Written by: Simon T. Bailey, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
As you know, I travel extensively, and oftentimes I size up a business by the customer experience given by its team members. It is my belief that customer experience is common sense, but organizations and companies that get it right make it common practice.
I have two examples of this that happened to me recently.
I was flying on Delta Air Lines, and the flight attendant came over to the airplane’s public address system to thank everyone for flying Delta Air Lines. However, what happened next was nothing short of amazing. I saw the flight attendant coming toward Diamond Medallion passengers who were not upgraded to first class but sitting in the nosebleed section. I perked up because I just knew that she was going to figuratively pet the Diamond Medallion on the head for their loyalty.
Well, she bypassed us and went to three other passengers and said to them, “congratulations on joining the silver medallion level. We’ve tracked the frequency of your travel on our airlines, and we wanted to officially welcome you to the Medallion Club.
Say what… my neck was spinning around in disbelief. They are two levels below the Diamond level.
I sat there with my spoiled elite-status self, wondering why the flight attendant wasn’t paying homage to the Diamond Medallion Members. When the plane landed, I disembarked with a smidge of disappointment.
Then it dawned on me that Delta already had my business. I had been loyal for 30 years.
However, they also knew the power of capturing the newly minted Silver Medallion member by welcoming them to the elite club. Connecting with them on an emotional level creates a “spark” that, hopefully, they’ll want to continue to book the airline that captured their heart.
The second story caught me by surprise. I was flying on American from San Antonio, Texas, to Los Angeles, California, to speak to a group of dentists at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. This place is a little slice of heaven right by the Pacific Ocean. That’s another story for another day.
Right before the plane landed, the flight attendant came to my section of the plane and gave me this handwritten note that said, “Mr. Bailey, without you, there is no American Airlines! Please come back soon. Signed Steffanie, FA (Flight Attendant), Flt 1262 – SAT (San Antonio) – LAX (Los Angeles).
At that moment, it reminded me of what I wrote in my new book, Be the Spark – Five Platinum Principles for Creating Customers for Life. “As simple as it might sound, most people like to hear the sound of their own name. According to research, small-business employees only ask for the customer’s name 21 percent of the time during a customer service interaction…but 86% of customers said they enjoy when business employees refer to them by name.”
Thank you, American Airlines, for adding a spark to my day. I may just try your airlines again.
Simon T. Bailey, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
SUCCESS magazine calls Simon T. Bailey one of the top 25 people who will help you reach your business and life goals. He joins a list that includes Oprah Winfrey, Brene Brown, and Tony Robbins. Washington Speakers Bureau recognized him as one of the 12 business speakers who emboldened audiences to think big and lead with purpose. Simon was the first Black American sales director for the Disney Institute based at Walt Disney World Resort. Since leaving Disney, he has served more than 2,100 organizations in 50 countries. His three LinkedIn Learning courses have been viewed by 250,000 individuals in 100 countries. He’s also written 10 books and has one of the 100 most-read motivational and successful blogs.
