Service Untitled

The airlines seem to frequently score high grades in the customer service rudeness polls, but every once in a while we need to acknowledge those who go above and beyond what is expected and congratulate the company for hiring and maintaining such excellent employees – you know those dedicated people who don’t have to read those extra customer service suggestions in their manuals.

It seems that Continental customer service had some holiday magic this year. A four-month-old puppy named Whopper was scheduled to fly to Spain to meet his family, but he got stranded. It seems his owner didn’t have the health certificates with Whopper signed by a veterinarian to allow the canine bundle of cuteness to board his flight. Equally as tragic, little Whopper wouldn’t be able to be placed in a shelter or a pet hotel without proof that he had all of his shots. What is an adorable puppy with limited veterinarian records to do? Who would care for him? Where would he stay?

Yes, you guessed it! Airline attendants at Continental who had seen Whopper’s canine boarding pass denied jumped right in to save the day and of course the pooch. Jane Bossi took the puppy home and sent daily emails and photos to Whopper’s owner in Spain. When Bossi was due to leave for her Christmas vacation to visit her mother, another co-worker took over.

Continental Airlines does have a proactive program for the safe traveling of our four-legged friends. Their PetSafe program and their Pet Relocation services can relieve some of the pressure pet owners may experience when moving domestically within the United States or internationally like our little friend Whopper. And in the summer when the heat is unbearable and pet owners are warned not to fly with their pets, Continental uses pressurized temperature controlled cargo areas as well as expedited areas for on and off boarding on the tarmac for pets.

Thank you to the  special employees of Continental Airlines for taking care of Whopper.

There’s a December 25 deadline, so it’s not really optional whether or not we want to wait at a checkout line – that is unless we shop online. This year, according to a Deloitte survey, online shopping is up in the United States from one-third last year to one-half this year showing more consumers opting to stay away from shopping malls.

There’s hardly anyone who has been immune to choosing the wrong line. My own experiences seem to escalate when I use the drive-ins at the bank because there are no easy ways to change bank aisles. In supermarkets, we get to choose our line, but in many other retail stores customers wait in one line and then move on to the next available register. Other stores more interested in keeping their customers off the Internet and still having the patience to wait for the next register to check out are much more innovative.

Home Depot brings in “line busters” who are employees who scan items in carts before the customer gets to the cashier. Apple Store employees have hand-held devices to help consumers check out. Yesterday I was at the AT&T store which positions a greeter at the front door asking how he could help and entered my phone number so the next available agent already knew my name and why I was there. Walt Disney World has taken a pro-active approach and while a customer waits online, a Disney character entertains them. Once the consumer is at the register however, efficiency and accuracy become the main attraction. And in Publix, the supermarket has their employees stand in front of the cash registers to not only say hello and smile, but indicate to shoppers their availability.

In the book, “Why We Buy – The Science of Shopping,” customers feel less stressed when an employee or electronic screen guides shoppers to the next available register. One line is often thought to be far less frustrating than switching back and forth between lines, quietly seething while someone else who came later gets to the checkout counter in another aisle quicker than you, or in the worst situation abandoning the product because the consumer is out of patience or time.

It’s interesting to ask people how they choose which line to enter. This morning at Publix, I asked a shopper behind me how she picked her check-out line? She told me she pays attention to what people have in their shopping carts, the age of a person, or how many children accompany the shopper. Carts overflowing with groceries take longer to check out, older people tend to unload their baskets slower, and children often are distracting to their mothers and the entire process takes longer.

So what should we do? The bottom line is if people don’t feel like a store is doing all they can to make the buying experience convenient, there are a lot of options out there. It’s holiday time everyone – hire extra help if needed and don’t keep your customers with their wallets in hand waiting.

photo credit: Aaron Jacobs

The next time you’re sitting in one of those impossibly uncomfortable hard plastic seats at Newark International Airport and you see a suggestion box hidden somewhere, slip a picture of Singapore’s Changi International Airport in there. It’s certain to be an experience any traveler will remember for years to come.

