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]]> http://www.imperativesllc.com/newsite/downloads/success-flkjds33flk.html/feed 0 http://www.imperativesllc.com/newsite/broken-promises-stories/couple-rushing-to-see-dying-mom-meets-uncaring-airline-agent.html http://www.imperativesllc.com/newsite/broken-promises-stories/couple-rushing-to-see-dying-mom-meets-uncaring-airline-agent.html#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:08:36 +0000 admin http://www.imperativesllc.com/newsite/?p=159 < Back to Broken Promises

Submitted by Melissa in California

It has been awhile since United Airlines called upon us to Come Fly the Friendly Skies but with decades of this slogan ringing in our ears many of us still think of United as the friendly airline.  Today United Airlines simply says that “our customers have the right to expect — to demand — respect, courtesy, fairness and honesty from the airline they have selected for travel.”  While this may not be the friendly promise of yesteryear it clearly creates an expectation of courteous, respectful treatment.

Last February Melissa received some devastating news.  Her mother was close to death.  In hopes of seeing her mother one last time, Melissa and her boyfriend booked the very next flight to Portland.  She knew it would be tight as she raced to the airport.  But this was her only hope of saying good-bye to her mother.

They arrived at the airport just 30 minutes before the scheduled flight and still had to buy tickets.  The line of would-be passengers at the ticket counter seemed insurmountable but after sharing her story with them Melissa was quickly ushered to the front of the line and the only agent working the counter.

But as she approached the counter the agent announced she was taking a 15 minute break.  Melissa was stunned.  She pleaded with the agent to stay just a moment longer and help her.  She shared her tragedy and why it was so important that she make the next flight.  The agent’s response was uncaring.  She glared at the couple and said, “Look, I’m going on my break and you know if you have a problem with it you know you need to talk to my supervisor that’s the policy.”

After 10 more precious minutes of back-and-forth with the couple, the agent found another United Airlines employee to help them.  But by then it was too late.  They arrived at the gate moments after the aircraft door was closed and were unable to board.

The couple was booked on the next flight leaving three hours later.  By the time they arrived at the hospital, Melissa’s mom was unconscious.  It was too late to say good-bye.

Perhaps now we understand why United Airlines no longer urges us to fly their friendly skies.

Scott says:

I believe that when the story of the Great Recession is told historians will focus on the loss of wealth, the collapse of businesses, and the political fallout.  But the real story may be our loss of civility.  All over the country employees are scared and angry…scared that they may lose their jobs at any moment and angry that they have to accept exhausting working conditions.  Their frustrations are poisoning customer experiences across the country.  It’s hard to imagine that any human being could be as callous as the ticket agent above regardless of the company’s promise.  Yet stories of frazzled employees treating their customers with indifference or even disdain are cropping up everywhere.

How are your employees treating your customers? 

Submitted by Scott in Minnesota

We were recently invited to attend a family wedding in Louisville, KY.  The wedding was billed as black tie optional, which we all know is not optional.  I guess the bride and groom figured if they have to dress up, the rest of us should do likewise.  Not owning a tux, I had to rent one.

I chose to rent from the Tip Top Tux less than a mile from my office.  I was booked solid on the pick-up day and would barely have time to run out and get my tux before heading to the airport hence the thoughtful choice of location.

The Tip Top Tux promise is clearly displayed…Our dedication to quality and customer service helps make for an enjoyable, memorable, and – most importantly – stress free experience. Given everything I needed to do prior to leaving for Louisville stress-free was music to my ears!

The week before our departure I got a call from Sarah at TTT who informed me that the location from which I had rented the tux had been closed.  Despite this my tux would be ready as promised.  Unfortunately I would have to pick it up at another Tip Top Tux location about 15 miles from the now shuttered location.

I broke into a cold sweat anticipating what this would do to my tightly planned day.  I explained that there was no way I could find 45 minutes in my schedule to pick up the rental at the alternate location she proposed.  I asked if there were any locations closer to the one from which I had originally rented.  She promised to call me back in 5 minutes.

