The Customer View

Jet Blue: A Little Lovin' Goes a Long Way

It's a well-known postulate in the world of customer service, that a customer who has had a negative experience quickly and sufficiently remedied by the offending business tends to be even more loyal to that business than the customer who has never, ever had a negative experience with them.  When I first heard that, I laughed, "Yeah, so if someone smacks me in the face, then says he's sorry - I'm gonna like him better than somebody else who never smacked me?  Yeah, right."

Leave it to me to reduce business concepts to smacking.

But in business, it makes sense - the loyalty thing, not the smacking.  Customers' great fear is that they get "taken" - that they provide their hard-earned cash, and in exchange they get less than dollar value in return.  This is one of the reasons customers fly into rages so quickly when something goes wrong in their interaction.  They sense they are going to get reamed, and they are not happy about that.

But, if they have had a problem already successfully resolved by a business, the customer then has his fears alleviated a bit by the business' past performance.  There is a comfort level, and a confidence that, regardless of what might happen, things will be resolved amicably.  There is trust.

Whereas, if a customer has only seen a business perform when all is well, he/she has no idea how they may react under pressure.  And all it takes is one bad situation to turn away a customer for life.

So this brings me back to the Jet Blue St. Valentine's Day Massacre, where an otherwise customer-focused business just sort of melted down, and 1000 flights had to be canceled, including several that had customers effectively imprisoned on the tarmac for 8-10 hours.  Surely, this was a back-breaking situation for the airline, which had spent considerable time and energy building up a strong reputation for customer care.

But looky here!  It seems as though the efforts Jet Blue had put into customer focus before this fiasco, as well as their swift attempts to remedy the ill-will created by it, have paid off.  A recent survey of travelers conducted by Compete, Inc. showed that 14% are actually more inclined to fly Jet Blue since the Valentine's Day melt-down and subsequent recovery and re-commitment to service that the company and its CEO have pledged.  This is in addition to the 56% of travelers whose belief in Jet Blue never wavered in the wake of this service nightmare.

When a service horror story that gains global notoriety hits your business, yet 70% of your market still believes in you, THAT shows you the true value of  customer focus.

  -- Chuck Dennis

The Name Game

Selecting a good name is one of those things that many people think is an easy thing. Whether the name is for a product, or a company, or a service or a building, there's more to the process than meets the eye.  The problem is that too often naming exercises are done without consideration for the world that surrounds the name.  Is it being used anywhere else?  Are there permutations of the name that could be confusingly similar?  And what about ownership?  Aside from registered trademark rights - who else might "own" the name? 

Let's take a trip down Route 9 in Natick, Massachsetts.  There is a shopping mall that has been there for 40 years, engagingly named "The Natick Mall."  My first after-school job was in a restaurant there, back in the dark ages.  The mall has recently undergone a major expansion:  500,000 square feet of new stores, restaurants.  With a new and improved mall, it makes sense to embark on some new marketing and positioning.  All of that begs for a new name. Something that denotes the new status of the mall, creates some new buzz, describes what the mall is today.  Right?

The marketers of the mall labored over a new potential name.  End result:  the owners of the mall, General Growth Properties, selected "Natick" for the new name.  Of all the potential names that were generated, they decided to appropriate the town of Natick's name.  Besides displaying a singular lack of originality, thinking that it would be a good idea to use the name of a town as a trademark for a local mall seems naive. However, they went ahead and filed a trademark application for the name "Natick."   Needless to say, the town of Natick objected.  Ultimately, the mall was renamed "Natick Collection."  Funnily enough, this was on the list of names to begin with and it was rejected in favor of just "Natick."  Granted, I've sat in my share of branding meetings over the years where weak names, copied ideas, and just plain silliness was bandied about as serious marketing, but this one struck me as one of the most short-sighted branding decisions I've seen in awhile. 

The main point of a brand name is to differentiate the product or service from all the other alternatives.  At the same time, you want to connect to your audience's preferences, recollections, memories, or sensibilities. You also want to consider your customer audience.  What will resonate for them? It seems like it would be a tad confusing for a resident of Natick to call a friend and say, "Let's go shopping at Natick."  Uh, where in Natick?   "You know, the mall, Natick."  "Yeah, but WHERE in Natick?" Seems a bit like Abbott & Costello's bit about "Who's on First?"   

So when you're playing the name game, really think hard about the customers you're trying to entice to your offering.  Will they be upset by the name?  Confused  by it? Oblivous to it?  Rule number one:  don't use another entity's name!  The customer you offend or confuse may be your own! 

  --Lisa Dennis

The Colonel and the Pope

Recently, global fast-food chain KFC decided to offer a fish sandwich during the period of Lent (the forty day period of Christian fasting that precedes Easter).  Not satisfied by merely cashing in on a religious holy period, KFC has requested a blessing of their fish sandwich from the Pope!  Holy Endorsements!

Now, certainly, I can see the marketing appeal for hard-core Catholics, but could this have a reverse effect on Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Devil-worshipers, Atheists, Agnostics, and members of the Saint John Coltrane Church?  And anyone else who does not see the Pope as an infallible entity?  I mean, how much sense does it make for a fast food chain, or any secular business, really, to draw a line in the sand and ask for a Papal endorsement?  You run the risk of alienating as many, if not more, people than you attract.

And, not to delve too deeply into religious matters, but what does it say to Catholics everywhere if the Pope does offer his endorsement to the KFC fish sandwich?  Can we expect to see a Nike Swoosh symbol on his mitre?  Stock car-like logos all over the Popemobile?  This is a slippery slope, and I am surprised at KFC for even venturing to ask the Pope for such an endorsement, and I am surprised that the Pope's office has not immediately and categorically refused the request.

