CUSTOMER SERVICE / CUSTOMER LOYALTY / SERVICE QUALITY | Will United Continental Merger Kill Airlines’ Customer Service?
May 3, 2010
In today’s global economy, consolidations are inevitable. Heck, we’ve consolidated data centers, sales, and operations to reduce operating expenses. Our goal has always been to improve the service to the end user, with a side benefit of reducing expenses.
Airlines have been particularly hard hit. The United / Continental Airlines merger announced today, will help both organizations continue their operations, saving money and jobs. I can’t help but wonder what will happen to levels of service to me and you, the poor guy in the seat?
Anyone who has been on a plane lately can attest that things are not the same as they were a year ago. If you really want to feel bad, think about how your parents used to treat air travel. It was an event! You dressed up to go to the airport, and arrived early — not because it would take you three hours to get through the security screening — but because there was a lot to see and you wanted to make the experience last as long as possible.
Flash forward to the present day — You must arrive early, or you could miss your flight because you are standing in line. Many flight attendants are less than helpful and darned rude in some cases. You get the impression that the airline is just looking for ways to nickle and dime you for everything they can. And, for heaven’s sake, buy a darned watch and use it — would it kill the plane to take off on time?
My hope would be that the new United / Continental company would take some of the new savings and reinvest it in the people who serve their passengers. Encourage and reward those who actively engage passengers and fire those who don’t.
Maybe give us a break and have a few freebies? Maybe encourage people to check their luggage rather than try to trying to cram a week’s worth of clothing into an overhead bin. Heck, here’s another freebie: Tell us how much it’s REALLY going to cost to fly your airline. Stop making us guess. If you want to charge a per bag charge, add it to the cost of the flight.
Southwest Airlines doesn’t charge for baggage and I LOVE SOUTHWEST AIRLINES! They do exactly what they say they will do. No frills. I’m OK with with. They even have fun at takeoff time, putting a personal spin on the departure talk. They generally look like they’re having a good time. Consequently, I tend to be more relaxed, and actually enjoy the flight.
So, there’s my two cents on the United Continental merger. Be sure to stop by our other web sites for additional information and ideas about building customer loyalty:
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CUSTOMER SERVICE / CUSTOMER LOYALTY | Got Spirit?
April 27, 2010
Do your customers have spirit? I was at a great fundraiser yesterday for Las Trampas Inc. in Lafayette CA. It was a football themed event, playing up the rivalry between the greatest university in the world, Cal and another little school in Palo Alto, whose name I can’t seem to recall. The event raised a lot of money, and it was a lot of fun, too! (Thanks to our host, Eric Rudney!)
What impressed me the most was all of us in our school attire! The oldest person was a Cal graduate from the 40′s – and when coach Joe Kapp got up to speak we were all back in college again! Would your customers buy clothes with your logo on it? Would they pay a premium for it? Think about ways you can inspire this type of loyalty and you may open up a whole new revenue stream!
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CUSTOMER SERVVICE/CUSTOMER LOYALTY | Do You Respond to Customer Problems Like an Oil Spill?
April 27, 2010
While the loss of 11 lives in the tragic Golf of Mexico Oil Rig Disaster is truly a shame, and out hearts go out to the families of those injured or killed in the incident, I was amazed at the response from those left to clean up the mess, and how many businesses could use the same approach to attack customer problems head-on.
These oil rig clean-up crews are not just a after-thought. They practice for years and years, making sure they have their response down pat. They anticipate potential threats and devise ways to attack the problem.
Do you anticipate customer problems? Do you run customer drills so that every person in your organization knows what part they will play? Maybe it’s time to start!
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CUSTOMER SERVICE / CSUTOMER LOYALTY | Will Hertz / Thrifty Car Rental Merger Change the Game?
April 26, 2010
Today’s announcement that Hertz has made an offer for Thrifty / Dollar Rent a Car is both scary and exciting. I’ve always been partial to National or Thrifty myself. They are usually the best price, where Hertz is almost always the highest. One can only hope that the two together will be stronger than apart, and that Hertz will strengthen the new acquisition, while keeping the price down. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!
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CUSTOMER SERVICE / CUSTOMER LOYALTY | Do you make your customers feel less welcome than an undocumented worker in Arizona?
April 26, 2010
Arizona’s new law focusing on undocumented or “illegal aliens” scares me to death. Not because I don’t acknowledge the problem with undocumented workers, or that I don’t trust “Sheriff Joe’s” deputies to use their best judgment. It just doesn’t settle well with me to have to carry my birth certificate or passport to prove I’m an American citizen when I walk down the street.
