Business In Washington - Business Operations & Management Consulting

We’ve had a lot to say recently about the lousy service one gets whenever one is compelled (or just crazy enough) to board a plane and fly somewhere.  The latest symbol of the demise of the “friendly skies” was the announcement by one airline that they would no longer offer peanuts to the passengers.

No peanuts.  How low can you go?

There was a fabulous article in The Seattle Times this past Sunday, entitled, “Once upon a time, the skies really were friendly.”  Did you read it?  Do take a look if you can.  Those of our readers who will admit to a certain maturity (note, I didn’t say old!) will relate to some of the stories.  To you young whippersnappers, it will seem like a fairy tale.

Like all good fairy tales, this one begins:  “Once upon a time, air travel was exciting and fun.”  Hard to believe?  Check out the examples offered by Times readers.

Yes, I am mature, and I do relate.  My very first plane flight was taken as a young child.  My brave mother, single, with two elementary-school-aged children, decided to visit relatives in Illinois.  Thinking of the trip as a potential experience and “teachable moment”, she eschewed the car and decided to use a combination of train and plane travel. 

We embarked on a flight from Detroit to Chicago.  My brother and I were beside ourselves with excitement!  We got to peek in the cockpit and meet the pilot.  The stewardesses (all women in those days and all slender and pretty) were incredibly nice to us.  Mother, less sanguine, was armed with toys to entertain us and Dramamine to ensure health, since I was prone to motion sickness.

We were buckled into a window and middle seat, with Mother on the aisle.  Probably wanted to make sure we couldn’t escape.  Excitement reigned.  We took off and competed for the view from the window.  How amazing to two little kids!  People below looked like ants.  Once fully airborne, we were surrounded by fluffy white clouds, marshmellows to us.  Was God out there?

After a while, things got more interesting, for the adults.  We hit some wind.  Instead of a smooth flight (”Feels like you are sitting in your living room!”), we were suddenly on a roller coaster.  We would go up, hover a moment, then plunge down, leaving our stomachs behind.  My brother and I loved it!  We squealed with delight.  Mother took the Dramamine.

We landed in Chicago on time, 5 mintes earlier than we took off due to the change in time zone.  This was yet another wonder to me and my brother.  We talked about it for weeks.  We were ushered off the plane, with apologies from the flight crew about the roller coaster.  (What was to apologize for?  We’d had a ball!)

By contrast, our train ride from Chicago to Peoria was a drag.  It was slow, noisy, and dirty.  We hated it.  This was the start of a love affair with flying.

In the late 1950’s when I started flying (yes, I am that old), it was still new enough to be special.  We still ran out of the house to look when someone hollered about an airplane overhead.  (This stopped when the flight paths for Detroit Metro were rerouted over our house.)  Parents took their kids to airports just to watch the planes take off and land.  We dressed up for this.  People dressed up to travel, especially when they flew.  There was a glamour and an excitement to air travel in those days.  And the service fit the mood perfectly.

Given the fact that airline travel is now SOP for a large percentage of Americans, it is natural that the romance of it would be gone.  But is it really necessary for the pleasant service to follow suit?  I think air travel can be spartan without being so de-humanizing.  And good service can go a long way toward accomplishing that.

Next time I decide to reminisce, perhaps I’ll tell you about my very first business trip.  What flying stories do you have?  Please share them!

Today I am daring to mention that tender subject that makes every woman wince - the annual mammogram.  This is never fun, for any of us, but we do it.  The importance of this exam has been drilled into our heads.  We make jokes (To prepare for your mammogram, lie comfortably on the cold garage floor and have your husband run the car over your breast a few times…), but we still approach the appointment with trepidation.  What if they find something this time?

I took my mother to her appointment recently.  For her, it’s a bigger deal, since she has had breast cancer.  She has beat it and remains cancer free, but you can imagine her level of trepidation and the especially tender state of her breasts after surgery, radiation, etc.  We went to a local breast center, attached to a reputable hospital where her surgeon (a truly wonderful man and skilled surgeon) practices.  If only their attitudes matched his!

