I’ll be the first to admit the headline is terrible and intended to grab attention under false pretenses. Having said that, some of the best advice I ever got was not to get laser-focused on best practices in just your industry or profession. Pay attention to how others go about their work, and if they do something really well you should try and adapt it to what you do. That advice came from my Dad, who on numerous occasions pointed to how they did things at Disney Land and was adamant that they were the benchmark for customer service and experience for any business. My Dad owned two billiard halls and while they were a form of entertainment, they were a million miles away from an amusement park.

Anyway back to the really lame headline of this story, for years I have wanted to talk about the best customer service experience I have encountered on this side of the “Happiest Place on Earth”. I like thousands of others here in Calgary make an annual, or more, pilgrimage to the landfill. Shepard landfill is the home of the best, and I mean the best customer service that I have experienced almost anywhere.

I will pause and let that last sentence sink in.

While I have a background in Sports Talk Radio please trust me when I say to you that this is not an attempt by me to provide a “HOT TAKE” or click bait, But for more than a decade I really have believed this.

I say this as a former civil servant, but I think we all have a story about going to a public facility like the dump and running into someone who just doesn’t want to be working there. Every time I go to the Shepard facility I am greeted with a smile and given clear instructions on where to go and what to do, when I get to the drop-off location I have the same positive interaction. If I have questions I have always been listened to and helped right away. On the way out and paying my fees another smile and a “thank-you” or “have a great day”.

Now granted all of this is pretty routine or basic, but man is it consistent. Every single time I go I get the same customer service experience. Ultimately isn’t that the biggest compliment one can make about customer service, that it’s consistent? Sure there are plenty of businesses and organizations around our city that go above and beyond to make their experience as positive as possible. I think we would all agree that when you think about where the friendliest front-facing staff are in the city a landfill wouldn’t be the first place your mind would go.

I am sure that someone will tag this post with a story that takes umbrage with my opinion on this matter, and that’s ok. I just wanted to take a moment to tip my hat to the staff of the Shepard Landfill. Year after year, visit after visit, without question every time I have dumped my garbage I head home with a smile because my experience was so positive.