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I took this picture prior to landing in Victoria, British Columbia, where I spoke at a conference to businesses about handling the media. A problem forced us to deplane our initial flight from Seattle to Victoria. Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air took several steps to propel this negative into a positive.
- After deplaning, someone on an overhead speaker announced we should stay near our gate for updated information on a new flight. Lesson for businesses: When customers have problems, always keep them updated even if you have little to report. Otherwise customers may wonder if you forgot about them or aren’t working to solve the problem. As a TV reporter, I tried to keep sources regularly updated on the progress of an investigation.
- The airline found a second plane for us, if I recall correctly, within an hour. When the airline at first announced we needed to deplane, I saw passengers immediately pick up their cell phone to make calls. Some passengers may have posted status updates on social media. In fact for fun, the person I was traveling with asked me to return to my reporting days and provide a fake live shot for his iPhone on this “developing story.” But when we boarded the second plane, he mentioned he never experienced an airline finding a second plane so quickly. Other passengers may have shared similar, positive thoughts on cell phones or on social media. Lesson for businesses: If you caused a problem for a customer, the best way to win back the customer’s trust is going above and beyond to find a fast solution.
- After boarding the second plane, a flight attendant showed some personality on the overhead speaker when apologizing for the delay or acknowledging how the experience was not ideal. Lesson for businesses: When something goes wrong, don’t simply feed customers facts and information as if you’re a robot. Show some concern and compassion. Be human.
- After we boarded the plane, a flight attendant announced the crew would be serving us free beer or wine due to the delay. The announcement put people in a good mood. Lesson for businesses: When your business has a problem, offer something extra: a discount, a coupon, a gift card. Free stuff helps people forgive problems.
- After we landed in Victoria, another flight attendant repeated the apology for the delay. Lesson for businesses: You probably can’t say you’re sorry enough. People can accept mistakes or unforeseen problems. But they often can’t accept those who don’t say I’m sorry. Saying you’re sorry pays off in a big way.