Carrie Costello and her 10-year-old son, Mathew, needed a fun day in the worst way. And what better place was there to get away from life’s stresses, they thought, than the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
A warm, sunny day spent visiting the animals and walking around the zoo was just what they needed. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas, and with their trip from Hermitage, Pa., already made, the Costellos were stuck with an unexpectedly cold and rainy day.
So what to do? They headed to the RainForest and found two young employees who offered to take their coats so they didn’t have to carry them around.
Next, they stopped for lunch in the café and encountered another polite employee who prepared their lunch and then apologized unnecessarily for the time it took to do it.
When it was time to battle the elements, Costello and her son ran into more friendly staffers who directed them to buses and helped make their trip to the zoo a whole lot more enjoyable than it might have been.
It’s that type of dedication to customer happiness that Director Steve Taylor wants to see instilled in every one of his employees.
One of the primary tenets of the zoo’s philosophy is the idea that guests are not an interruption to employee work but the purpose of it and that guests are not dependent on employees, but rather, employees are dependent on guests.
This simple premise only scratches the surface of the dedication that zoo employees are asked to deliver each day.
Cases like Costello and her son show that these employees are only too happy to comply.
“Our day at the zoo in the rain and cold was still one of the best days my son and I have ever had,” Costello says.
How to reach: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, (216) 661-6500 or www.clemetzoo.com
