Someone at American Airlines, please give Fran a raise.
I travel a lot, so I fork over the cash each year – about $500 – to be a member of American’s Admiral’s Club. It’s a nice little airline lounge that they have in a lot of major airports, including my home base of O’Hare, and it makes waiting for a flight easier with some snacks and beverages, free wifi, comfortable seats and plentiful outlets. Way worth the money in itself.
I walked in yesterday before my flight to Austin, and was greeted by Fran at the desk. I handed over my card so she could check me in, and she asked my destination.
With a big smile, Fran went on to say:
“Well, welcome Ms. Naslund. Flight 3600 is departing out of gate G13 today, and I currently show an aircraft on the ground and a crew checked in, so you should be all set for an on time departure. We’ll be boarding at about 9:15 and we’ll announce the flight as it comes up, and if there are any delays, I’ll let you know.
Now let me see if there might be any upgrades available….ah, unfortunately not today, but I do have a bulkhead seat held if you’d like that instead of your current seat assignment.”
(I accepted with gratitude…)
She continued:
“Coffee and water are inside to the right, restrooms to the left, and I see you have your laptop with you so there should be plenty of outlets, but the seating at the far end has a few extra just in case it’s crowded. Is there anything I can do to make your trip more comfortable today?”
:: insert me, dumbfounded. ::
I said a hearty thank you and promptly let @AmericanAir know how great the service was. A few minutes later, I watched Fran walk into the lounge to find someone personally and let them know that their flight was reading on time but that the crew hadn’t arrived yet, so she would come and get them when that happened so they didn’t have to rush.
Here’s the thing.
Fran was doing her job. Her role is to provide helpful service to the people who pay for the Admiral’s Club membership.
But she could get by with the bare minimum. She could be pleasant but not super friendly. She could wait to be asked before providing a bunch of helpful information, or extras like looking at the availability of upgraded seats. She could seem like she’s doing her job competently, but she likely doesn’t get paid based on going above and beyond to be enthusiastic and proactively helpful.
Yet, she was. She clearly gets satisfaction out of being outstanding and helpful. And she absolutely MADE my morning of travel, putting me at ease and putting a smile on my face (which is a feat before I’ve had caffeine, as anyone who has encountered me in the morning can attest).
Outstanding customer service is not complicated. There was nothing particularly fancy here, no tricks or gimmicks or whizbang technology. But Fran was helpful, friendly, clearly enjoyed her job, and made me feel like she was glad I was there.
The problem is that these concepts are exceedingly simple, yet so few companies set the bar there. It’s not cheap nor easy to find the Frans of the world and keep them motivated, happy and continually rewarded for being exceptional, much less to have Fran at scale (it’s far easier in a concierge-like environment like this one). The basics aren’t necessarily sexy, or “viral”, or likely to make the media.
Moreover, when we find people like her, we promote them into management and remove them from the places where they can make an outstanding and direct difference, because our companies aren’t built to create authority, career development, and prestige in front-line roles.
So instead, people like Fran and the experiences they create are exceptional. And while I have a suspicion Fran will always be the kind of person to do just that much more, it’s still pretty amazing that people even remotely like Fran are so remarkable instead of the standard we all strive for.
Great customer service is – conceptually – beautifully simple. It takes unrelenting basics – friendliness, flexibility, helpfulness – that are executed with consistent elegance by people who really and truly care about the outcome.
And yet that simplicity is truly the complexity with it all.
Thanks again, Fran, for making the start to my travel day so much better. I sure hope you get that raise, but I’m also really hoping that the Admiral’s Club members enjoy your presence for a long time to come.
I agree, Amber. In a world where many of us tweet complaints at the slightest irritation, it is equally (more?) important to share kudos to those who do their jobs well … better than well. I wrote about one of those people here: http://www.waytenmom.blogspot.com/2010_06_01_archive.html I hope Fran gets a raise or something awesome for going above and beyond!
As someone who works directly with customers – I also want to thank you for writing this! So often – we only hear our names / about our customers experiences when something isn’t going quite right. I highly encourage anyone who has a great experience with customer service to track down their manager and let them know! Here, these phone calls or emails get forwarded all the way up to CEO & honestly, you might make the reps day. I love when my customers go out of the way to let my bosses know I did a great job.
It stinks that your experience with Fran is not the norm and while I believe a honest shift is going to come in customer service over the next few years – you are right in saying that a few small changes could do a lot of good. I’ve exposed my customers to a lot of “extras” simply by asking them one more question before we finish up our call. Thanks again for sharing!
I’m often amazed that more companies don’t realize that providing great customer service is virtually free, while providing even just average customer service will add almost incalculable costs to the bottom line.
I have to laugh as 9 times out of 10 I am the one thanking businesses for letting me buy their products.
People like Fran should be the norm, but because they are not it represents an incredible opportunity for good companies who want to be great.
I love hearing stories like this. It makes my heart light. I love it when I encounter great customer service.
Another solid post, Amber.
There’s this belief that outstanding customer service requires a diverse skill set or millions of dollars spent on training.
The reality is, this simply isn’t the case. Outstanding customer service starts with a corporation creating a culture around caring about their customers (as Fran did) instead of just seeing customers as a source of revenue.
From there, the “customer first” attitude filters down to how you recruit and onboard talent.
There are many pieces in play here, but my point is this: Outstanding customer service is inexpensive. The rewards are priceless.
Exactly. I’ve said it before and will continue to say it:
“Your marketing is useless if your customer service sucks.” Period.
Thanks for another insightful post, Amber!
So true. I once worked for a master of customer service–she could turn ANYONE around if they were angry–and she did by genuinely caring. I never forget that.
I went into a coffee shop the other day, and this totally punk rock young girl, with piercings galore and jet black hair, gave me the best customer service. It’s sad that we feel so floored when people seem to be genuinely engaged in their jobs! She really wanted us to have a great experience–and we did.
I’m kinda in the situation while reading the article, You are amazing Fran, Anyway, if you really love your work, you can definitely provide a great customer service.