showing gratitude

It is easy, but often something we over look.  I complain and bitch all the time, so it only makes sense that I offer gratitude when it is deserved.  I think I mentioned that mom had forgotten her medicine when we went to Wintergreen, so I made a point to send recognition to CVS leadership about the wonderful lady the helped mom and dad last Friday.  

I had no idea how to get in front of the right person, so why not go right to the top?  I found the CVS CEO email online and figured it was worth a try:

While this is an unsolicited email, I think it is very important that my message gets to you and recognition gets back to Elizabeth appropriately.  While long, I wanted to give you a few details that make this interaction so impactful in my family’s life.  Maybe this can be a teachable moment for all CVS employees?

Friday, January 21st, I awoke at a beautiful home gifted to my family for the weekend to celebrate my brother’s 40th birthday.  Unfortunately, my brother passed unexpectedly in October and we felt that we needed to get away to celebrate him.  High on Afton Mountain in Wintergreen, VA, I had such a sense of gratitude to be there with my family, taking it all in.  When my mom came downstairs, she didn’t look well.  She informed us that she hadn’t slept all night, that she had forgotten her medicine.  Taking a step back, my mom has been on tons of medication over the last 20 years, the majority for mental health purposes, spurred after the death of our only other sibling in 2002.

I just knew that my father was going to spend nine hours on the road that day (if the weather was okay) to return home to Heathsville, VA to grab her meds.  We started brainstorming early and found a local CVS, at the bottom of the mountain, that didn’t open until 8.  At 8, my dad got on the phone, only to realize that the pharmacy portion of the store didn’t open until 9.  We set up an online CVS account for my mom so we had all of our ducks in a row once we called the retail store to explain the predicament.  

Having worked in managed care for years, I worried that CVS wasn’t going to be able to do anything.  Some of these meds are highly scrutinized and I just didn’t see her being able to get what she needed to even try to enjoy our weekend away.  My mom asked us to be her advocates, but I knew that I would get to angry when we were told there was nothing that could be done so I left it to my dad.

Around 930am, my parents came out of their room to tell us that they spoke with an individual named Elizabeth at the CVS in Waynesboro, VA (1235 W Broad Street).  They stressed that Elizabeth could not be any more helpful and kind.  She immediately let them know that there is a “vacation” policy that CVS has to help individuals in this same situation as people travel and luggage could be lost or, like in our case, meds were forgotten.  Elizabeth said she was unsure about one of the meds (highly regulated) but that she would work to get that as well as everything else filled for five days to get her through.  She said that she would call back by noon with any additional information or questions, but would do her best to have all other meds filled by that time. 

My parents went down the mountain proactively so that she could get her morning meds as soon as possible.  They were there by noon and everything was filled (with the exception of that one med that Elizabeth stated may be an issue).  Thankfully, that one regulated med was for PRN purposes only and there was no anxiety present to not have it.  Upon my parents’ return to where we were staying, they offered the most amazing accolades for your employee, Elizabeth.  She was just as lovely in person as she was on the phone.  She did exactly as she had stated she would, setting great expectations and following through.  

This type of interaction is what makes a difference in our world.  Customer service seems to go by the wayside too often these days.  Elizabeth stepped up to provide solutions that helped all of us enjoy the weekend as best as possible.  We could not be more grateful.  Please recognize Elizabeth for her efforts that went above and beyond for my family.

Thank you for having associates like Elizabeth that truly make an impact.

I truly thought that this email would fall into the abyss of spam, but it was worth a try.  This evening, I was flabbergasted to get a response, in only four hours!  From the Vice President of Enterprise Customer Resolution, here is the email I received:

Dear Ms. Meade-Tulli, 

 

On behalf of Karen and all of us at CVS Health, we can’t thank you enough for sharing this experience with us! We’re thrilled Elizabeth was able to provide this exceptional experience for your parents in their time of need. We will absolutely ensure she is recognized for the service she provided your family! 

We also wanted to offer our sincere condolences for the unexpected loss of your brother in October. It’s so wonderful your family had this precious time away together to celebrate his life. 

 

Thank you again for taking time out of your busy day to share this experience with us. It is indeed a teachable moment! 

 

Warm regards, 

Mary

This is what it is all about, my friends.  My email was read and appreciated.  I hope that Elizabeth gets the kudos she truly deserves.  Plus, Mary, went above and beyond to offer condolences - she didn't have to do that.  This simple gesture was a win/win for everyone and I am glad that I took the time to appreciate others.  That is what life is about - value those around us.  I hope to do more because it made me feel just as good as I am sure it made the leadership at CVS feel.