Yes, you read that right. While customer service is not really a tangible thing – nor is it delicious and cheesy – it is perfectly represented in a tale of one business that desired to go above and beyond in response to one customer call. It’s a story that should inspire all other companies to set the bar for others as well.

It all started when a man e-mailed Florida-based Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakery. The man – U.S. Major Shawn Fulker – is currently stationing in Afghanistan, and wanted to send his wife and five-year-old son a pizza and gift card from their favorite pizza place to celebrate her birthday. And so he got to typing, e-mailing Mellow Mushroom to ask if they could deliver the pizza to their Jacksonville home, noting that he would pay with his credit card.

Initially, one may think that this plan floundered, as Fulker never got a response to the e-mail; however, that same day, he got his response notifying him that Josephine and five-year-old Ethan received the pizza and a $50 gift card to the restaurant without charging him a penny.

Even more, the pizza was shaped into a heart topped with heart-shaped pepperoni slices. Andy Hanselman, a leading figure in culture and customer relationships, recently wrote about this heartwarming story, saying, “The whole team at Mellow Mushroom had got involved: regional marketing manager Brooke Chafee, came up with the idea of the heart-shaped pizza and helped deliver it to the Fulkers’ home. Cook Justin McKeever thought of producing the little heart-shaped pepperonis.”

Hanselman then summed up this situation in a way that promotes what he calls the six “ingredients of customer delight,” which include:

• It produces a “wow” reaction
• It appears spontaneous or unexpected
• It’s the personal touch
• It makes the customer feel valued
• It’s genuine
• It creates a ‘talking point’

Hanselman then asks the golden question, or the one that translates universally: “What does this mean for you and your business?” While we all love some good pizza, what Hanselman is trying to get at is determining what “ingredients” work for your business to help elevate customer service and the overall customer experience.

IVR expert Plum Voice is also well-versed in customer service and satisfaction, and regularly shares its strategies and methods for success on its blog. Recently, the company blogged about what can make or break customer satisfaction, where the company explains that customer satisfaction is vital to every company relying on service for their business, and then tackles the question of how to get the right kind of feedback you need to progress. Check out the entire blog here.