Five minutes later Sarah called and asked me if she could deliver the tux?  Deliver?  Now we’re talking.  I was thrilled.  Rather than making TTT’s problem my problem she held firm to their promise of a stress-free experience.  She went on to say that if I could find my way to returning the tux to the alternate location at a time that was convenient for me, they would waive all late charges that might otherwise accrue.  Problem solved!  Stress gone!

A firm’s ability to keep their promises occurs when things don’t go as planned.  Sarah was not given any advance warning of the other store’s closure.  This wasn’t a problem she had created.  And Tip Top Tux doesn’t have a delivery service.  This was outside their normal business practices.  But her commitment to their promise…a stress-free experience…forced her to take extraordinary measures.  I’m very thankful she did.

Tip Top Tux has multiple locations in MN, IA, NE, SD, and MO.  Need to rent a tux?  Check’m out.  I know they’ll treat you right.

Submitted by Jamie in Georgia

Christopher Elliot, ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine, recently printed the following letter submitted by Jamie Tuttle from Augusta, Georgia, in his syndicated column Travel Troubleshooter:

I’m writing to you on behalf of my roommate, who is serving overseas in the Navy. She recently paid $1,767 for tickets from Bahrain to Atlanta for two weeks of R&R. Her online travel agency, Travelocity, had to issue a paper ticket because the two airlines she’s flying – Gulf Air and Delta Air Lines – don’t have a ticketing agreement.

But the tickets never arrived. She contacted Travelocity, which told her to buy a new ticket and file a lost ticket application. She paid for new tickets and flew back to the States. But when she asked Delta for a refund, they turned her down because she had gotten paper tickets through Travelocity.

After a few more phone calls and emails between her, Delta and Travelocity, she realized that no one was going to refund her money. So she disputed the charges for the first ticket on her credit card – and won.

Today I received a letter at our home address to her from Travelocity. They say they are going to turn her over to a collection agency if she does not pay the money in 30 days.

Mr. Elliott was quick to point out that Jamie’s roommate shouldn’t have to pay for tickets she didn’t receive.  He contacted Travelocity on Jamie’s behalf and a representative agreed that Travelocity should have filed the lost-ticket application for her roommate and agreed to stop the collection process.  Score one for rational thinking!

What really caught my eye, however, was Mr. Elliot’s analysis of Travelocity’s customer promise and the disconnect between that promise and Jamie’s roommate’s actual experience:

The round of finger-pointing that followed was inevitable. Travelocity, which promises, “everything about your booking will be right, or we’ll work with our partners to make it right, right away,” and, “we’re available 24/7 to help ensure your trip goes as planned,” told your roommate to file a lost ticket application with the airline.

I can understand why, after several frustrating calls, your roommate decided to pursue the credit card dispute. This seemed like a no-win proposition.

Threatening your roommate with a collection agency was an understandable move, from a business point of view, but it didn’t exactly represent a high-water mark for customer service. Had Travelocity taken the time to understand your roommate’s problem, it would have never come to a credit card dispute.

As Mr. Elliot points out, clearly Travelocity failed to live up to its promises.  But I think Mr. Elliot, in characterizing this merely as a customer service low-point, understates the potential long-term ramifications to Travelocity.

Many years ago we turned to Orbitz as a source of discounted domestic fares.  Our first two purchases went quite smoothly.  Our third trip was a disaster.  We had to make an adjustment to our itinerary mid-trip.  Orbitz could not make that happen and it cost us far more than we saved to continue our trip.  Similarly, our departure date for a fourth Orbitz trip changed.  I had to stand on my head and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to get the reservations changed.  Our conclusion at the time was discount travel sites work great if everything goes as planned.  If there is a problem or a change, you’re out of luck.

These experiences ended our use of all online discount travel services.  The hoops required to make a change or adjustment  mid-trip far outweighed any potential savings.  For us, this was more than a simple customer service breakdown.  It called into question the business model and operating capabilities of a nascent industry.   Our experiences, like Jamie’s roommate’s experience above, diminished our confidence and trust that online discount travel services could get us there and back for the price quoted.