Speed and efficiency seemed the primary goals at this location.  Mother is handicapped and walks very slowly with a walker and we could sense the impatience all around.  Ushered to a thinly curtained booth, she was instructed - quickly - to strip from the waist up and put on the gown with the opening in the front.  Then, the woman split.  Mother didn’t hear a word (she’s partially deaf), so I repeated.  I also told her to wash off her deoderant (SOP since it distorts the image), which the woman had forgotten.  Mother changed, then took a seat in the tiny waiting area and I joined her.

The same woman eventually returned, and led Mother into the exam room.  Afterwards, I helped her dress, retrieved her walker and we left.  Once in the car, Mother commented on the technician’s manner during the exam.  For my male readers who have not experienced the joy of a mammogram, you need to understand that you have to assume a very awkward position for this xray, with your breast smashed painfully between a couple of plates.  My handicapped mother was having great difficulty getting into the position and the woman got impatient and angry with her!  Mother defended herself, explaining that she was physically unable to move quickly or into the position quite the way she was being directed, and the woman finally calmed down.  Mother was understandably disturbed by this.  I was outraged.

Now, let us recap.  You have an elderly, handicapped woman who has difficulty moving and hearing, and who had bilateral partial mastectomies and radiation just last year.  She remembers the pain and she is frightened.  If this were your customer, and a very typical one given your trade, how would you treat her?  If you were a manager, how would you direct your employees?  What would be the primary goal for your customer service?

Contrast this with my last mammogram experience, just a few months ago, but at a different breast center.  I was greeted with a smile, handed paperwork with discretion, and asked to take a seat.  Another woman came to get me, ushered me into another room and to a booth with a door, not a thin curtain.  I was given a short gown and directed to place my valuables in a locker, which was supplied with a key on an elastic bracelet.  The very pleasant woman asked if I was wearing deoderant, showed me where the wipes were in case I was, and left me to change my clothes.  While seated in the quiet waiting area adjacent to the dressing booths, another woman came, gave me pamphlets about breast exams and cancer and offered to answer any questions.

During my actual exam, I was handled with kindness.  The technician was efficient, but not rushed.  She was focused on me and making an unpleasant moment pass as easily as possible.  Her manner was professional, unhurried, friendly and reassuring.

What a contrast.  My only concern about all of this is what I will do if my test is positive and I have to choose between my breast center/hospital and Mother’s breast surgeon.  It will be a tough choice.

By the way, our test results were good.  We are both free of cancer.

We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday weekend.  We slept in, relaxed, and got some projects done around the house.  On Sunday, however, we decided it was time to get out of town, at least for the day.  So we hit the road.

 We stopped in a nearby town and strolled along the main drag, enjoying the shops and galleries in this tourist-focused spot.  Eventually, the delicious smells and attractive menu posted outside a bakery/coffee shop pulled us in.

The pleasant interior of the shop featured several tables, augmenting the few that were outside, and a large display showcasing those desserts I try to avoid.  (I swear they stick to my hips when I walk by and drool!  I don’t even have to eat them.)  Behind the counter were 3 young women, plenty of staff to handle the very modest late-lunch crowd, consisting of us and a family of 3.

This is when the sunny day dimmed a little.  The young women seemed to look everywhere but at the customers.  It took an inordinate amount of time for them to take the family’s order (they were ahead of us).  They also couldn’t seem to multi-task.  All three of them seemed fully involved with the family.  (Actually, 1 woman took the order while the other 2 watched.  Hellooo!  There is another customer here!)

They finally noticed us and took our order.  Dennis turned to me and asked if I wanted something to drink.  The girl behind the counter said, “Oh, you have to order beverages down there,” and pointed to her right.  We shifted in that direction (it was only a couple of feet!) and waited.  The other women behind the counter looked around and ignored us. 

