2-27-14 Chobani: A national company is a good model for making a customer feel important

When I site examples of businesses that are following good marketing procedures, I typically mention a company on the island.  But recently I had an experience with a national product I purchased in a local grocery store….that provides my example for today’s blog.

Several months ago I purchased a couple of the Chobani Greek Yogurts that had a little fizz in them.  These production accidents made the national news, and Chobani issued several apologies and asked people to let them know if they had bought any of these “bad” yogurts.  So, I emailed the company and let them know about my experience.

A few weeks later, I received an apology letter in the mail and 10 coupons for free Chobani yogurts.  I was elated, especially since I was never all that concerned about the two fizzy yogurts that we had bought and eaten with no problems.

Sometime later, I read that Whole Foods was no longer going to carry Chobani Yogurt, and, on an impulse, I sent the company another email saying that I was sure it was a political decision and not related to the quality or popularity of their product.

In early February, I got a letter from a member of their “Customer Loyalty Team” thanking me for reaching out to them…and, five coupons for free Chobani yogurts.

I was so impressed I called their Customer Loyalty Department, and talked with a woman who told me how much the company appreciates hearing from customers.  A few days after this conversation, a woman named Stephanie sent me a handwritten note thanking me again and inviting me to continue to contact them once a month, and they would send me more coupons. 

You can bet I’m going to keep buying Chobani yogurt and telling people my story.

So, taking this story and putting it into a local context, what are you doing to make each of your customers feel valued and important?