This highlights that some broken promises can result in a small inconvenience for the customer.   Others, however, can diminish your company or even an entire segment of an industry.  The internet is rife with travel scams.  Consumers are very wary of offers that sound too good to be true.  Now is not the time for legitimate online travel services to play fast and loose with overstated promises and unsatisfactory marketplace implementation lest they be painted with the same brush as their disreputable cousins.

Submitted by Scott in Minnesota

My wife and I decided to try something new for Sunday breakfast…a local eatery called The Bad Waitress. While it’s hard to discern this restaurant’s promise the name would indicate that one should not expect excellent service.

The restaurant is best described as a retro diner complete with checkered floor and black vinyl booths. The menu is replete with basic diner fare. We quickly learned that, as the name would imply, service was minimal. You write your own order, pour your own coffee, etc. Besides collecting the money about all they do is bring the food from the kitchen to your table and bus the table when you’re finished. That was their shtick.

Despite the crowd we were seated immediately. After perusing the menu my wife, who waited tables throughout high school and had the requisite skills, wrote out our order and took it to the cashier. After paying, the cashier informed her that the kitchen was backed up and that it would likely be 45 minutes before our food would be ready. This wasn’t a problem. We had the Sunday paper and all the coffee we could drink. We settled in for a leisurely breakfast.

After an hour had passed we called one of the employees over and asked him to check on the progress of our meal. He returned a moment later and assured us that our meal would be ready momentarily. Another 25 minutes passed. We had finished the Sunday paper and decided it was time to get on with our day. We asked the same employee about our order. He just shrugged. We asked to see the manager and he pointed to a woman at the register.

We told the manager that we had been waiting almost 90 minutes for our food. Even worse, 25 minutes earlier we had been told by one of her employees that our meal was moments away. She demanded to know who told us that. When I pointed out the gentleman her response was, “Well he wouldn’t know” as if I was stupid for even asking him.

At that point another employee came over from the kitchen and informed the manager that our order slip had fallen on the floor and was never placed in the queue. I was dumbfounded. I asked the manager why then were we told our order was almost ready. In the same tone as before she reminded me that she wasn’t the one who told us that as if that absolved her of all responsibility. There was no remorse, no apology. I asked for an immediate refund.

She processed our credit card refund but when she handed me the receipt I noticed she hadn’t refunded the $4.00 tip. (Tell me again why we tipped at a restaurant without table service?) I asked about the tip and was informed that it was gone…it had already been distributed amongst the staff. Again I was dumbfounded. Did she really expect me to reward the staff for this fiasco? I gave her one of those withering looks that makes dogs whimper and children put themselves in time-out. Realizing she was on thin ice she reached into the tip jar, pulled out four dollars and handed it to me. We left vowing never to return.

As we drove away, in search of a meal, I reflected upon our experience. Bad things happen, mistakes are made. It’s how you deal with those mistakes that determine if the customer leaves satisfied. But let’s go back to the initial promise and resulting expectations. I expected bad service. That was part of the shtick. Didn’t The Bad Waitress actually over-deliver on my expectations? Perhaps. But I also expected to eat. And that particular touchpoint trumps all other experiential elements. After all, it’s hard to leave a restaurant satisfied if no food has been consumed.

Submitted by Shannon in Minnesota

A trip to my daughter’s pediatrician resulted in a referral to a specialist. While I wasn’t overly concerned, anytime a doctor tells me I need to see a specialist I get a tad bit nervous. That nervousness quickly turned to frustration as I tried to schedule the appointment.

Week 1: Day 1: On Monday I called the specialist to schedule the appointment. The person who answered the phone said she would have to check the doctor’s schedule and would get back to me shortly.

Week 1: Day 4: Four days later, still having heard nothing from the doctor’s office, I called again. A different person answered the phone. She assured me that she had “special access” to the doctor’s schedule and would check his availability ASAP and get back to me with some scheduling options.

