Online Reporter
Your Money, Your Call
Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba
THERE is something quite powerful about being genuinely appreciated.
Sometimes that appreciation comes in the form of a tumbler.
Last week, I went to renew my vehicle licence at an insurance company headquartered in Borrowdale.
Like most people, I expected the usual: a queue, a transaction and a receipt — nothing more; nothing less.
But what happened while I was waiting turned a routine errand into a moment worth sharing.
The line was moving slowly, as queues tend to do. People were patient — scrolling through their phones, chatting softly or just watching the clock.
Then one of the company’s staff — a young woman with a warm smile and a confident stride — walked up to the line and asked a question that caught us off guard: “Have you all received your tumblers?”
Most of us blinked.
Tumblers? What tumblers?
Except for one gentleman who nodded, the rest of us had not received anything.
She turned around and disappeared into the office. A few minutes later, she returned with a box full of reusable tumblers, each engraved with the company’s name and logo.
They were not fancy — no glitter, no thermal insulation, no bells or whistles, but just simple, sturdy tumblers. But it was not about the product; it was about the gesture.
As she handed them out, she thanked each one of us for renewing our licences with their organisation. Her gesture was not in a scripted, robotic way.
She looked us in the eye, smiled and said it like she meant it.
And just like that, the mood in the queue changed. People smiled. Some chuckled. A few even clutched their tumblers like they had just won a prize.
It was not about the value — it was about being appreciated.
In our country, customer service often feels like a battle — queues are long, tempers short and appreciation rare.
This small act stood out.
It reminded me that good service is not just about efficiency. It is about humanity.
I have been to plenty of offices where you are treated like a number, where the staff barely look up, let alone thank you.
But that day, the insurance company reminded me that it does not take much to make a customer feel valued.
And here is the thing: That tumbler will probably end up in someone’s car or on a desk, or in a kitchen cupboard.
It might hold water, tea or even coins.
But every time we see it, we will remember that moment, that thank you and that feeling of being appreciated.
One customer in the queue joked that he would come back next month just to get another one. Another one said she would use hers at work to show off.
I overheard someone say: “They did not have to do that, but they did. That is good business.”
And it is.
Because in the end, customer loyalty is not built on grand gestures. It is built on small, consistent acts of respect — A tumbler. A thank you. A moment of connection.
If I ever get the chance, I would love to go back and personally thank that staff member. Maybe even bring her a gift in return. Not because the tumbler was expensive, but because the gesture was priceless.
So, here is to the businesses that remember we are people; not just customers. And here is to the staff who go the extra mile — not with extravagance, but with sincerity.
Your money, your call. And on this particular day, I felt mine was well spent.
Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba is a marketing and customer service consultant, customer experience columnist, and sales and service trainer. Contact details: [email protected] or +263712979461, 0719978335, 0772978335, www.customersuccess.co.zw
