Helping our customers have a good experience. Lessons from my travel nightmare.
This past week I had what could be described as a travel nightmare.
I was on my way to the National Association of Professional Organizer’s annual conference, where I was scheduled to take a certification exam, give a workshop on Procedure Manuals and attend sessions. Due to thunderstorms in Dallas, my plane from Orange County, CA was diverted from Dallas to Austin. We were supposed to just refuel in Austin, but instead sat 8 hours on the tarmac. We watched 3 movies, ate rationed crackers and were eventually fed a slice of pizza (which they had delivered). Eventually the decision was made by the pilot that we couldn’t go anywhere. There we no hotel rooms in Austin to accomodate us all, so the Red Cross brough in cots. I spent the night in the Austin airport, sleeping in a lit room with a bunch of strangers, listening to the overhead announcements drone on.
I eventually arrived in Minneapolis an entire day late and my luggage came 9 hours later. I missed taking the certification exam and attending a special class I wanted to go to. I experienced discomfort, was glad I didn’t have to go in my airplane’s bathroom again and had to catch up on my sleep. BUT…I did learn a few things:
I managed to keep a positive attitude during the entire event. What could I do to control the weather in Dallas anyway? None. I was safe on a plane and the people around me were friendly and nice. I got to watch two good movies I hadn’t seen yet. (Ok…I almost lost it when they weren’t going to let us have our luggage while sleeping in Austin.) Later when I learned that 7 people lost their lives to a tornado in the Dallas area that night, I was even more thankful for my situation.
Always carry a toothbrush and toothpaste with you! I took mine out of my purse due to the security hassles, but they will be a mainstay from now on…tucked into their ziploc bag!
I dressed in a nice suit this time instead of comfortable sweats and sneakers. Who cares what I look like next time! (Now I know…if you have to immediately go into a meeting, this won’t work. At least look for an outfit that travels well and is comfortable, especially the shoes.)
We all need to have a plan for disaster preparedness. It was interesting to watch American Airlines try to figure out how to handle this. I particularly chuckled when the flight attendants analyzed for 45 minutes how to pass out 112 snacks to a plane of 125 paasengers! Red Cross was wonderful. The Austin airport staff really rallied to assist. Your disaster preparedness plan should kick in automtaically and flow smoothly. Even if it is a slight delay for the customer.
Communicate openly. The pilot went above and beyond. He regularly let us know what was going on and explained the process to us. Several times he had the stairs wheeled out and you could get off and go into the terminal. Only you, not your checked bags. Once there, you could not return to the airplane. He gave us choices and explained them clearly. Many companies don’t do this with their customers. Explain why you do what you do. It is usually in the best interest of the customer and they just don’t know it until you tell them.
Apologize from your heart. The pilot did this many times, even though it was not his fault. Yes, he could have decided to go into the gate a lot sooner, but he really thought the weather would let up. Even though he couldn’t control the weather or the decisions by the air traffic controllers, he apologized. We felt the sincerity. We even got a few minutes to stretch our legs on the tarmac and had a chance to meet the man behind the voice. I received an email the next day from American Airlines apologizing for the incovenience. While it was sent to all of us, it was well written and sincere. It was a nice perk to get 5,000 miles too!
Don’t complain in front of your customers. For the most part, the flight attendant’s kept a good face. Some grumbling was heard about their own inconvenience (one hadn’t eaten before she got on the flight and wanted to be counted in the cracker distribution). Your customers count on you to have a positive attitude. It helps to model what they can be doing.
I have much more I could say about this experience, but it can all be summed up in one question my good friend Karen kept asking me…”Are you having fun?” Fun is an attitude. It is what you make of it. I could have chosen to be miserable, but I didn’t. My exam will get made up some way and I’ll get the information from the class I missed a different way. Plus, now I have some really good stories to tell!
Keep your perspective positive in all situations. Rember, your customer is always looking at you. You set the tone for their experience. My experience was fun. Not the kind I imagined, but it was what I made of it.
{ 3 comments }
This happened earlier this year with JetBlue, and I thought the publicity would ensure that it didn’t occur again. I guess the fact that they let you out once in awhile, whereas the others didn’t get to leave the plane, helped.
Denise Landers
Author of Destination: Organization
Key Organization Systems http://www.keyorganization.com
Denise –
The JetBlue event was definitely being discussed on the plane as we were sitting there. (For those that don’t know…a JetBlue flight also sat on the tarmac for many hours but never let passengers off. They received a lot of bad press.)
It was nice to be able to leave the plane…either to totally get off if you wanted to or to stretch our legs. It was actually cool to be walking on the tarmac. I couldn’t change the situation at the time and in my heart I knew I couldn’t get to Minneapolis any faster so choosing to have fun with it made it more bearable!
Hey Deb,
I was traveling at that time, too. What a nightmare. But, Mother Nature was sure showing her fury. I ended up leaving the airport and leaving to go home the next day. I only had to battle all the lines and canceled flights and trying to retrieve my luggage off two different planes.
Take care, Karen
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