Week 2: Day 2: Five days pass without a return call from the doctor’s office so I call again. The person answering the phone wasn’t familiar with our case so I assume she is now the third person I’ve spoken with. I asked her if there was something delaying the process. Did they need more information? Was the doctor reviewing the case file before scheduling the appointment? I couldn’t understand the hold up. She promised to follow up immediately.

Week 3: Day 3: A week later the office finally called back and scheduled the appointment.

If it takes three weeks to schedule an appointment how good can their care be? Don’t they understand the anxiety that accompanies the need to schedule a doctor’s appointment? If this appointment leads to the need for treatment how well will my daughter be treated? Will the doctor communicate what’s going on in a timely fashion? Bottom line…can I trust this person with the health of my family?

Scott says:

Too often professionals…lawyers, doctors, etc…forget that they too must manage a holistic customer experience. If a bad experience with the front office causes the patient to question the capabilities of the doctor or the quality of care they will receive it could result in a decline of the practice. Organizations that deal with emotionally charged situations (like medical services) are particularly vulnerable to a single, bad touchpoint experience. Knowing this, they should ensure that every staff member understands the intended customer experience and their role in fulfilling that experience each and every day.

Submitted by Ann in Minnesota

For many years I was a loyal customer of my local sporting goods superstore.  I felt they excelled in two areas: Product assortment (at multiple price points) and customer service.  When my store was purchased by a large, national chain I went online to check out the new proprietor. Their website promised the finest quality products at competitive prices, backed by the best service anywhere.  This was encouraging so when it came time to buy my daughter’s competitive swimwear I decided to check them out.

We needed a swim suit, goggles and a cap.  Believe it or not it took three trips to purchase these items:

Trip 1: I was pressed for time.  I could not find the swimwear section nor could I find an employee to ask.  After a fair amount of wandering I found the section but couldn’t get into the fitting room.  There’s a button to push for fitting room service.  When I pushed it I could hear the announcement played over the PA in the store.  After three attempts, nobody responded.  I finally scooted into a room when somebody vacated one.  Finally ran out of time and had to leave without the goggles and cap.

Trip 2: Pressed for time again…story of my life.  But all I needed was a cap and goggles.  Dashed in and headed to swimsuits on the 2nd floor.  Swimming accessories were nowhere to be found.  I walked around the entire second floor but couldn’t find a sales associate.  Ran out of time and left fuming.

Trip 3: I have no idea why I chose to give them another chance but I did.  I needed the swim cap for a meet the next day.  Unfortunately the store was having a big baseball/softball/soccer “event” that day.  The place was crowded.  I went back up to the 2nd floor in search help but found none.  I went back downstairs and asked the nearest sales associate for assistance.  The sales associate snapped at me and told me it was one of their busiest days of the year and that I shouldn’t expect assistance on the 2nd floor.  While she did eventually help me find what I needed the entire encounter left a bad taste in my mouth.

Three strikes and you’re out!  Clearly this chain’s promise of the “best service anywhere” is wishful thinking.  It’s time for me to find a new favorite sporting goods superstore.

Scott says:

This retailer should be grateful to the writer for giving it three chances.  It’s unfortunate that those opportunities to create a loyal customer were squandered.  Two things came to mind as I read this account.

1. Be careful what you promise.  Don’t promise the best service anywhere if your business model precludes you from staffing the store appropriately to fulfill that promise.  Every retailer can’t offer the service of a Nordstrom.  Low cost retailers shouldn’t try. Customers will understand that a reduced level of service is their sacrifice for lower prices.  But if you choose to promise the best service anywhere, you better deliver or customer dissatisfaction will result.
2. When one company takes over another the transition can be very dicey.  If the conquering organization hopes to maintain the loyal customer base of the vanquished foe it needs to do more than just change the name above the door. They need to understand the existing customer expectations created by the ongoing customer experience delivered by the company they’ve just acquired and develop a thoughtful plan for transitioning customers to the new entity. If for example, as a retailer they plan to change the store layout, they may want to put extra help on during the transition to help customers find what they’re looking and/or meet their service expectations.

