Delta is sending all of its customer facing representatives to charm school – a two billion dollar initiative – to help bring service with a smile back to a local airport near you.
I was very intrigued when I saw this article on WSJ.com, as to me – customer service is simply not what it used to be, for a lot of companies; however, I think that any company who acknowledges it and invests in its reform is ahead of the many other companies who turn a blind eye.
Take Comcast for example, they had been in the news for quite some time and had some pretty significant customer service woes, but have continuously made efforts to improve their customer satisfaction. A big initiative they took was launching, the Comcast Cares Digital Team. The Comcast Cares Digital Team began when then Customer Service Manager, Frank Eliason, decided Twitter would be an ideal way to communicate with customers – which, fortunately, has proven to be quite successful.
Delta’s one-day training course will train employees to assist travelers by showing them empathy, despite the circumstances – or who is at fault. They will also be trained to focus on “high value customers” or frequent travelers who make up 26 percent of the airlines total revenue. In addition to sending their 11,000 ticket counter agents, gate attendants, baggage personnel, and supervisors to charm school; Delta is also going to hire 1,000 new workers and increase their inventory of spare parts and spare planes to avoid unforeseen circumstances.
I strongly believe that by listening to their customers, leveraging that customer feedback and committing to continuous improvement that they will, once again, be the leader in delivering a first-class travel experience to all of their passengers.
I think we can all agree that customer service is part of a culture, must come from the top down and everyone involved needs to believe in it and live it every day. I am hopeful that this major step in their service model will prove to be fruitful.
You can read the entire article on WSJ.com at http://on.wsj.com/emBpS3 and I’d love to know what you think…Is this a good step in the right direction for Delta?
