Keeping your cool

by Angela Ware

Like a number of today’s professionals, I spend a good percentage of my time traveling. And because of the amount of time I spend in and out of airports, I’ve had the chance to observe the best and the worst in airline customer service. The worst service generally occurs when there has been a flight delay, last minute gate change or the dreaded cancellation. Needless to say, the best customer service also happens during delays, gate changes and cancellations. On a recent trip from San Jose to Dallas I experienced a traveling trifecta, all before 6:00am!

At 5:25am we were told that our flight was delayed due to a mechanical problem, and then at 5:40am were told that there would be a gate change, finally at 5:55am were told that our flight had been cancelled and we would need to see an agent in order to be placed on another flight. Trifecta!!!

Although I was concerned about how they were going to handle this matter, I was also watching this one particular agent who had been walking around for the past half hour greeting passengers. She was now at a terminal counter off to the side working alone. As the other agent was yelling at passengers to be patient, this particular agent was working out a plan.

She knew at 5:30am that there was a good chance that this flight was going to be cancelled. Without saying a word she had begun identifying passengers based on their final designation and was working on rerouting them. Because she had already introduced herself before the excitement of the cancellation, when she asked us to be patient and explained what she was doing, everyone who was standing in line sat down and waited for their name to be called. In less than twenty minutes, every passenger had been rerouted and off to their final destination.

Excellent customer service. Polite, patient, organized and focused.

My take away from this experience… when you see the potential for disaster, don’t panic--look for the facts, identify your options, communicate and execute your plan.

When others are panicking, the ones who shows themselves to be patient, polite, and competent gain the trust of the crowd.