Customer Service

[drifterreno]

To all of you out there who have read The Last Lecture, the book, I'm sure you shook your head in the affirmative when you read this story. It was how I always handled my customers and fellow employees, but USAirways doesn't seem to "get it" that customer service and a little more time spent with a passanger will go a long way. Here goes the story.
Randy and his sister went to Disney with their parents. While there the kids decided to put their money together and buy their parents a present. They went into the gift shop and bought the parents a salt and pepper shaker. It was ceramic and very cute and they spent all of their money. Upon exiting the gift shop, and being kids at Disney, they were excited to get to a ride. Randy accidently dropped the bag carrying the salt and pepper shakers. They broke into a thousand pieces. A passer by noticed the hurting kids and told them to go back to the gift shop and tell their story to the sales person. They did with not a hope in the world of fixing their problem. The sales person listened to their story and when the kids said they knew it was their fault the sales person told them no it wasn't. It was more her fault for not wrapping the present so it would not break if dropped and gave them another salt and pepper shaker which she wrapped very carefully. Years later when Randy was working at Disney Immaging he told the CEO at that time about the experience. They had told their parents about what had happened, and guess what. The parents returned many many times with kids they were helping and spent over $100,000.00 at Disney.
If USAirways would take this stand and really give good customer service just think of all of the people that would fly US and only US. Millions of dollars are made by word of mouth.
I never could get this concept over to management. Maybe Randy can.

 

[Dorf]

The parents returned many many times with kids they were helping and spent over $100,000.00 at Disney.
If USAirways would take this stand and really give good customer service just think of all of the people that would fly US and only US. Millions of dollars are made by word of mouth.

My brother-in-law works for Home Depot. He told me they have done studies on this sort of thing. That is why they will "take back" anything a customer doesn't like or is unhappy with, including a pail of paint that the customer didn't like the color after they got it home. The average customer/homeowner, if happy with HD's customer friendliness will spend an average of $80,000. Wish US Airways would learn from other peoples example in the treatment of customers and employees.

Dorf

 

[phlagent]

This action is called common sense. Our stupid leaders don't know what common sense is
all they think about is greed and bean counting. And the Borad of Directors that keep
these guys in charge are a bunch of idiots also. Can't they see what this management team is doign to this airline.

If they have any concern what so ever of thier investment, they should make a change,
corruption all around.

 

[NCFL]

That's exactly how the mindset worked in East's Consumer Affairs department: make a decision today to help a customer with a reasonable request based not on the value of the single transaction in front of you, but on the potential for goodwill, loyalty and a lifetime of spending with the company.

The challenge comes with expanding a notion such as that out to X thousand agents handling X jillion customers. Airfare and the quirks of airline travel are much more complicated than a salt shaker. Airlines and the FAA, unfortunately, have 6,000,000 rules for everything from the day of the week a fare is applicable to the AOSSP to what qualifies as an emotional support service animal.

Furthermore, how do you prevent customer abuse? How do you keep things controlled so employees are not just waiving things willy-nilly? As much as I'm in favor of helping customers at the first point of contact, it's not as logistically easy as it sounds on the surface. The company does have to take some steps to protect revenue. I doubt Jimmy and Judy at Disney make a habit of buying back-to-back salt and pepper shakers, breaking half the set, and asking for a refund every single week so they can save $400 on the cost of their ticket.

 

[trvlr64]

It's not going to change. Look at the fiasco with the TARP funds and all those bank CEO's lining their pockets and offices.

Until everyone including the BOD of every company starts realizing that it's about the customers and not their pockets this country isn't going to change it's way of doing business.

Companies like Disney, Home Depot and even Sears know that it's their customers they need to keep happy.



I think BOD members should all be working at those types of positions for FREE anyway. How many times have you heard that this person or that person is on the BOD of directors of multiple companies? They are only doing that to line their pockets. FRAK the customers and the employees.

 

[john john]

Paranoid

Furthermore, how do you prevent customer abuse? How do you keep things controlled so employees are not just waiving things willy-nilly? As much as I'm in favor of helping customers at the first point of contact, it's not as logistically easy as it sounds on the surface. The company does have to take some steps to protect revenue.

Trust your customers and employees to the extent of there job/service/duties/reasonability they perform

 

[TheMike]

When I was a Customer Service Manager at a local grocery store we had a double money back guarantee on all of our meats and produce. If you didn't like the steak you bought or the fruit you bought spoiled too quickly you could bring it back and get double what you paid for it. Yes, we had some people abuse the system but the business we got from standing behind our products was well worth the few scammers.

US will never do anything like this though. We can't even give someone an aisle seat anymore without asking for $10.

 

[drifterreno]

That's exactly how the mindset worked in East's Consumer Affairs department: make a decision today to help a customer with a reasonable request based not on the value of the single transaction in front of you, but on the potential for goodwill, loyalty and a lifetime of spending with the company.

The challenge comes with expanding a notion such as that out to X thousand agents handling X jillion customers. Airfare and the quirks of airline travel are much more complicated than a salt shaker. Airlines and the FAA, unfortunately, have 6,000,000 rules for everything from the day of the week a fare is applicable to the AOSSP to what qualifies as an emotional support service animal.

