Using what you have

All too often companies miss opportunities because they can’t make connections between the things they already know. There’s a well traveled story about a clothing company who bounces a customer’s request to return an item, as they don’t think it’s worth the bother even though the customer has a real complaint, only to find out later that the customer was the wife of the CEO of one of their major partners. She probably spent most of dinner that night complaining about the company’s customer service, must to the detriment of the CEO’s opinion of the partnership. If they’d just been able to make a couple of connections a little earlier, the outcome might have been a little different.

It’s nice to see some companies weeding through the pile of data available to them, and make some of the obvious connections. One bloke, after the flight from hell which was delayed due to weather, found out that Northwest Airlines had made the obvious connections and solved the problem before he arrived for his connecting flight.

So let me see if I got this right. I don’t need to find a free ground agent to get re-booked. I don’t need to schlep myself and my luggage in line along with 50+ other people who are all mad, tired and missing their families… to get re-ticketed? AND NWA was giving me $50 off another flight and frequent flier miles to boot? Remember this wasn’t their fault, its mother natures gig here. This was some customer service!!! I love it!

Operations knew that the flight was running late, and booking knew of the connection. I spent the Sunday before last standing around Sydney Airport and Virgin couldn’t make the obvious connection. Luckily, he didn’t have the same experience.

How often have you been frustrated because some company you’re dealing with can’t get the left hand to talk to the right?

Posted via email from PEG