In the online blog  The Middle Seat, Scott McCartney writes about Andrew Tregonning and his wife’s experience covering the joys of an airport. No it’s not a syntax error – the couple traveling from New Zealand to India actually wanted a long layover at the Singapore airport. Imagine amenities such as comfortable sleeping areas, work areas, showers, pedicures, premium bars, a swimming pool, and even a tour of Singapore for nominal fees. The airport has a four-story amusement park for the children, and in Terminal 3, a city in itself, such passenger services as a dry cleaner, medical center, grocery store, pharmacy, jewelry and clothing stores all at one’s fingertips.

As a sharp contrast, JD Powers and Associates’ nationwide survey 2010 North American Airport Satisfaction Study which rated comfort and amenities in the United States most likely would have exploded if given the opportunity to rate Singapore’s airport. The survey covered basic needs which included seating comfort, ease of moving through the airport, getting passengers in and out of the airport efficiently, and reducing passenger stress with the TSA. Small airports scored significantly higher than the largest airports.

For large United States airports, Detroit Metropolitan scored the best with such amenities as an arbored concourse, people movers, sculptures, an on-site Hyatt Hotel and purple lit tunnels to connect terminals. Scores were rated on accessibility, check-in, security, terminals, food and retail service, and the efficiency of baggage claim. The Minneapolis/ St. Paul International Airport scored closely behind the one in Detroit; the connection between the airport and the Mall of America is cited as being very convenient. My son flies through Detroit regularly and agreed that it was one of the nicer airports in the US. He also reminded me of a post he wrote about the Charlotte airport in 2009.

Do you think it’s possible to actually transform travel into a less stressful environment given the security demands of today’s society? While North America may never be able to offer the top-notch creature comforts of the Singapore Airport, why not start with some of the more practical ideas to lessen the stress? Let us begin with some soothing music quietly resonating throughout our airports. How about reducing the number of announcements and the noisy horns of the passenger carts traveling through the concourses?

In Singapore, touch screens are provided in every bathroom to allow passengers to send a text message to attendants when towels or tissues are needed in the restrooms. Currency exchange booths and clothing stores are all in one area to encourage and stimulate competition for both merchandise and prices.

All of the 28,000 employees at the Singapore Airport are required to attend an orientation to help them help passengers. It’s a people pleasing business where successful concession spaces support 50 percent of the airport’s revenue which keeps the costs down and helps to pay for the amenities. Even the JD Power survey concludes that high levels of airport satisfaction create a strong positive impact on retail spending. Passengers who are “delighted” rather than “disappointed” spend up to 45 percent more at an airport. That’s a substantial difference.

While I’m pretty sure, the United States will never boast a butterfly garden as does Singapore, shouldn’t we still be taking lessons from those who do it so much better? Ironically last week I watched the ABC series Pan Am which takes place in the 1960′s and flying sure looked like more fun, and a much more relaxing and exciting way to travel.

photo credit: mikecogh

Consumer Reports just came out with their holiday report card giving holiday shoppers some interesting facts Santa’s helpers will surely want to consider before buying gifts either at the mall or online. Consumer Reports does qualify their list as neither an approval or disapproval of an organization as a whole, but Tod Marks, the senior editor and resident shopping expert states it is about “specific policies regarded as customer friendly.”

Let us start with the “naughty” category and what customers are most likely to consider a bit underhanded and offensive. Who wouldn’t question why a return policy for the same online store would be 45 days, but the in store return policy is only 30 days? The same kind of question arises when an organization charges less for a product online than if you actually walked into the store? It seems the company could be shooting itself in the foot when charging more at the mall. Several companies on the “naughty” list advertise attractive discount prices for services from flying to grandmother’s house, to texting grandmother the weather might be delaying one’s arrival, but if you didn’t read the fine print you wouldn’t have noticed all the extra hidden fees for selecting that airplane seat (from $6 to $20 each way) to hidden fees for booking your travel, improving your boarding group position (who would have thought?) to extra fees if you have talked too long to grandmother. Just a brutal reminder to all of us to always make sure we read the fine print.

All is not lost however on the gracious perks afforded to shoppers by companies bending over backwards to make this a better experience for the “happiest time of the year.” There’s an organization who offers to refund the purchase price of a product if it doesn’t meet expectations, an entertainment promoter with a return policy, and even a popular credit card company that guarantees a refund on the full purchase price if it can not be returned. Then there are tech companies that offer around the clock support at no charge, a company that extends the manufacturers’ original warranties on televisions and computers and even a company that is asking for suggestions how to better package products so they are not so difficult to open.

