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Smart Customer Service: By Terry Bragg Be proactive, not reactive. This is a simple business principle. Perhaps too simple for some people and organizations to understand and appreciate. You are better off preventing problems than trying to repair the damage once a problem occurs. This is particularly important when it comes to customer service. Most customer service departments are damage control units. Instead of proactively promoting better customer service, customer service departments typically try to cover up for poor service or repair damaged customer relations. They are reactive, not proactive. For example, I was traveling from Salt Lake City to El Paso to present a management seminar in Silver City, New Mexico. I had to change planes in Phoenix. When I arrived in Phoenix, the airline representative at the gate told me that they canceled the connecting flight. You know the story. I waited in a long line at the customer service counter to find out what options I had for getting to El Paso. The customer service agent told me the next available flight was late that night—after the rental car company closed so I couldn’t drive to Silver City that night. Being curious, I asked the agent about the canceled flight. The agent told me that the airline canceled my connecting flight before I received my boarding pass in Salt Lake City. When we reviewed the codes on my boarding card, it confirmed the airline knew they canceled the flight.
I asked why they hadn’t told me in Salt Lake City that they canceled my connecting flight. If they had, I could have taken a flight on a different airline that would have gotten me into El Paso at a reasonable time.
I understand that airlines must cancel flights for many reasons. What I don’t understand is why they did not tell me that they canceled the flight at the beginning of my journey when I had more options and the situation was easier to resolve. Why would they give me a boarding pass for a canceled flight? The customer service agent couldn’t provide an explanation either. The airline’s answer was to give me a "More Care Kit" which included a discount coupon for a future trip with the same airline. I snickered when the customer service agent explained the contents of the kit. I said, "I’m not trying to be rude, but why would I want to fly on an airline that cancels my flights without telling me, and then leaves me stranded at an intermediary airport?" To make matters worse, they also told me that no other flights were available on other airlines. After leaving the customer service counter, I called my travel agent and discovered that an earlier flight was available on another airline. To get to El Paso at a reasonable hour, I paid for two airline tickets. Am I a happy traveler? No way. Do I believe this airline is really sorry for my discomfort and that they really appreciate my business? No way. The airline hands out their "More Care Kits" routinely, systematically, and insincerely. The lesson: Be proactive. Prevent customer problems. Show your customers that you really care by preventing customer inconvenience and dealing with customer problems at the first possible point. When you have a problem affecting your customers, involve them early in searching for solutions. Think about it. As travelers, we want to fly on an airline that doesn’t need to mass produce "More Care Kits." We want to fly on an airline where customer inconvenience is the exception rather than the rule. The same is true with your customers. Your customers want to have a hassle free experience when they deal with you. They want to be confident that you are doing everything you can to make things right, to prevent problems. Is your customer service group promoting outstanding customer service? Or is it reactively controlling the damage caused by poor systems, inadequate training, and employees who don’t care about customers? Be proactive, not reactive is a simple concept. Perhaps too simple. Terry Bragg and Peacemakers Training offers a variety of tools for promoting, maintaining, and recognizing excellence in your workplace. We also offer tools for helping you achieve and maintain personal excellence. To learn more about these tools, click here: Tools for Workplace and Personal Excellence To find out more about Terry's book, 31 Days to High Self-Esteem, click here: 31 Days to High Self-Esteem To learn more about onsite seminars and workshops for improving interpersonal relationships, resolving conflict, and promoting and maintaining excellence in your workplace, click here: Seminars & Workshops ©2002 All rights reserved Terry Bragg•Peacemakers Training Terry Bragg runs a company called Peacemakers Training in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is the author of the book 31 Days to High Self-Esteem. He works with organizations to create a workplace where people want to work, and with managers who want their people to work together better. If you want your organization or your people to have more energy, more trust, more respect, and more meaning, please contact him at: Peacemakers Training Subscribe to our Free
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