Customer Service That Reinforces PR
December 22, 2008 • No comments
This morning I had to phone WestJet regarding seat assignments for our flight from Toronto to Vancouver. It’s a 5 hour flight, so with my current knee issues, we are hoping for bulkhead seating or I might be one miserable person by the time we reach our destination. The weather across Canada has been awful, so I didn’t mind the 43 minute wait on hold - just assumed it’s that time of year! What I didn’t expect, however, was for the customer service agent to ask me how long I had been on hold and then sincerely apologize for my wait! And that was just the beginning of my great customer service experience!
The agent proceeded to do all she could to help me with my booking - walking me through their website, assuring me that she had added great notes to my file so that the agent at the airport would be able to move me to the bulkhead. Then she even went so far as checking to see if there were any alternate flights we could get on today or on Christmas Eve, just in case the weather got nasty tomorrow morning! Truly, she went above and beyond, and I didn’t care one little bit that I’d had to wait 43 minutes to talk to this delightful woman!
This agent reinforced WestJet’s marketing efforts. The commercials I’ve seen all emphasize the employees being company owners, with the result being that they care for their customers. Their website tagline reads “Because Owners Care”. WestJet President Sean Durfy’s welcome page on the WestJet website reads “The caring and dedicated nature of our people is what makes WestJet a different kind of airline.” The marketing and experience (so far) have connected well, and I’m actually looking forward to my flight tomorrow, for the first time in a very long time.
So, what makes the difference between WestJet and the miserable customer service I received with our mattress transaction? (see previous post if you have no idea what I’m talking about!) There were disconnects all over the place with the large national department store we dealt with (and spent more money with) and we were frustrated all around. Conversely, the agent I spoke to today owned her role, followed it through, treated me with dignity, and didn’t rush through our transaction. She made sure that I wasn’t frustrated, but rather made sure I left the transaction satisfied and happy.
I wonder if ownership might be the key? Does making frontliners into owners automatically turn them into positive Public Relations agents? It appears that there might be something to this.
Do you need actual ‘ownership’ to have ownership of your work? I don’t think so. I spent a number of years working for a non-profit agency that I actually raised funds to work for, but I truly owned my work there. In fact, it ended up being the best training I could have ever received for my work today. My supervisors and directors allowed and encouraged me to invest in and own my work, and I’m reaping the dividends years later.
Now I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s flight, and will contine the customer service killing / reinforcing PR conversation. If you have any thoughts or comments, feel free to contact me!
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