I spent this past weekend in San Diego with my Mastermind Group (peers in a variety of industries who share ideas for innovation and service). At one meal we discussed some cool customer service moments that we recently experienced. I told one story and realized I hadn’t blogged about it.
On February 18th, I flew from Phoenix to Chicago on my way to a convention in Georgia. I already wrote about some of the nice people on my flight, but I failed to mention one surprising moment. The nice man sitting next to me left for a bit to use the restroom and I began to zone out and watch a Netflix DVD. I had on my Bose headphones and became a bit isolated from the world when the flight attendant came by and said, “The captain wanted you to have this.”
I had to doublecheck with her a few times, as I wasn’t sure what she was saying.
“The captain wanted to give this to you.”
It was a his business card. Nothing fancy. Just his name and email address at United. On the back, he wrote a simple message thanking me for being a customer, and how much he appreciated serving me when I fly. It probably took him less than a minute to write.
Yes, I’m aware that my Premier Executive status on United probably triggered this interaction. I know that he didn’t write one of these messages to every customer, or maybe everyone in my status level, but it still made an impact. He took the time.
The flight was leveled off. We were free from turbulence. The co-pilot probably took over for a bit, and he spent some of his “free” time on a flight thanking me.
Can’t we do the same?
I was thinking about it. What if airlines did this a bit more regularly? Sure you couldn’t do it for every passenger, but you could do it for a handful of passengers each flight. It would totally surprise them and they’d definitely tell their friends. We could easily do the same for a handful of people in our schools, organizations, and workplaces. It would take us a few moments, and could make such an impact.
We live in a world where we’re getting increasingly less personal in our interactions. I know I’m guilty of this (one of my favorite couples has instituted a “can’t touch your iPhone” rule when I hang out with them). We need to find ways to actively engage and appreciate those around us. It takes a matter of moments.
But when done write, it is the thing that people bring up during a lunchtime discussion with their friends and colleagues.
And don’t we want to be remembered for the great things we do?