Submitted by Laura in Iowa

Our cable TV company recently removed two of our favorite channels from their lineup: our 24-hour public-television cartoon channel and the TV Guide Channel. While I understand that these may not be very popular channels in most households they are very important to us especially when the kids are sick and need tender loving care throughout the day and night. Losing them was a disappointment.

Shortly after receiving the bad news of the cancellations, we received a telemarketing call from the cable company. They wanted more of our business…specifically an upgrade to a digital package and the addition of internet and phone service. This would have tripled our monthly expenditures…in a very distressing economic environment.

I explained my current dissatisfaction with the shrinking cable line-up. Of course the sales rep was unprepared to address the issue. Rather than send me to a customer service rep or manager that might be able to address my existing concerns, he shrugged it off. Since I wasn’t willing to add additional services he had no reason to continue the conversation. He left me feeling even more frustrated and looking for alternatives to our current cable service.

Scott says:

Unfortunately this is a fairly common customer experience breakdown. Companies that use telemarketing to increase product penetration among existing customers often run afoul of dissatisfied customers. Since most companies aren’t aware of individual customer-by-customer concerns (like those related above) this problem is impossible to avoid. Knowing that, however, outbound telemarketers should be trained to deal with these types of situations to prevent them from making a small problem into a big issue. A process for moving from selling mode to solving mode should be clearly outlined. Responding to the customer’s concerns, either personally or via a warm transfer, could turn a volatile situation into an empathetic customer experience.

Submitted by Ellen in Minnesota

A few years ago my family had the misfortune of having our house robbed twice in less than a year. Both times a thief smashed a first floor bedroom window while we were away on vacation and took what he could carry. Given the similar circumstances, we were pretty sure it was one perpetrator who decided to come back for seconds. Unfortunately, the police were never able to catch the thief, who presumably walks the streets today a free man, though hopefully with a guilty conscience.

But this isn’t a story about society’s ills. It’s a story about homeowner’s insurance. Up until this time we had owned homes for 16 years without ever making an insurance claim. We spent all 16 of those years with the same industry-leading, national insurance company and represented by the same agent.

We’re all told insurance companies are very good at taking your money but impossible to deal with when you need some back. Much to my surprise, our claims experiences proved to be quite the opposite. The adjustors and customer service people we dealt with were compassionate, empathetic, and very fair. In fact, after our second incident, a quirk of our policy precluded part of our claim. To make up for this shortfall, the adjustor waived our $1,000 deductible, thus giving us more than they were technically obligated. I was stunned. Even delighted. I told the story to everyone I knew. I was now a raving fan of my insurance company. How many people do you know who rave about their insurance company?

The honeymoon ended three weeks later, however, when I received a form letter from my insurance company informing me that after reviewing my claims history they would no longer be able to offer me homeowner’s insurance. I had to read the letter three times before I fully comprehended that I was being dumped. After the adjustors bent over backwards to make me a satisfied customer, the underwriters were tossing me out on my ear.

Believing there must have been a mistake, I called my agent, who had been uncomfortably silent throughout this entire process. He confirmed that he too had received the letter and that, yes, my policy would not be renewed. I was struck by his cavalier attitude. Granted we hadn’t been close over the years, but I had been a loyal client for 16 years. You’d think that commitment would have at least merited a phone call.

The only consolation the agent offered was that despite the loss of the homeowner’s coverage, there was no effect on the other five policies I had with him. Like he was doing me a favor! But customer relationships don’t work that way. Once burned, trust is lost. My agent and his company exposed their true colors, and I had no desire to continue my relationship. I moved my entire business to another company – and saved a significant amount of money in the process.

Scott says:

I love this story because it illustrates both the complexity of a customer experience and the range of factors involved. In this case the agent, the adjustors, and the underwriters each had a different role to play in the overall customer experience. Yet the experience itself was defined by the whole. The heroic actions of the adjustors were negated by the callous interpretation of the underwriting policy and the lack of communication from the agent. The result was the dissolution of a solid 16-year customer relationship.