It was great to see family and visit the cold northern part of the country.
I am ready to get back to southern Florida and the warmer temperatures.
Air travel is expensive, and like everyone else, I looked for a deal for this flight. I found a great deal on an airline that shall remain nameless.
The initial price was, as expected, too good to be true. But I was prepared and willingly added the extra to make the flight comfortable to my standards. Even with adding all the options, it was still a very good deal cost-wise.
As I checked in there was a large sign explaining that asking for assistance may involve added fees.
The sign was unclear about what added assistance entailed but abundantly clear that asking for assistance would likely trigger added fees.
The sign felt like a warning shot.
This is about as far from customer service as you can get.
Service businesses are built around customer service. Trust is central to the relationship between the customer and the business.
I doubt most businesses will follow the lead of this airline. I hope not.
The businesses driven solely by profit will continue to cut corners and drive profit at the cost of happy customers.
Instead, the successful businesses will do just the opposite. They will improve their customer service. In short, they will make their customer service a “world-class experience.”
The cost-cutting profit seekers will actually help by drawing such a stark contrast and driving people in the opposite direction – to the well-run service business.
A great challenge for your next staff meeting to conduct a short brainstorming session with your team and come up with a dozen or so simple ways you can stand out from your competition.
Put one or two of these suggestions in place and watch what happens.
As for me, I have no loyalty to this airline because they have little concern for me and the rest of the passengers.
Remember you get results if you take immediate action on your idea!
