customer service surprise

So many companies these days don't seem to use good customer service as part of their business philosophy. It is nice to be pleasantly surprised now and then.

I needed some backup short-stretch bandages - which you can't just swap for the ubiquitous Ace wraps or tape - and had no luck finding them in any of the local medical supply companies or drug stores. I have a new stocking on order from my Physical Therapist's office already. But insurance only covers a small number of them per year (and only one at a time), I need to wait weeks for them to special order them, and good luck if you want something special like black instead of bandage-beige. So I went hunting online.

I placed an order through LymphedemaProducts.com, and got a follow up email a little while after receiving my shipping notice:

[snip]
Hi Jennifer,

My name is Kelly Thomson and I am the Director of Sales for Lymphedema
Products. I have noticed that this is your first online order with us and I
just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you. Lymphedema
Products has been proudly serving customers for over seven years and if
there is anything I can do for you in the future I am only an e-mail or
phone call away. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me if you have
any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Kelly Thomson
Director of Sales
[/snip]

It then included phone/fax numbers and an email that appear to go right to Ms. Thomson (I'm assuming Kelly is a Ms. rather than a Mr., but I could be mistaken) rather than to an anonymous help center.

Sure, it's probably a form e-mail to new customers. But the inclusion of contact information that reaches a person instead of a department struck me as that "personal" touch that you don't usually see except from some of the very small scale vendors online. So far it looks like LymphedemaProducts.com will have my business. I liked their selection, their info about the products and ease of ordering. And now their customer service appears to be good as well.

These are products that are near impossible to find in brick-and-mortar stores, they're not cheap, and they're things that periodically need replacing. And since there's no cure for lymphedema once it's settled in for the long haul, I'm likely to be a return customer for a good while to come.