Win or lose, I’m a proud fan of the Cincinnati Reds. It all started when I was eight years old, and my Dad took me to Riverfront Stadium for my first Major League Baseball game. It was the last regular season game of 1975. The Reds had already secured the NL East pennant, so it hardly mattered that they lost this one to the Atlanta Braves. Except to an eight year old kid at his first game…but it’s OK: aside from a small cadre of Red Sox fans who remain in denial about Game 7, it’s hard to argue against the invincibility of the Big Red Machine that year. Or the next, for that matter.
My fandom survived the dismantling of the Big Red Machine by then-General Manager Dick Wagner. It survived the Pete Rose betting scandal. It thrived again in 1990, with a wire-to-wire first place season, culminating in a 4-game sweep of the Oakland A’s. The Player’s Strike of 1994-1995 hurt, but the crazy race for the 1999 Wildcard berth was fun to watch. I was third in line to buy tickets to the last-minute tiebreaker playoff game, where Al Leiter pitched a shutout for the Mets. It was a real shame, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
Win or lose, I love being at the ballpark. I’ve never had a bad experience there. In the spring of 2002, my buddy Larry and I took my son and his daughter (both toddlers) to a game. Due to the tragic events of a Tuesday morning the previous September, we weren’t permitted to carry our quite manly backpacks that were really diaper bags into the stadium. We found out about this at the gate, after a long hike from the back corner of the West Parking Lot. The Ticket Guy radioed Customer Service, who immediately dispatched a friendly fellow in a golf cart to run us out to the car, where we dropped off our bags & put a few immediate necessities in a clear plastic bag that THEY provided. He then took us right back to the gate. The kids totally dug the ride (as did we), and we got to our seats just in time for the National Anthem. The Reds dropped that one to the San Francisco Giants. Just so you know, I have, on occasion, been there when they’ve won. But I digress…
Apparently, the Reds are still working the Customer Service angle to maximum capacity. Last season, my friend Keith was going to be traveling, and wanted to catch a Reds game on the road. He emailed them to ask how to get tickets. He was surprised when a Customer Service Rep called him to explain the procedure. The rep then engaged him in conversation, and found out that Keith’s son was a huge Joey Votto fan. The rep got Keith’s address, and sent him a Joey Votto action figure, which I hope (but don’t know for sure) that Keith gave to his son. He and my youngest are best friends, so I can find out…that’s fair warning, Keith!
What are the benchmarks for excellent Customer Service? Expectations can vary, but a genuine effort to meet or exceed those expectations is a great place to start. It seems the Cincinnati Reds know this well, and so do we. When you call EXAIR, you can be sure that this is the mission of the person who picks up the phone. We even have the occasional freebies, like our current free Vac-U-Gun with any Industrial Vacuum purchase. Call us, and we’ll tell you all about it.
Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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(513)671-3363 fax
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