The answer is not to exclude individuals, but rather find a way to include them into our great nation. I heard of a store focusing on “teens” that now offers an “ambassador” to adults who may be shopping and uncomfortable about making a gift selection. I wish they did this wen my daughter was growing up!
The fact is in our day-today business lives, we should try to include as many people as possible. Everybody’s money spends as good as can be. How much are you missing out?
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CUSTOMER SERVICE / CUSTOMER LOYALTY | Celebrate the Administrative Professionals Day!
April 21, 2010
In the “olden days” it used to be “Secretaries Day” now, more aptly titled, “Administrative Professionals Day” reflects the true nature of the job. These are, quite often, the unsung heroes of our day to day business life. They are the ones who must smile in the face of impending disaster. If the truth were to be known, they are the ones who actually makes sure that business moves at the pace the boss sets!
I can recall one administrative professional I worked with many moons ago. Jeannie was always smiling, and positive. No matter how hard the task, or dire the situation, she could find the bright side and focus only on that. She could, and did, tell you to “go to hell” so nicely that you would thank her when she was through. For years, she was at the “top of the heap” and then she did something nobody else had ever done — she asked for an assignment in the “trenches” where the action was. A number of senior managers smiled, and then quietly quashed her dream, behind her back. I’m proud to say that I say her potential and worked to make a position for her. It was an entry level position. The bottom rung, so to speak. However, Jeannie wasn’t there very long. In a matter of months, she was well on her way to becoming a stellar performer through the ranks. Her last assignment before she retired was a regional manager porition, reporting to the director in charge of the retail arm of the company.
Today’s lesson? Have a chat with your administrative professionals and see where they want to go. Help them get there. They will show all your employees “the way things should be done” and act as an example to other employees too!
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CUSTOMER SERVICE / CUSTOMER LOYALTY | Additional May 2010 “Seven Ways to Keep Customers NOW!” Webinar Added
April 21, 2010
ServiceQuality.US and The Service Quality Department announced a new May 2010 date for an additional session of their wildly popular “Seven Ways to Keep Customers NOW!“ webinar. The web event will be held on May 17, 2010 at 10:00 AM (Pacific) / 1:00 PM (Eastern) and is open to a limited number of business owners and managers who are interested in learning exactly how lost customers are making a big dent in their bottom-line. More details are available by clicking here or at http://www.service-quality.com/webinars.html
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CUSTOMER SERVICE / CUSTOMER LOYALTY | “5 Ways You’re Losing Revenue!” Webinar Added in May 2010
April 21, 2010
ServiceQuality.US and The Service Quality Department announced a new May 2010 date for an additional session of their wildly popular “5 Ways You’re Losing Revenue! webinar. The web event will be held on May 17, 2010 at 9:30 AM (Pacific) / 12:30 PM (Eastern) and is open to a limited number of business owners and managers who are interested in learning exactly how missed customer opportunities are costing them money. More details are available by clicking here or at http://www.service-quality.com/webinars.html
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CUSTOMER SERVICE / CUSTOMER LOYALTY | “Why Your Competition is GLAD You Don’t Have A Mystery Shopper Program” Free Webinar Added!
April 21, 2010
ServiceQuality.US and The Service Quality Department announced a new May 2010 date for an additional session of their wildly popular “Why Your Competition is GLAD You Don’t Have A Mystery Shopper Program” webinar. The web event will be held on May 19, 2010 at 10:30 AM (Pacific) / 1:30 PM (Eastern) and is open to a limited number of business owners and managers who are interested in finding out why a secret shop / mystery shop program is worth its weight in gold. More details are available by clicking here or at http://www.service-quality.com/webinars.html
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CUSTOMER LOYALTY / CUSTOMER SERVICE | May 2010 FREE Webinar “12 Things You Can Do to Bring In More Sales TODAY!” Announced
April 21, 2010
ServiceQuality.US and The Service Quality Department announced a new May 2010 date for an additional session of their wildly popular “12 Things You Can Do to Bring In More Sales TODAY!” webinar. The web event will be held on May 19, 2010 at 9:30 AM (Pacific) / 12:30 PM (Eastern) and is open to a limited number of business owners and managers who are interested in bringing in more sales leveraging their customer’s loyalty. More details are available by clicking here or at http://www.service-quality.com/webinars.html
Be sure to stop by our other web sites for additional information and ideas about building customer loyalty:
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