hint of animosity or judgment in his voice. He simply mused, ”I think they had a good time.”

Resourceful customer service

These folks were master problem-solvers, which I guess you have to be when you run a fleet of seven “hotels” on the water. From getting us back and forth to the hospital, to finding a wheelchair, they figured out how to solve the problem.

Persistent customer service

They simply didn’t quit until we were taken care of. Any time. No matter what. Our satisfaction was their number one priority. Every staff person. Every interaction. And this even extended to their contractors.

Could they have charged us for all the “extras”? Sure. Could they have taken advantage of us in our dire situation? Yes. Would they have been justified to feel a little put out by our “drama”? Definitely.

But they didn’t. Instead they set the bar for compassionate customer service by being Open, Resourceful and Persistent.

This story was originally published July 1, 2015 at 3:10 PM with the headline "A true story of compassionate customer service."