I placed a small order online with Staples yesterday. Expected delivery in 3-5 business days. It showed up on my doorstep today, less than 24 hours from when I placed it. This was free shipping, too–not any kind of expedited extra-charge delivery.
There are a couple of key points here:
- Great customer service really does make you stand out from the pack
- Set expectations lower, then when you exceed them you look great. (If they’d told me it would be here in 24 hours, I’d have been skeptical and disappointed if they were late).