 My order came up and I suggested to Dennis that I take it outside and claim the one remaining table while I could.  He agreed, said he would order drinks and join me shortly.

“Shortly” became quite a wait.  I could have finished my meal before he finally joined me. He brought two glasses of ice water he said took quite a bit of effort to get.  We ate our lunches, which were outstanding, and pondered the obvious business lesson.

Clearly, the owner of the shop was not there.  Just as clearly, the staff was completely clueless on the importance of customer service.  This shop could have done a booming business if they had their act together.  My experienced manager side was just dying to get in there and straighten things out!  I would have trained and supervised those employees and fired them if they didn’t come around.  I would have emphasized these important points:

• The customer is not an interruption of your day, but the reason we are in business.
• Greet people promptly, pleasantly, and look them in the eye.
• Produce their orders efficiently and quickly.
• When business is light, take the time to follow up with the customers.  Ask if their food is satisfactory and whether they would like anything else.  (”Would you like fries with that?”)

This little bakery was probably just surviving, based on their location in a high foot traffic tourist area and on the strength of really good food.  Their business could really boom with the application of BASIC business and management principles.

This isn’t rocket science, folks! 

What can one say about the joy of business travel?  Especially nowadays?

In the interests of keeping the language civilized, let me simply describe my recent experience, rather than my resulting emotions.

I had occasion to travel from Seattle to Milwaukee recently, on business.  A client was expecting my arrival at their site on a specific day and at a specific time.  In other words, this wasn’t a pleasure trip with any flexibility.

As I was packing and preparing for my trip the night before, I signed onto Northwest Airlines web site to print my boarding pass.  Oh no!  My flight has been cancelled!  Actually, my first flight was ok.  I could get to Minneapolis.  But the flight from there to Milwaukee had been cancelled.  It was only about 12 hours until my flight time, so there was little I could do online.  I called the airlines.

The Northwest representative was polite, but was unable to get me to Milwaukee either Sunday, my planned travel day, or on Monday!  I finally asked if they could get me there through another airline.  The rep got his supervisor, who was able to find me flights on Delta – Seattle to Atlanta (now that’s right on the most direct route, right?) and then Atlanta to Milwaukee.  Only one problem.  The Seattle flight was to leave at 6:00 AM.  It was now midnight and I wasn’t fully packed! 

My wife packed and I got everything else ready.  We crashed (unfortunate verb, given my plans to fly) at 1:30 AM, only to have the alarm go off at 2:45 AM, so I would have time to shower and get to the airport and go through security, in these times of heightened alert.

When I got to the airport and reached the security checkpoint, I was informed by the TSA representative that I had been “selected by my airline” for additional screening.  I found out later that it was due to the fact that I had changed my reservation and airline at the very last minute.  (Hey, my flight was cancelled!  I didn’t do this on purpose!)  So I was treated to a pat down inspection and a thorough hand search of my carryon, including swabbing it for explosives.

Looking at this in hindsight, I would make the following point.  To their credit, Northwest got me on another flight that got me to my required destination on the same day.  Fine.  But they also had my contact information – phone and email – a month in advance.  If I had been informed, even 12 hours earlier, I might have been able to get where I needed to go at better times and with far more sleep!

The Delta flight at 6:00 AM left on time.  In Atlanta, however, the second plane was late.  Then, we were further delayed by weather – obviously not the fault of the airlines.  But the inevitable result was an extremely long day of travel on no sleep with a late arrival at my final destination leaving me with little time to catch up before an early morning appointment with my client the next day. 

To make it even more challenging, only one of my bags made it to Milwaukee with me.  The second one, the one that held all my business paperwork, went someplace else.  I went directly to the appropriate lost baggage office to report the problem.  There, the three women staffing the office ignored me completely until I finally spoke up.  Their computer revealed that my bag would arrive in 3-4 hours.  I asked them if they would deliver the bag to my hotel and told them I needed the materials in the bag for my business meeting.  They asked how long I would be at the hotel.  Hearing that I would be there about 10 days, they said, “Oh good, we have plenty of time to get it to you.”   “No,” I said.  “I need the contents of that bag to do my business, which begins early tomorrow morning.” 

