When it Comes to Customer Experience, the Little Things are the Big Thing

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A keen attention to detail is the hallmark of great service companies. It takes a great deal of effort – having the processes in place, hiring the people with the right attitude and training them as well as equipping them with the appropriate customer intelligence at the right time – in order to execute well and provide great customer experiences. We are all familiar with stories of great service upscale brands such as Nordstrom and Ritz Carlton. I would like to share an unexpectedly positive experience within an industry (airline) and a carrier (US Airways) that do not normally come to mind when talking about good customer experiences. I am on the top tier of US Airways’ frequent flier program. Usually this means I board early and get upgraded to first class. On those occasions when I have to fly coach, I am reconciled to the airline treating me like everyone else, which is with the level of indifference that has, unfortunately, become the norm for most US airlines on domestic and many international routes.

Recently I ended up sitting in coach, because I had booked my flight at the last minute. As I was settling down for the flight, to my surprise, the flight attendant from first class came back and greeted me. “Sir, welcome aboard. I see that you are Chairman’s Preferred. Can I get you anything from the first class cabin?” I was surprised, both by the explicit recognition and by the gesture of service, which had never happened before. I realized US Airways has started to provide their first class cabin attendants with the list of high value passengers who did not get upgraded, so that they can be recognized and appreciated. She also came back to check on me a couple of times during the flight to see if I needed anything, so she was not just going through the motions. Needless to say, this was one of the most positive experiences I have had with US Airways. I handed her an Above and Beyond card (provided by US Airways to its high tier customers) that recognized her service.

This experience, although it sounds simple, only happened because a number of things fell into place.

  1. She happened to have been given a list of Chairman’s Preferred customers who were not in first class, information that is typically not shared with flight attendants.
  2. She was trained and asked to reach out to those passengers – a new process that had to be put in place.
  3. US Airways had already provided me with cards that I could use to recognize outstanding service – making it easier for me to recognize her in a tangible way – beyond a thank you.
  4. Flight attendants who collect many of the Above and Beyond cards are recognized and rewarded by the airline on a regular basis – reinforcing the behavior and also helping them identify their best performers – through the eyes of their best customers.

This is a process that engaged the customer and the employee in a virtuous cycle. It is what is needed to provide a positive experience and keep customers engaged. I hope this was not a one-time exception or a particularly diligent employee going above and beyond. It would be nice to see US Airways and other airlines delighting their passengers on a regular basis.

Republished with author's permission from original post.

Naras Eechambadi, Ph.D
Dr. Naras Eechambadi is the founder and CEO of Quaero, a world-class data management and analytics platform empowering enterprises to integrate, discover and democratize their customer data. He is a life-long technologist and entrepreneur with over three decades in the software products and services industry. He has been awarded numerous distinctions as both a marketing executive and entrepreneur. Naras is also the author of a critically acclaimed book, High Performance Marketing: Bringing Method to the Madness of Marketing.

2 COMMENTS

  1. ……….of conjoined CRM and CEM. When done right, this is a capsule case study of how organizations can use profile data to reward its best customers. And, although infrequently applied within the airline industry as noted (I’m Silver Preferred on US Air, occasionally getting upgraded to First Class, but never given individualized special attention when I’m in Coach on one of their flights), it suggests one of the possibilities offered when companies begin more actively striving to be customer-centric.

  2. Michael,

    Thank you for your comment. You are right – this is very much at the intersection of CRM and CEM. I think at a time when everyone seems to be focused on Big Data, this is an example of an instance where just a little data can go a long way – within the right process and with the right people. Of course, it all begins with being centered on the customer, rather than just filling seats – which is important but needs to happen because customer want to fill them! 🙂

    Naras.

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