It’s not every day that you run across a company that really, really cares about its clientele. Seriously. I’ve written letters to restaurants regarding their menus (lack of options for a vegetarian with a gluten intolerance…trust me!) and have received defensive letters in return or a form letter.
That was not the case with Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, Colorado. I visited the plant back in April when I ventured away from a convention I was attending in Denver to go see the plant. I am a tea fiend and Celestial Seasonings is my go-to tea…because it’s available EVERYWHERE! Before taking the tour, I had dropped into the café for a small breakfast and fell in love with some gluten-free breads that they had for sale.
As mentioned in my previous blog about my visit to Celestial Seasonings, I had e-mailed them about possibly receiving the recipes for the bread, as buying anything gluten-free out in Indiana is not only expensive, it’s practically impossible. (Seriously, grocery store sections are usually very small and most don’t even carry Udi’s bread!).
I received a message back from their Consumer Relations saying that they stumbled upon my blog and have been trying to locate the recipe for me, but currently haven’t been able to track it down. And they apologized for the time it took to get back to me. Needless to say, I was already impressed. One weeks later, I received another e-mail back from a different person in Consumer Relations, this time telling me that the gluten-free breads are actually brought into the café and not made on site, so recipes are not available to them. The fact that they spent all that time trying to track this down for me spoke volumes of the dedication they have to their customers. If I was impressed before, I was now gobsmacked.
But here is the epitome of customer appreciation. Upon returning home from work yesterday, I went to get the mail from my box and noticed an envelope in there from Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, Colorado. Upon opening it, I found a nice letter from a Jessica, a Consumer Relations Representative. This was no form letter either. It was typed out addressing not only their delay in getting back to me, but voicing their appreciation of my patience. But here is the kicker, folks…also inside were not only coupons for Celestial Seasonings tea and Arrowhead Mills gluten-free baking mixes…they also put in some recipes for a variety of gluten-free breads, muffins, cakes, pancakes, waffles, cookies, etc. This goes beyond customer service. This is ensuring customer satisfaction!
I said it to our tour guide on the tour of Celestial Seasonings, I said it to everyone back at the convention center where I was in Denver, and I’ve said it to people here where I live. I would work for this company!! I would love to work for Celestial Seasonings…even more so now because I have now been given ultimate customer service. When contacting companies these days over things, normally you don’t even know if you’re going to get a person on the other end. Celestial Seasonings is definitely run by real people. Real people who care and who take time to not only find an answer for you, but contact you back and make sure you are satisfied with the response they give.
I’m impressed. I’m beyond impressed. Boulder, Colorado is such a healthy area. The fact that gluten-free products are so readily available make me want to pack up and head out west. Maybe one day. But for now, I’ll remain in Indiana…and give these kindly provided recipes a whirl.
Thank you, Hain Celestial Group, for making me a bigger believer, not just in your company, but in your dedication to your customers. I raise a mug of Sleepytime Tea in your honor. Cheers.
The Celiathlete 