They got me the bag by Monday evening.  My problem here is the attitudes – completely cavalier.  Throughout this entire saga, there were no apologies, either.  This is simply the way it is and I am supposed to accept it.

In complete contrast, my return trip (which also had to be rearranged due to a change in my return date) was on Frontier Airlines.  Since I had a tight connection in Denver (only 50 minutes), I asked the ticket agent if I would make it.  She assured me that I would.  Then, my first flight had to leave 20 minutes late because the plane was late getting to Milwaukee.  The flight crew worked together as a very efficient team to get us on board and into our seats as quickly as possible and on our way.  They made up the time delay in flight so that we arrived in Denver as scheduled.  The flight attendants then asked that everyone who didn’t have a connecting flight remain in their seats so that travelers with tight connections could make their flights.  I made it to my plane without a problem and the plane left on time.

As travelers, we have many choices of airlines to get to our destinations.  In a competitive market, which this certainly is, the prices are pretty consistent.  The remaining differentiator for competing companies in such an environment has got to be the service.  The Frontier employees were uniformly courteous, efficient, and displayed a desire to take care of the customers.  This can’t really be said for Delta or even Northwest.

So, next time I have to travel to the Midwest, who am I likely to call?

Yesterday, an item appeared on CNET’s “Crave” site about Sprint breaking up with customers.  I was totally struck by the article when I saw it and spent some time digging into it.

It seems Sprint decided to shed customers who they felt were overusing their customer service lines.  The letter was sent in late June to a supposedly small number of Sprint customers, citing too many phone calls as the reason for terminating their service. 

On the surface, anyone who has been on the receiving end of customer service calls can understand Sprint’s issue.  Some customers can be so “high maintenance” that it is not profitable to keep them.  Angry customers can occasionally be verbally abusive as well.  Although the old saw “The customer is always right” applies in most cases, and one is far better off dealing with the issue in a way favorable to the customer and moving on, there is no reason anyone should have to deal with extremes of abusive language or verbal threats.

Digging below the surface, however, I question Sprint’s wisdom in taking this action.  First, Sprint hasn’t been doing that well, so why would they deliberately shed much needed customers?  The article I read mentioned their high “churn” rate, higher than the competition’s.  It’s always tougher to get new customers than get repeat business from happy current customers, so why rock a leaky boat?

Second, I question how Sprint counted the calls.  As I searched the internet, read blogs, and followed response threads, I saw lots of comments about bad customer experiences when calling Sprint.  We’ve all had at least one instance of waiting on hold for customer service, any customer service – not just Sprint’s, and then having the phone system hang up without ever reaching a live human being.  Assuming you have a real issue, what do you do?  You call back!  The call counter ticks.  What if you reach a customer service rep and he/she can’t handle the issue, so they forward you to someone else?  I’ve talked to as many as half a dozen people before getting issues resolved.  Does Sprint count these as individual calls?  The call counter spins………

Third, what if the volume of service calls comes as the result of recurring, possibly systemic problems?  Some bloggers out there were calling Sprint monthly to deal with constant billing problems!  Hardly seems fair to then drop the service for too many calls.  But then, as my husband frequently reminds me, “Fair is a carnival with rides.”

Clearly, there are many possible causes for the large volume of customer service calls, coming from both Sprint and its customers.  However, it certainly seems counterproductive for a troubled business to deliberately cause a flap over its own customer service!  Did they think the word wouldn’t spread?

Another product of my web research on this subject today was an article I found on the MSN Money site – “The Customer Service Hall of Shame” – by Christopher Oster.  Sprint topped his list.  Now, how is such a distinction likely to appear to employees, customers, prospects and investors? 

It doesn’t look good. 

What do you think?