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DQ News: Are You Flying High with Good Customer Service?

It was the first leg on a recent return home flight from Kansas City to San Diego that my ears perked up while sitting in seat 19B on a well-known airline.

A mother sitting in front of me with her young son had asked the flight attendant (I’m old enough to remember when it was cool to call them a stewardess) for a blanket for her son.

In turn, the flight attendant responded that this particular airline did not have any blankets available and it was probably a good thing. As we all know, flights can run cool or hot, so a blanket did not seem like an unusual request.

Well, much to my surprise and I will say to a degree my delight, the flight attendant told the woman that you really would not want an airline blanket given some of the “leftovers” that can end up on them. While I did not ask for a more descriptive response, I can only imagine some of the things passengers would end up leaving on an airline blanket.

The veteran flight attendant went on to note that things with her employer had changed the last few years, and to note her remarks, not for the better.

No more snacks unless you wanted to cough up a loan, no blankets or pillows to keep you warm and comfy, and a number of other amenities that would probably be too long to list.

What got me thinking heading down the runway was the refreshing honesty with which this flight attendant informed the customer about how her airline was not improving but potentially worsening its relations with the flying public.

What if you as a business owner had one or more of your employees telling customers here and there that you couldn’t provide this or that for them any longer if you did, it would cost them more money? How many of these customers could you potentially lose?

While no employee would be smart to go around bragging to customers about how their business is doing less for customers today than they did yesterday, it is actually refreshing to hear some honesty from employees.

We all know the airline industry is not what it used to be pre-9/11 and likely never will be again.

Even though we appreciate the added emphasis on safety, how many of us complain when we have to get to arrive earlier at the airport a half hour, hour or more now to make it through security on time?

The days of free snacks, pillows, blankets, etc. seem like a thing of decades ago. Heck, can it be too far down the road when airlines start charging you for the “complimentary”  drinks they still serve?

That gets me back to my original point…. Would you as this flight attendant’s employer wanted to hear her telling a customer that things were getting worse and not better on this particular airline?

While I’m guessing the answer nine or even 10 times out of 10 is no, would you discipline that same employee for being truthful and telling us what we already likely know?

Customer service is what companies make of it.

The businesses who provide the best customer service are likely the ones who will end up buying those others who did not.

If you’re a business owner, you don’t even have to know how to fly a plane to figure that out. 

About the Author: Dave Thomas is an expert writer on items like postage meters and is based in San Diego, California.  He writes extensively for an online resource that provides expert advice on purchasing and outsourcing decisions for small business owners and entrepreneurs at Resource Nation.

Photo Credit: FrancoisRoche

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