The Frill Is Gone

Recent research indicates that consumers now care less about status symbols and more about low cost, as long as it includes esthetic pleasure and experience.

Many airlines continue to offer old style, no-frills, bare-bones service which can consist of unassuming food for which passengers have to pay, or quite possibly, only their token bag of pretzels, peanuts or the like.

Compare this to JetBlue Airline's roomy all-leather seats, each equipped with free live satellite television, offering up to 24 channels of DIRECTV programming, and soon up to 100 channels of free digital satellite radio and pay-per-view movies.

In order to maintain JetBlue’s high level of service, CEO David Neeleman says, "You have to remain focused on your people. That's the key to great service. I want our crew members (otherwise known as JetBlue’s employees) to feel that they're important and that we're on a mission together, to put humanity back in air travel. That's where a strong culture comes in. Hopefully, it makes them feel this is the best job they've ever had. If they like coming to work, that gets passed on to the customer. It all starts with hiring, though. We had over 100,000 people apply here last year, and we hired 1,700. We're highly selective. We want crew members who like people, not just certain people."

JetBlue conducts an annual "Speak-Up Survey" for all employees. They are asked how they feel, what it's like to work there, what they need to improve. It's used as an accountability tool, especially for people who come to work and feel like being a jerk. If there's a problem with an employee, the CEO finds out about it.

The CEO of JetBlue doesn't believe in promoting people without proper training. Front line people are expected to show up on time, have a good attitude, and take care of each other and the customers. Managers have a different set of expectations. As leaders, they are expected to inspire greatness in their employees.

Southwest Airlines breaks all the rules of airline customer service. No in-flight movies. No miniature pseudo-gourmet dinners. No first-class upgrades. Heck, no reserved seating. And customers can't get enough!

That's in part because of the economy airline's low fares, which require it to run leaner than its full-priced competitors. But it's also because the Dallas, Texas airline follows another rule usually ignored by everyone else: be nice and smile a lot.

Southwest consistently exceed customer expectations. The American Consumer Satisfaction Index gave Southwest a customer satisfaction of 74 out of 100, compared to an industry average of 66. That puts it at the top of the airline customer satisfaction scale, where it's been for years.

The airline's customer service starts with its people. According to a Southwest Airlines executive, employees are hired primarily for their ability to care and communicate. A typical interview question might ask candidates for a moment when they've been proud of themselves. If a candidate answers with a story of volunteer work or other service, he
or she is likely to be a good fit.

Southwest stays away from traditional notions of airline customer service, which rewards frequent fliers but ignores everyone else.

Southwest boasts about their secrets to good customer service:

-Be nice.

-Train everyone, including back-office people, to be nice.

-Hire people with the ability to care and communicate.

-Treat all customers the same.

-Encourage--and reward--good customer service.

-Give good performance--such as on-time departures--not just good service.

-Offer a cost-effective product.

-Empower employees to act in the customer's best interest.

That makes sense for employees who interact with external customers, but Southwest applies the same standards for internal staff--like IT personnel and accountants. That's because Southwest wants the smiles to be more than skin deep. Their philosophy? If you have a grouchy boss who doesn't care about you, how are you going to give good customer service?

So what are you doing to exceed your customer’s expectations? Have you identified those things that you feel are the basis for good customer service? Are you making certain that everyone in your company clearly understands what your “secrets to customer service” are?

Every Customer Counts . . . with Every Interaction!

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