Is your business an airline?
It may sound like a silly question, but it’s an important question to ask yourself.
Airlines are notoriously known for their lack of even the simple rules of customer service. They’re in the business of moving people from Point A to Point B in the most cost effective manner and along the way if they make someone happy, it’s a bonus.
Here are a few things to look at in your own business to help answer the question:
Lost Luggage – It happens to the best of us. The occasional package you shipped gets lost by UPS or FedEx and you get the dreaded call from the upset customer. Do you apologize for the problem and devise an immediate solution to make the customer happy? Or, do you pass the blame, make them call the carrier and wait weeks until the issue is finally resolved?
The Change Fee – The color or size was just not right. When the customer calls in to make an exchange or return, do you offer them an affordable and and easy way to get the correct item? Or, do you read off a list of conditions in which you’ll take the return, quote restocking fees and let them know if they wore it, there’s no refund?
The Looooong Wait – When someone wants to place an order do your reps answer calls without a long wait, are pleasant to talk to, knowledgeable about your products and are willing to assist the customer with their shopping needs? Or, do you make them wait in a queue for five or more minutes only to be greeted by an unfriendly, unhelpful customer service representative?
Delays – We all love schedules and expect things to arrive on time. Do you advertise “order today, your order ships today” on your website and you follow those guidelines? Or, do you have poor on-time performance and ship your orders days later instead of meeting your promise?
Surcharges – We all hate them, trust me. Do you offer “up front” pricing on your items and shipping fees so the customer knows immediately what they will pay to have their order shipped to their door? Or, do you quote a price then tack on handling fees, cold weather surcharges, box charges, insurance fees and more when the customer gets to the checkout?
Finally, to answer the second question in today’s title, Spirit Airlines announced they are not proceeding with a plan to turn their onboard lavatories into a profit center. The discount airline who is outfitting their planes with non-reclining seats, charging customers for storing bags in the overhead compartments and cramming as many people in an airliner as possible, abandoned plans for pay toilets after they struck an advertising deal with a company willing to put ads for travel toothbrushes on bathroom mirrors.