Of course, the choice is up to the shopper whoever they want to use, but I bet after the list is readily circulated the organizations with incredible customer service are going to be recommended by those cute little elves.

For the complete list of Consumer Reports “naughty” and “nice” list, please click here.

photo credit: kholkute

It seems an Apple rap video was posted on Vimeo and performed by Apple employees in New Hampshire. Obviously the video didn’t last long; it was pulled from the Internet, but besides being somewhat amateurish and mildly ludicrous, the theory of presenting the proper solutions to customers based on their needs still rang through as truth.

Back in July, the Apple Store in the Hong Kong IFC building presented parts of their five-day course in employee training. It is called “Core Training.” On the first day, new employees learn about the company, gain technical training, learn how Apple systems work and the importance of the Apple culture. Days two, three and four teach employees how to interact with customers, teaches about inventory and progresses to the “complete solution” which is finding out what the customer needs, asking them what they need it for, and then proceeds to presenting the product that will satisfy their needs. Day five summarizes the past four days of training and shows employees how to access Apple systems.

So the rap video seemed a bit immature as compared to what Steve Jobs would ever consider acceptable no less proper, but the message came across as far as calling customers “promoters” which simply means happy and satisfied customers are the ones who promote one’s business by recommending, returning and thereby acting as the best word of mouth advertising there is. The “rap stars” spelled out APPLE as the following:

• A – Approach (how to approach a customer when they walk into the store)
• P – Position, Permission, Probe (initial questions and follow-up to best help a customer find what they really want and need)
• P – Present (solution)
• L – Listen
• E – End

Perhaps the rap soundtrack could be seen as mildly offensive to some, but it presented an energized and interesting approach to teaching some very important principles of customer service. If one needs an acronym like AAA to remember “Acknowledge, Align, and Assure” to help recognize and handle acceptable standards and procedures that really work when an unhappy customer approaches or calls, and it happens to be chanted, rhyming lyrics that help employees to remember and do their jobs well – maybe it’s just not so bad.

photo credit: matsuyuki

Statistics for the 2011 shopping holiday season look a little scary for merchants this year. According to a Price Grabber survey, 45 percent of consumers say they are going to spend less on holiday shopping compared to what they spent in 2010. Luckily 49 percent say they are going to spend the same amount. Only 7 percent say they are going to spend more. Considering many businesses depend on the holiday season to boost their earnings for the year, it would seem logical to bring out the heavy artillery to entice as many of those shoppers as possible for the year’s final hurrah.

What are some of the incentives businesses offer to maximize a customer’s buying experience? Shoppers will be looking for the best prices, discounts, free shipping, coupons, and blowout sales, however organizations that match the atmosphere with the merchandise will find an increase in buyers and an increase in sales. And what that means is the need of customer service representatives demonstrating those people skills that assure shoppers they are making good decisions. Buyers however are well-educated and sophisticated, so the merchandise has to reflect the quality, the grand selection, and the price, but the sales people need to be available to help customers select the best choices for their own particular needs and to assure customers they have made the best possible purchase.

The average holiday shopper will spend 15 hours this season shopping for presents. Walk into a store like Harry and David, and the scents and sounds already feel like grandmother’s house on Christmas Eve. There’s Christmas music filling the store, and shoppers are already humming and singing that Santa Claus is coming to town. The irresistible aroma of hot apple-cider adds to the scents and sounds which all affect the moods of shoppers. The longer a consumer stays in a store, obviously the more money a person is going to spend.

But whether it is an online business or a store in the mall, making the shopping  experience easier for the busy consumer is of prime importance. As you walk into the store of Harry and David, gift baskets with one of a kind holiday designs already wrapped makes decision-making quick and easy. A personal assistant who offers to customize a gift basket for a customer, wrap it in festive paper and send it off to its destination and still stay within a shopper’s budget is the ultimate in customer service and a great way to minimize the hassle of shopping and shipping. Make it worth the money, make it convenient, and make the staff get out on the floor and help – then join in the joys of the Season.

photo credit: Zürich Film Office

Amazon.com’s newest customer service facility opened on Friday with a fanfare of speeches and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new 70,000 square-foot center in Kinetic Park, West Virginia was described as a “perfect fit” by Vice President of Amazon customer service Tom Weiland. The new site will provide the company with more flexibility to train workers and take care of customers.

