Not too long ago, I became “that guy.” You know, the guy who gets packages from Amazon almost daily. And sometimes the delivery person buzzes your unit accidentally or leaves the package outside because he’s not home, and you have to decide whether, out of the kindness of your heart, to take it in and put it by his door. I did the same for a neighbor who bought $100 of beef jerky. I am still waiting for a hunk of dried teriyaki beef as a thank-you.

You see, a year ago, I bought a condo, so I had to buy some new furniture for it. And, because of the pandemic, I got keen to Amazon, where before I wasn’t. If COVID-19 did not convert more people into Amazon shoppers, I’m not sure what would.

So imagine my surprise when, after I ordered yet another item from Amazon, it did not arrive the next day, or in three days, or the next week but…not at all! After being given a projected delivery date and the item not arriving, the status officially became: “On the way, but running late.” Which it stayed for more than a month. Gasp!

And then I thought, how ridiculous am I? Amazon has raised the bar so high with speedy and trackable deliveries that I was mortally wounded because my package did not arrive on the promised delivery date.

How high have you raised the bar? Have you raised it so high that your customer too is mortally wounded when they do not get their vehicle back on the promise date? Or when it is not perfectly detailed, clean and fresh smelling inside? Or when the paint is not a spot-on, perfect match? Or when they do not get a follow-up text thanking them for their business?

Ask yourself how high you’ve raised the bar with your customers. Have you raised it so high that no other collision repair facility in your area can compete with you? If not, have you thought about how you can do that? Order something from Amazon and maybe you’ll get inspired!