Furthermore, how do you prevent customer abuse? How do you keep things controlled so employees are not just waiving things willy-nilly? As much as I'm in favor of helping customers at the first point of contact, it's not as logistically easy as it sounds on the surface. The company does have to take some steps to protect revenue. I doubt Jimmy and Judy at Disney make a habit of buying back-to-back salt and pepper shakers, breaking half the set, and asking for a refund every single week so they can save $400 on the cost of their ticket.

I was a customer service (reservation) agent for 16 years and 2 years CSD at HP. Believe me, I knew when people were making it up. My own mother had a change on her Christmas flight and got so upset about having to make a double connection--a non refundable first class paid ticket--that she got so sick on her way to the airport to board her flight that she had to be taken to the hospital with an anxiety attack. Even though I helped hundreds of customers in the past no one would help her and refund her ticket. She will never be able to fly to see me because there are no single connections on "big" jets and she might not be able to fly ever again anyway--she has alzheimers. Did anyone offer to help me?? Did anyone refund her ticket?? No. I got nasty non compationate employees and supervisors and revenue and accounting people not willing to go that extra mile. Yes, my family uses my buddy passes but my Mom has always bought a real ticket and is a life time member of the Club. This would have been her first Christmas with all of us together since my Dad passed away, and her final words to me were, "If I fly and have to make 2 connections I'll die, so I can't come". It was a horrible Christmas for all of us.
But, I know I made lots of Christmases nice for lots of folks and I still feel good about it.

 

[X-U]

One thing to consider is that profit margins for airlines are much thinner than those of other retailers. The Disney salt and pepper set was probably manufactured in China for 50 cents and sold for 10 dollars.

 

[whatkindoffreshhell]

Some customers that have spent hundreds of thousands with US have simply walked away because your airline won't even return a phone call.

Forget about replacing a $10 item.

The airline is doomed.

The original poster's story, while syrupy, is typical exaggerated Disney.

 

[drifterreno]

Some customers that have spent hundreds of thousands with US have simply walked away because your airline won't even return a phone call.

Forget about replacing a $10 item.

The airline is doomed.

The original poster's story, while syrupy, is typical exaggerated Disney.

Take some time to watch the Last Lecture online then read the book--sure it was surpy but it happened and hey when you're dying those syrupy things come back to you.
Have you even seen The Last Lecture. It is time well spent. Maybe Doug should watch it too.

 

[Doc]

I am not sure what you mean by screw ups, and a maintenance or weather delay is not a screw up so I am not sure what you mean by a screw up.

Please explain.......
This should be intersesting.....

 

[drifterreno]

Piney, I actually agree with you. My point is US had a schedule change that made an 84 year old woman in the beginning stages of alzheimers disease become so stressed that she wound up in the hospital instead of with her family at Christmas and now won't refund the ticket--though it was their fault for the schedule change--and she will never be able to fly to her destination--the only place she flies since she only has 1 living relative and she is in that city--and won't refund her ticket--waived the fee but what good will that do her??
If there's a schedule change--no matter what--if the passanger wants a refund it should be given.

 

[sharktooth]

It really doesn't matter what the specific reason is. The point is and you usually miss is the way the company responds when things do go wrong is often is one of the differentiators when choosing a carrier.

From a customer perspective me not getting on my scheduled flight and departing near the scheduled time is by definition a Screw-up. Why & Who is at fault is another matter. The F-up could be anything from closing the door 20 minutes before departure, broken plane, A Flat Tire Rule issue, Something with SHARES. Pick something.

All that is important to me as a customer is this, "OK we have a problem, how do we fix it?" Get the problem resolved and move on.

Excellent points, Piney. The issue is not the "screw-up", it is all about the recovery, something A&W is allowed to refuse to recognize.

and, it is true that mx issues have become a "no-fault" item in the ATA lexicon, something I object to.

Indeed, while some mx issues are last minute, many are the result of just bad airline management policy, something the airline has complete control over. Many aircraft have sat on the ground for, literally hours and yet maintenance personnel show up just before push time to "check the logbook". It is not the fault of the mx personnel. It is the fault of mx policy that thinks it "saves costs" by not having enough line mx people to accomplish minimal operations. It is clearly an example of "management" taking advantage of favorable "rulings/public perceptions" to "cut costs". It has all the elements of out-of-control "direction" from above by "Peter Principle" executives who obviously have no idea the consequences of making wide directives without oversight.

This is just the tip of the iceberg at US, one small area among many that cry for attention. Add in managers that are not mature enough to keep their "personal (personnel?) problems" to themselves and are either too immature or just too under-experienced to cope and as expected, the resulting mess gets swept under the carpet as issues, for which the airline accepts no responsibility.

 

[autumn68]

change begins from the top..........the airline industry in this country will not change until our CEOs "walk the talk" and start following in the steps of Haruka Nishimatsu (JAL).

He makes $90,000US per year......

When jobs were cut and people were asked to take early retirement, he thought that he should "share the pain with them", so he changed his salary.

He receives no executive perks........

He makes less salary than his pilots.......

He takes the BUS to work........

He eats lunch in the staff canteen..........

He makes himself available to the employees and always asks them how things are going.......

Nothing in the industry will change unless our greedy airline CEOs change their ways......... Happy employees make a happy airline.........It all trickles down...........

I wasn't going to post anymore.........but I couldn't help myself, I had to add my 2 cents.........which really isn't worth much.