There are approximately 500 employees, and Amazon is planning through a job fair to immediately hire 200 more innovators and problem solvers. The company states they look for candidates that know what needs to be done and then acts upon those tasks. Products sold and supported at the Huntington facility will be Amazon’s retail Kindle, Amazon Instant Video, and Amazon Prime. Service representatives will be handling phones, emails, and chat contacts.

Customer service representatives are recognized as valuable partners in the company’s success also. Creature comforts such as a quiet reading areas, game room with television, pool tables and ping-pong tables are available for some downtime.

So what makes Amazon so successful? After all the company is rated as one of the favorite online businesses customers want to use. The answers are obvious – Amazon makes everything easy. The company offers low prices, vast selections, fast delivery, and convenient buying and returning. The focus is on the customer experience and having everything the customer wants.

Amazon’s innovative ideas have resulted in price guarantees, alerts to rising and dropping prices, and through this builds consumer confidence – enough to be labeled as one of the “most reputable” businesses. Their product reviews have surpassed most other sites, and more people continue to use Amazon as a research tool. Even the company’s technological advances such as the Kindle e-reader, the Android app store and movie streaming service has set them apart from their competition.

In my own experience, my son just purchased a Kindle for my birthday recently, and not more than two-weeks later, the Kindle Fire was announced. I had already thrown most of the packaging away, but wrapped up the original one, sent it back, no questions asked and I am eagerly awaiting the new one when it is released on November 15.

When once asked what founder of Amazon Jeff Bezos thought about on his own time, he responded he was obsessed with customers and felt driven to become the most customer-centric company on the planet.  It looks as if that might be happening.

photo credit: Chrysaora

JetBlue Flight 504 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Newark, New Jersey was diverted to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut at 1:30 on Saturday because of a freakish snow storm affecting the East Coast. Passengers weren’t allowed to deplane until 9:30 that night and were forced to remain on the tarmac and in the aircraft for seven hours with no food, water or working bathrooms.

The situation already reeks of terrible customer service, but the airline industry often has their own particular spin on egregious situations which somehow is supposed to explain any and all miserable experiences passengers are forced to endure – of course for the sake of our safety. When a dozen passengers called 911 hoping to get an answer why they were not allowed to leave, there were no explanations given. When an unidentified pilot called for help to JetBlue and asked his own company to provide a tug and a towbar, no one from the company responded with any help.

When the plane first landed the passengers were told the plane would de-ice, refuel and fly to Newark. During the seven hour debacle, no logical answer was ever given by JetBlue.

In 2010 the Federal Aviation Commission required that an airline has to provide water and snacks to passengers and the option to deplane after three hours on a domestic flight. If the government determines the airline violated the tarmac delay rule, the airline could be fined $27,500 per passenger. Consumers are not entitled to any of the fines. Pilots did not want police to board the plane until hours later when a taped recording stated:

“I got a problem here on the airplane. I’m gonna need to have the cops on board.”

The ordeal was finally over when police and firefighters came on board to attend to a diabetic person and a paraplegic flier who had difficulty with the circulation in his legs.

The JetBlue website boasts the highest customer service rating among low-cost carriers. According to JD Powers and Associates, the airline scored high grades for the seventh year in a row. The company offers free television, free snacks, leg room and “award-winning service.”

“JetBlue is also America’s first and only airline to offer its own Customer Bill of Rights with meaningful and specific compensation for customers inconvenienced by service disruptions within JetBlue’s control.”

In a JetBlue statement, the organization apologized and blamed the situation on an “unusual combination of weather and infrastructure issues.” The next day however passengers had trouble finding new flights – many of them decided to use ground transportation to get back to Newark and their final trip destinations.

So what could JetBlue have done? Good, bad, or indifferent passengers are entitled to the truth. Two-hundred passengers sitting out on the tarmac should have been enough of an impetus to alert an official who had the power to do something and make a positive decision. It was the airport that finally sent a towbar and tow to Flight 504. JetBlue couldn’t even get it together to help their own company.

photo credit: prayitno