Today, I traveled into New York today and spent practically my entire day in an aluminum can, at 30,000 feet traveling about 530MPH. I flipped open my laptop to share a few observations about service, price and the overall customer experience and how you could implement a few principles shared by the airline industry. These five lessons will improve customer experience throughout your small business, guaranteed.
I need to point out a couple things: the “transactional” part of the experience good, but the the “relationship” experience was lacking. Also, worth mentioning is the importance in properly delivering difficult news to people. Some airliners choose to be direct, some choose to be passive and apologetic when unexpected circumstances come up. I have a vice with this.
I flew with US Airways, and overall I found them to result in a “typical” experience. Certainly no Southwest or JetBlue, but nothing wow-ed me about them. Throughout their marketing literature, they frequently state, “sorry for … sorry if–” statements for situations that are understandably out of control by the airline. Now is the time companies should have a backbone and be realistic with their customers. Small businesses can declare themselves differently — they don’t have branding “committees” that vote on stuff like that. Small businesses have people who care: You.
Stop saying sorry. It doesn’t help the customer; it doesn’t improve your brand. Do what you do well, and do it with conviction. When you are truly regretful of a situation, or have made an honest mistake, then apologize. People will take your statements and actions seriously.
Save the apologies for a time when a person can see your smile, be empowered and participate in a solution. I feel (as a passenger) that saying sorry in advance is just a bit pretentious and insincere. Say sorry when you feel sorry; not in the event of reasonably expected events – like turbulence or running out of “snack boxes.” It’s just more effective that way, even if it’s said by an ominous pilot from the part of the plane no one is permitted to enter.
Transparency goes a long way to comfort concerned (read: caring) customers. During the taxiing of the plane on the runway, we were advised from the pilot over the intercom that we made a return to the terminal for “law enforcement reasons.” I’ve never heard that before, and especially with this current state of security concerns throughout US airports, many passengers grew concerned. This viral, communal panic began to set in and really gave the perception that the airliner doesn’t know what the heck is going on.
Pay close attention to how your actions (or inactions) will be perceived so you can address them proactively. It turns out, they questioned a couple people for a few minutes and exited the plane. I tweeted about it (as expected) — from the moment it began to during the situation and to the conclusion thereafter just in case it escalated further. Turns out, it resulted in two police officers questioning a few people, taking notes and exiting the aircraft.
A brief explanation could go a long way to ease the anxiety of passengers for who were being held up an additional 45 minutes. Perception is everything and just wait until Wifi/Internet becomes standard on airplanes and people Tweet this stuff naturally and the FAA won’t regulate it. It will happen, it’s happening now. Advocating for customers with swift, strong information and saying it with a smile will more often than not, result in a better perception — guaranteed.
So, from this slowly descending aircraft into JFK Airport, I wanted to connect my experience to improving customer relations and messaging for your small business. Here are my suggestions on how entrepreneurs can provide great service to their customers –
- Empower People
- Educate Everyone
- Guide Them
- Provide Alternatives
- Smile!
Some parts the airline industry ‘get it’, and some miss it entirely. At the end of the day, we all need to consider that people are sitting in a 5X4 cubic space for several hours, we get cranky and need to have our inner concerns addressed proactively by companies we depend on throughout our lives.
That’s really it for now. I’m interested in your thoughts on it. Are these lessons detrimental or helpful? Dish it in the comments.
