I know that the previous blog posts have been focused on the dark or negative side of customer service with a focus on Bad Customer Service and the costs of losing a customer. But let’s face it – there’s nothing like a little motivation to get the message across that this is costly! I want to start shifting the conversation to a more positive approach with an interesting case studies…
Customer Service Case Study #1: One Delay Turns Into 5,000 Reasons To Come Back
This case study is about American Airlines.[i] The author of the original article was on his way from a business conference in Denver to his home in Chicago. Shortly before arriving at the airport he received a text message from American Airlines stating that his flight was to be delayed by thirty minutes. While waiting in the airport he received several more text messages, each subsequently stating that his flight was to be delayed for even longer. It turns out there was a mechanical problem with the plane and he ended up leaving five hours after his original departure time.
The author, like many disgruntled customers, did not complain to American Airlines. However, American Airlines recognized their mistake, sent the author an unsolicited apology letter, and offered him 5,000 free frequent flier miles for his trouble. American Airlines preemptive good service gave the company another loyal customer.
Customer Service Case Study #2: A Bad Process Is Reversed
This story concerns Best Buy, a consumer electronics store.[ii] The author of this article and his wife were browsing the laptop section when they spotted a laptop on sale for $699. A service representative asked if they needed help, and they declined because they were unsure about the purchase. They left the store, discussed the purchase, and returned a few hours later with the intent to purchase the laptop.
The author sought out the customer service representative who had previous asked him if he needed help. The representative was rude to him when he asked with help purchasing the laptop. Then the representative asked him to fill out a form before discussing the service. After the author filled out the form he was informed that the store was out of the sale item. He was told he could not order another because the sale ended the next day. The author asked the representative to put one on hold for him in neighboring city, to make sure that it was still there after a drive. He was told that was not possible.
The author and his wife got ready to leave, angry that they were unable to buy the laptop. On their way out they were approached by one of bust buys “Customer Experience Managers”. The manager went out his way to make sure that the author was able to purchase the laptop. He helped the author use the company website to order the laptop from a Best Buy in a city nearby, ensure that the author and his wife would have a sale priced laptop waiting for them. It took some ‘out of the box’ thinking and true dedication to the customer to save the author’s patronage.
Customer Service Case Study #3: Great Service Has No Linguistic Boundaries
This last story concerns an unnamed hotel in South Korea. [iii] This is an important story because, were it not for excellent customer service, the author of this article would have been in dire straights. The author had to attend a business meeting in Southern Korea, he didn’t know the area or the language. He took a two hour taxi ride away from his airport, bound for a hotel in a remote region of the country.
When he arrived at his hotel he was informed that they had been overbooked and there was not a room for him. The author’s hotel room had been prearranged, an overbooked room left him virtually deserted in a foreign country.
Th hotel manger appeared, and told the author he was sorry about the mistake. The manager went ahead and booked the author a room in another nearby hotel, then gave his taxi driver instructions to the ensure that he made to his room safely. Th hotel manager took the time to understand the situation, and did everything he could to rectify it.
The moral of these customer service stories is simple: Where there is a crisis, there is an opportunity – you just have to make sure the people you hire know HOW to turn a bad experience into a good or great one. We’ll talk about how to do this in future blog posts.
[i] http://www.thecustomervoices.com/2009/06/16/american-airlines-turns-a-bad-situation-into-a-positive-one/
[ii] http://www.bieberlabs.com/archives/2007/10/28/customer-experience-managers-at-best-buy-a-bad-experience-turns-good/
[iii] http://www.allbusiness.com/finance/cash-management/3874656-1.html
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Thanks for pinging me about the American Airlines story. All of your examples are excellent and show how a little thinking can not only create one positive experience, but can develop loyal brand evangelists.
One of the keys with all of the employee examples is that employees must be empowered to use good judgement when it comes to handling a customer challenge. Years ago, I read a book by the former CEO of Continental Airlines called “From Worst to First. In the book, he talks about the difference it made for Continental when he gave all of his employees a clear framework in which to fix a situation gone wrong. He credits this culture shift within Continental as one of the biggest reasons the airline was saved from banruptcy in 1994.
Sean Cheyney
author of The Customer Voices Blog