Flying High with Great Customer Service
I head to the airport to fly 3,000 miles back to be with family for my step mother’s funeral. The trip was to be short and time sensitive, with attention on the services. Of course, my flight is delayed. By over an hour. My layover for the second leg of my trip was already slightly less than an hour. This was basically cutting it so close that it did not look like I’d make my next flight. I went to the counter and talked to a Delta representative about my situation. He explains that while he can book me a backup flight just in case, my bag probably won’t make it in time. I say, “Thanks” and walk away, shoulders slumped, and sit on a nearby chair, staring out at the tarmac.
I then take to Twitter.
While I hear stories of people Tweeting companies with trouble and we put such an emphasis on it with our own company and this blog, I surprisingly have never Tweeted a complaint to a company. But, I am grumpy and think, “Why not?”
So, I tweet this to Delta Assist (@DeltaAssist):
Flying home to CA from Philly for mom’s funeral and flight is delayed. Rep said my bag might not make it either. #sad #mad @DeltaAssist
Within a few minutes, I have a reply from an agent asking me to DM them my flight number.
They respond immediately, with empathy and kindness, saying they are sorry for my loss, and that I am absolutely protected with my backup flight. They then offer me a voucher of “goodwill” for $100.
I’m in awe at this point–I really didn’t think they would reply AND to go above and beyond with a voucher was pretty great. Instantly, I’m a fan of Delta, even though my flight is still delayed.
What Delta Did Right
1. Quick reply
2. Empathy and kindness
3. Attention to specifics of the situation
4. Above and beyond with the voucher
In conclusion, I did make my second flight (with some running to through the terminal) and my suitcase was one of the first to come out in the baggage claim (PHEW!). So, thanks Delta for being attentive and helpful.
[custom_author=jenny]
Here’s why Delta *didn’t* get it right:
Delta’s airport representative should have done all those things that they did via Twitter. He didn’t, which is why you Tweeted. Their initial lack of service was what prompted you to take your complaint public. Knowing that it worked, you’ve now been encouraged to complain via Twitter again.
Customers often get better service via Twitter because companies know the world is watching. What if they served all their customers via all their service channels the same way?
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On a personal note, I’m so sorry to hear about your step-Mom. It’s good to know that you (and your bag) made it safely.
Yeah, you’re absolutely right. If the rep at the airport would have done that, I definitely wouldn’t have Tweeted. While I was impressed with the Twitter service, the rep should have treated me this same way and the Twitter team shouldn’t have had to clean up the mess. I’m now wondering how often this happens–I mean, I’m guessing more often than not! Knowing the stats if someone went to get help from a physical location first and didn’t get it THEN sends their message to Twitter to get help successfully would be interesting. And, thanks for your kind words Jeff!
I don’t know the stats on channel-switching, but I’d guess it’s prevalent. This was a discussion topic at the last two contact center conferences I attended this fall. I also wrote a blog post about this very issue and ironically referenced another airline for the same problem:
http://www.toistersolutions.com/blog/2013/7/11/do-your-service-channels-have-multiple-personalities