Personally, I enjoy traveling for a living. Among other things, I get to meet great people and see parts of the world and still have time for family life.
Obviously, my feelings are little different from the average business person and it’s based both on perception and my own experiences.
Consider the first group. The New York, Boston or Los Angeles commuter who gets up at 5:30 in the morning, only to find herself enduring an hour or two-hour trip to the office – not to mention the return journey home. Many people spend upwards of at least two hours a day, 10-20 hours a week, living on congested highways inside mobile, metal “home-offices.”
The second group live only minutes from their home, get to work at 7 or 8, work all day and return home for just 1 hour of “quality” time, if that.
When road warriors are home they tend to be home.
It’s the perception of what’s life about that’s differentiates what one enjoys in life and what another considers drudgery.
The second is about experiences and that brings me back to Tina.
On a recent trip to Phoenix (Flight 1193), while preparing for departure, Tina tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “Are you Mr. Goldsmith?” I replied, “Yes, I am.” “She leaned forward and said, “If there is anything you need…”
To say I was surprised would be an understatement. Tina was really on the ball – if only because she made the effort to call me by name!
I related my surprise to the passenger sitting beside me, Deborah Collins, the VP of Sales and Marketing for a 22,000-person firm called Delaware North. She, too, was amazed.
Together, Deborah and I talked about USAir, and how this situation may have occurred and how Tina had made me feel special. We talked about culture, systems and structure.
I told Deborah that, like many companies in the industry, USAir has issues. They are still merging two companies, America West and USAir, which requires the marriage of two computer systems – a huge challenge. There are also issues between the America West and USAir crews, because of a pay differential based on previous employment. We covered issue after issue, but still wondered what caused Tina to do what she did.
Was there a trigger in the system that flagged me as someone to service, thanks to a previous seating issue, which had already been rectified? Could it be that, as a frequent flyer (a Chairman’s Preferred) some “higher up” felt I needed to be pacified because of that seating issue? Could it be the letter I sent to USAir’s Dividend Department, which stated that if they cut back on the number of seats in First Class, I would be sorely tempted to reduce the number of trips taken on their airline?
We discussed every possible combination of factors. Eventually, however, we realized that we’d need to speak with Tina to find the answer.
To my surprise, Tina’s response was even more powerful and simple than our theories – at least, on the surface.
When the passenger list is passed around before takeoff, Tina always looks for the Dividend Status and makes sure these passengers are taken care of – in the same way you might scan your customer lists to find the ones who spend the most money.
Who’s Silver, Gold, Platinum or Chairman’s Preferred.
She noticed I was a Chairman’s Preferred, and then acted accordingly.
What’s the lesson from this? It’s not just that companies need good employees. And it’s not just that good culture is a part of good customer service. There’s much more.
That “more” involves Enterprise Thinking and the 50,000-foot view. It’s about understanding the big picture.
USAir employees schedule flights, create pricing models, send me marketing materials, develop relationships with travel agents and – in the end – persuades me to purchase a mountain of tickets each year. When I fly, the system captures my travels in a way that categorizes me as a frequent flyer, and on each list, my status is noted. The list is given to Tina, who understands the value of repeat customers, and services them using the tools at her disposal, which she puts to good use to ensure I have a pleasant flight.
Sure, Tina is an important part of the customer-service process, but she, like everyone else in the system, is part the “Mr. Goldsmith.” If not for IT, engineering, the call centers, maintenance, food services, the people that hire people like Tina, and tens of thousand of others behind the scenes, Tina would not be able to do what she does so well.
To some degree there is no ONE department or function more important than any other.
Tina uses what’s available within her environment, and takes the next best step to make USAir look good.
So, next time you want your staff to behave like Tina, first make sure that, as management, you’re not asking Tina to be a lone shining star, but one of many stars amid a vast firmament of systems and structures, people and groups.
Good management sees the bigger picture and acts accordingly.
Many of these people will never meet a customer like David Goldsmith, look me in the eye, or hand me a cup of Tea, but they’re just as important as the frontline personnel.
By the way: Thank you Tina! You made my day.
