GETTYSBURG, Pa.—We can all relate to the iconic lyrics of The Rolling Stones’ song “Satisfaction” at some point in our lives. Moving can be very stressful, and if there’s ever an excuse to blare that particular song, moving would be an opportune time. However, after multiple visits to U-Haul of Gettysburg, U-Haul customer Peter Yannotta was most likely humming Pharrell William’s song, “Happy.”
(By the way, if you pause the “Happy” video at 3:43, you’ll see part of a U-Haul modular sign.)
How do we know Yannotta was happy? He left a lengthy review detailing his experience with the Gettysburg Team.
“I learned as a boy that people do business with people,” Yannotta wrote. “While most of us work for an organization bigger or larger than ourselves, it is the individual components, that is, each individual person who is in the employment of these companies, who, when they perform their job duties successfully for the people whom employ them, make the organization successful.”
That was just the start of his honest review—a review that hit home for General Manager Shane Bohn.
“We’ve gotten good reviews in the past, but this review brought tears to my eyes,” Bohn declared. “When I saw how long the review was, I was bracing myself for a rant, but it turned out to be such a positive review.”
Superior service
Everything from Yannotta’s first visit to his last was business as usual for the Gettysburg Team.
The team at U-Haul of Gettysburg was blown away by this review.
“He was moving In-Town from one house to another, and over the course of planning his move, he ended up purchasing more than $800 worth of moving supplies from us,” Bohn recalled. “Every team member who works here helped him at one point or another during his many visits to our location.”
“Moving disrupts people’s lives,” Yannotta observed. “It’s a stressful endeavor even when all goes according to plan. But just as life rarely goes according to the way we plan each day, each week, each month, each year of our lives, the act of moving brings a whole different set of challenges into each day on top of our normal life situations.”
“Shane made my day a pleasant experience each time I walked into U-Haul Gettysburg,” Yannotta continued, “and I encourage whomever reads this evaluation to look up my contract number so that you may see that this was not just one or two trips to U-Haul. It was many, over two months’ time.”
You may be wondering what the Gettysburg Team did to keep this customer coming back time after time.
“We try to get to know each and every customer,” Bohn asserted. “We take the time to chat with customers on the showroom floor and answer any questions they have. He was treated like any other customer … meaning he was treated with the utmost respect and courtesy.”
In Yannotta’s case, he needed extra help purchasing packing supplies for specific items.
“He did come in with a couple different sizes for some of his belongings, and we were able to help him find the right product for his move,” Bohn remembered. “Most people don’t know that we have so many kits to protect their goods, so we made sure he knew we had those available.”
It’s worth the time
Providing quality customer service is a priority for Bohn and his team, and it shows.
“Shane represents U-Haul with a dedicated work ethic and a personality that resonates a comfort, ease and peace that he provides his customers with each time we walk through the front door,” Yannotta raved. “The other employees who I encountered at U-Haul Gettysburg followed Shane’s example and lead. These are the characteristics of a leader, and Shane is an exceptional leader who represents U-Haul in the highest manner an employee possibly can.”
In Bohn’s mind, good leadership starts at the top and flows down throughout the organization.
“I set the example for my team members,” Bohn volunteered. “They aren’t going to do something they don’t see. It always comes back to the leader. I’m not going to ask someone to do something that I wouldn’t do or haven’t already done.
“A review like this is a direct representation of good leadership,” Bohn continued, “It totally blew me away, and I’m just so glad that I could share this with my team. I have an amazing team. They earned this review.”
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