"I recently had a customer who was several weeks past the return policy timeframe; however, she had some medical issues and a few other circumstances that were a touch unusual. I decided to extend the policy and issue her a refund, with the expressed permission of my supervisor, of course. It's important to have rules, but it's also important to express some flex when needed, within reason."

Most companies have specific solutions they offer customers when an issue arises. Sometimes, despite your efforts, you can't meet their needs and need to get creative. American Express values those committed to their customers and able to innovate. If you haven't done this before, give an example of a time you've gone above and beyond. You may have talked to your manager to find a compromise or a hidden benefit that you rarely offer. Think of a challenging situation you resolved. Making the customer happy is your priority!

The most important part of any customer experience is the grand finale. How the customer leaves at the end of any customer experience is what they take with them. That exit moment is the make it or break it moment to brand loyalty. How well you fit into the culture of their brand, and how well you deliver that grand finale experience, is what you want to convey.

"There was a customer who ordered a product from us that had a lifetime warranty. Unfortunately, the product they wanted to be replaced was no longer supplied by our company. I offered them credit for anything else in our catalog, but they weren't interested in any of our other products. They just wanted the product replaced. I made several calls to all of our warehouses worldwide and was able to locate a replacement item, even though our systems indicated we had no inventory. It took some time to track down. I waved the cost of shipping, explaining if anything should happen to this replacement, a credit would be the only thing we could offer. They understood and were grateful."