US President Barack Obama arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City at nearly 4 p.m. on Tuesday for his visit to the commercial hub. Right after landing, Obama headed to Phuoc Hai Pagoda, also called Ngoc Hoang (Jade Emperor) Pagoda, on Mai Thi Luu Street in District 1. Despite light rain, locals lined up the streets where the US president’s motorcade passed by to greet him.   US President Barack Obama walks down from his Air Force One at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on May 24, 2016. Photo: Doc Lap/Thanh Nien    US President Barack Obama receives flowers as he arrives at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on May 24, 2016. Photo credit: Carlos Barria/Reuters US President Barack Obama waves as he lands at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on May 24, 2016. Photo: Doc Lap/Thanh Nien   Locals greet Obama as his motorcade heads to Phuoc Hai...

This awesome customer service story was shared on The Financial Brand website by Ron Shevlin. The story shows how much of an impact one employee going the extra mile can have on customer loyalty, and the advantage it can have on the career of a customer service professional. I hope you enjoy it as much as i did.     The incident happened 18 years ago, and I only heard it for the first time yesterday. What makes that worth mentioning is that the story was from my father.   I was in Florida yesterday for a conference that was 45 minutes from where my parents live, so they drove down and joined me for lunch.   Here’s the lunch conversation:   Mom: So what did you talk about in your speech? Me: Stuff. Mom: What kind of stuff? Me: Bank stuff. Mom: What kind of bank stuff? Me: Bank customer loyalty stuff. Mom: What kind of bank customer loyalty stuff?   Then it hit me. Thirty+ years past my teenage years, and my conversations...

A few years ago, Kate and I took a trip to San Francisco for business. The company that flew us out there set us up in a high-end hotel right near the Embarcadero. We usually stay at something like a Holiday Inn Express, so this was a completely new experience for us.   When we entered the hotel lobby, I noticed a little desk to the side that had the word “Concierge” on the front of it in big gold letters. My only knowledge of concierges at this point had come from watching Tim Curry play one in Home Alone 2. I had a vague idea they were there to help hotel guests, but I thought it was something extra you had to pay for. Everything I knew about concierges had come from this guy.   As it turns out, I was quite wrong.   One morning, I was in the lobby on my smartphone looking for a place to get a haircut. I couldn’t find one and my frustration must have shown, because the nice gentleman standing behind the concierge desk and wearing giant...