southwest airlines | Customer Service Solutions, Inc.

Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service - 11/12/24


It’s hard to know every procedure, every policy, every technique possible to handle every situation correctly.  After all, maybe our procedures are standard, but our customers are not.  Maybe our policies stay pretty consistent, but our customers’ needs and issues, their attitudes and actions can change from customer to Read more

From a Simple Question to an Exceptional Experience - 11/5/24


Phyllis loves her job.  It’s not just because she loves being a customer service representative, not just because she really likes her co-workers, and not just because she enjoys her company.  It’s because she really appreciates her customers, as well. A customer had ordered a register book off the company Read more

Fix One Problem without Creating Another - 10/29/24


If you’ve ever had an issue with your dishwasher, this will sound familiar.  I’ve dealt with so many dishwashers over the years, and they always seem to have some kind of an issue.  Maybe it’s because of the mix of water and technology, but for whatever reason, these never Read more

Delight Your Customers - 10/22/24


Buddy the Bug Man was different.  His company was new, and the only reason why Janet tried him out was that the service she had used for years just wasn’t working.  Whether it was mosquitoes in the yard, ants in the kitchen, or cockroaches flying through on their way Read more

A More Complete Definition of Responsiveness - 10/15/24


I was purchasing something recently that was being custom-developed.  At one point, the company’s employee and I had a good 20 e-mails going back and forth - 10 from each of us.  Unfortunately, I broke my own rule, and I did not pick up the phone after 2 or Read more

Have a Game Plan to Address Their Anxiety - 10/8/24


It seems like we all get deliveries - whether it is UPS, USPS, FedEx, Amazon, the local courier, or all the above.  We order.  They deliver.  Or do they? It’s times like these, when we’re expecting that package, that item that we’re looking forward to or need urgently or are Read more

How Persistence Saved the Day - 10/1/24


Sherrie saw the customer walk into her store holding his cell phone, and Sherrie immediately knew that was William.  She had spoken to William on the phone about an hour ago, he said he would be at Sherrie’s cell phone store in less than an hour, and there he Read more

Notice the Little Changes - 9/24/24


“My, how times have changed.” Yes, times have changed.  As a matter of fact, one of the biggest reasons why an organization’s customer service deteriorates is that times have changed…customers have changed…and the company has not… If we think about customer service delivery today v. decades ago, changes in technology alone Read more

Don’t Hurry…Be Quick - 9/17/24


No, this is not a take off on the Bobby McFerrin song:  Don’t Worry Be Happy. It’s actually a take off on the John Wooden quote:  Be quick, but don’t hurry. When I read Wooden’s book with this title, I liked the concept, and not just because John Wooden was a Read more

4 Actions for the Customer - 9/10/24


One way to look at the difference between proactive and reactive is that proactive is something that’s often done before it absolutely has to be done.  Maybe it’s something done that really doesn’t have to occur, but your professionalism takes over, and some action or communication that you know Read more

Does Airline Customer Service Stink?

Posted on in Business Advice, World of Customer Service Please leave a comment

If you read about the recent results in the American Customer Satisfaction Index about airlines, you might not be that surprised. Customer satisfaction dropped for the industry with Southwest Airlines continuing to be the highest rated.

I’ve done some flying over the past couple weeks, and the customer service itself doesn’t seem worse to me, but it doesn’t seem better. As former Carolina Panthers football coach John Fox frequently said, “it is what it is.”

The big question is “Why is it allowed to be what it is – simply mediocre?” It was the TSA representative who literally did not say one word to the 30+ passengers for whom I watched her check their tickets against their I.D.’s. It was the flight attendant that wouldn’t reciprocate a smile as I walked by him. It was the congestion of passengers delaying boarding in a poorly designed gate entryway. It was the interminable wait for the “valet” checked luggage in the hot and crowded jetway after the flight.

On the flipside, I had a great experience with another TSA agent who warmly greeted and still productively processed passengers through the checking of their ticket. There was a flight attendant that went out of her way to ensure a family with small children felt comfortable. There was the self check-in kiosk where an employee gave some support in getting started in what turned out to be a 90-second process with no wait.

The problem is not that there isn’t great customer service in the airline industry. The problem is that it’s not consistently given. It’s too often dependent on which employee you get, on what airline you take, on…luck.

The obvious and correct conclusion, therefore, is that delivering great customer service is not a high priority. If it was, then there would be the intent and the execution to make it happen – consistently.

Make great customer service a priority in your business. Have an intent to make it a part of every aspect of your organization, and then ensure it’s being executed consistently.

Read our New Book – “Ask Yourself…Am I GREAT at Customer Service?” http://www.amigreatat.com/

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