Whoo boy, have you heard the latest from the beleaguered airline industry? JetBlue, known for being the perennial second-place finisher in customer service to Southwest is in a bit of a PR pickle!
Seems that yesterday a flight attendant went off on an unruly customer (read the full story here ). The actions of the flight attendant (and the customer) were a bit extreme, but to anyone who flies it probably won’t seem that far-fetched. The attendant actually got on the intercom, announced he was quitting, grabbed a beer, opened the emergency chute and slid off to the unemployment line.
Flying is stressful, being a flight attendant is more stressful, combine that with downsizing, crazy schedules, meetings, crowds, airports, strong coffee, crappy food and you have a recipe for disaster. Honestly, I’m surprised we don’t hear stories like this every day!
What’s the lesson? We all feel like packing it in somedays I’m sure. How we handle those emotions dictate how successful we will ultimately be. No successful senior executive has ever thrown in the towel and quit on his co-workers (none that I’m aware of anyway), because that one incident would follow them for the rest of their career. I’m just glad I don’t have a fridge full of beer and an emergency chute attached to my office!
Well, we all know the story about the flight attendant, and it’s a good story.
But it’s not everyday this happens. I think the real problem is, that customers and guests are exposed to ignorant behavior every hour, every day.
I know for a fact that most service providers (hotel employees, airline staff, etc.) want to give their customers their best.
Problem is: No-one tells them exactly WHAT to do, WHY they must do it, and especially HOW.
This is the problem. Without proper instructions and close follow-up you can just forget it.
We meet hotel staff everyday. Most of them really do not have a clue about what’s demanded of them. Problem!
On the other hand, we also meet some – very few – that are aware of what’s demanded. They are the ones we rate close to 100%
The difference?
A good plan – strong management – and of course motivated staff.