Persistence in customer service

On the day before Thanksgiving, I was expecting a FedEx delivery. Late in the day, the ominous words appeared on the internet tracking page: UNDELIVERABLE WRONG ADDRESS. I was pretty confident that the problem was a courier who didn't understand the odd numbering scheme of our street. A quick call to customer service confirmed my suspicion--and indicated that deliveries were done for the day. The agent handled it well, apologizing profusely, but letting me know I'd be out of luck till Tuesday after the holiday. Bummer.

Lo and behold, a pleasant surprise: After we'd hung up, the agent called me back about 5 minutes later and said that he'd reached the delivery person (who was new on the route) and she'd be on her way before 6 p.m. Sure enough, she showed up and dropped it off.

The lesson was a contrast in persistence: The driver wasn't terribly resourceful in trying to find my house...she apparently gave up after a quick drive-by. The customer service agent, on the other hand, could detect my obvious displeasure, and made the call to make things right. On balance, he created a win for FedEx.

Side note: I've always thought that FedEx trucks should have a delivery slot on the side--that way, if you're sitting next to one at a stoplight or see one parked, you can just drop in your package. Obviously it would be a liability nightmare, but how convenient!