  -- Chuck Dennis

Jet Blue's Valentines Day Blues

Ah, Jet Blue.  I suppose it was just a matter of time before you, too, stepped in it.

Jet Blue airlines has been a favorite of ours for some time now, due to their less expensive fares, new jets, creature comforts such as large comfortable leather seats for everyone, and individual TV sets at each seat that show satellite TV when available, or at the very least, your choice of two movies. 

This is a company that really seems to "get it," in terms of seeing the world through its customers' eyes.  In fact, an article in Inc. Magazine describes a scenario where Jet Blue's CEO traveled on a flight, and helped the attendants serve customers, and stopped and chatted with each one!  The CEO and founder, David Neeleman, was asked how he came up with the airline's great innovations.  "I get most of my ideas on flights like this one," Neeleman said. "The customers tell me what they want."

This is why it was particularly disturbing to read about the Jet Blue passengers who were forced to sit on board an outbound plane at JFK Airport in NY for 11 hours, due to foul weather, compounded by logistic and equipment issues.  Another incoming flight landed at 10 AM, but passengers could not get off the plane until nearly 7 PM.  Other flights suffered similar delays.  The chaos was exacerbated by the vast sea of luggage that had to be returned to delayed / stranded passengers.

This was a serious black eye for any airline to suffer, but especially for Jet Blue, that had prided itself on its customer focus.  Mr. Neeleman, the CEO, has been up front in apologizing profusely for the problems and inconveniences, and has tried to put his money where his mouth is by offering refunds and vouchers, based on the level of inconvenience suffered by each passenger.  But really, what else could he do, if he wishes to stay in business?

Only time will tell whether Mr. Neeleman's promised overhaul of operations will actually make a difference in future crises.  If his disaster recovery skills are as bountiful as his other customer-focused ideas, then there is a good chance that Jet Blue can bounce back.  We hope that they do.

  -- Chuck Dennis

Homophobia Sells???

A while back, in this space, I commented on the Dodge commercial with the little Tinkerbell type character who flew around, changing big powerful things into cute things, but she couldn't change the Dodge automobile, which apparently was so tough that the blast from her magic wand knocked her into a brick wall, where a tough-looking guy laughed at her, calling her a silly little fairy.  She then zapped him into a wearing a matching sweater and shorts ensemble, and changed his macho dog into a group of three pekingnese or poodles, as he squealed "Ohhhhhh!"

Well, apparently, Madison Avenue still thinks homophobia is a big hoot, and will sell product.  During the Super Bowl a few days ago, where companies roll out their big money commercials, the Mars candy company ran a commercial for their Snickers brand candy bar.  The ad had two big burly guys working under the hood of a car.  One guy popped a Snickers in his mouth while working, and the other guy was so enamored with the candy bar that he bit the other end of it.  Then both guys proceeded to take bites of the candy bar until it was all consumed, and their lips briefly touched.  They were horrified when they realized what had happened, and decided they needed to do something "manly" to compensate for this accidental buss.  So they decided to rip out handfuls of their chest hair.

Curious.  Is this funny?  Is it zany?  Is the thought of two men kissing so preposterous to some ad writers, producers, and executives, that they think it will sell candy bars?  I continue to be stunned that in this day and age, homophobic ads still get written, and more incredibly, produced and approved, for airing on national TV.  And for the Super Bowl, where millions are viewing, and the ads cost gazillions of dollars... what genius decided that Snickers would do well to be known as they official candy bar for homophobes? 

Political correctness aside, is it good business to alienate anyone? 

Tonight, I heard on the news that Mars has pulled the ad.  I did not hear that any apology was given. http://money.cnn.com/2007/02/06/news/companies/snickers/?postversion=2007020614  Basically, all they had to say was that the intent was not to offend.  Wonder what the intent was?

  -- Chuck Dennis

Something for Everyone

That's the tag-line for The Cheesecake Factory in Burlington, MA where I had dinner with a business colleague last week.  In my ongoing quest for the points where marketing, sales and service connect, I had a really interesting experience that I'd like to share. 

As anyone knows who goes to The Cheesecake Factory, there is usually a wait to get in.  I'm not one of those folks who minds that wait - and they handle it all pretty professionally there, moving things pretty quickly.  We got called for our table which was a small table for two, right across from an empty booth that was just being re-set up.  My dinner partner asked if we could sit over there instead. 

Our hostess hesitated and then informed us that we'd have to go back to the lobby and get reseated by "the computer."  I asked her what that meant and she told me that all seating was done by a computer, and that we'd have to be re-entered and would probably have to wait another 15 - 20 minutes for a booth.  "Would you like to do that, or would you like to sit here?" she asked.  We looked at each other, and then sat down.  Needless to say - we had quite a bit to say about this between ourselves.  A computer.  To sit at a table that was empty and not 3 feet away from us!  Interesting approach: customer service dictated by technology. 

We quit talking about it when our waitress arrived - but she sensed something and asked if there was anything wrong.  I demurred - but she asked again because maybe she could help us.  So I related our exchange with the hostess. Our waitress quickly said she'd bring back a manager to talk with us.  I said it wasn't necessary - but she said he'd really want to talk with us, so would it be okay with us if she got him?  Okay, we said. 

He came back, knelt down next to my seat so we were looking eye-to-eye, and asked if there was anything he could do to help us. He seemed genuinely interested. I related the exchange to him, and he was very quick to apologize.  He explained that the hostess was new, and that he was surprised by her comments.  "Of course, it's perfectly reasonable to want a booth,"  he said.  "I'd be happy to give you that booth in just a moment."  He went off to make the arrangement.  Our waitress offered us a drink before we were reseated.  We thanked her and said we'd wait until the switch.  "Are you going to be our waitress over there?" I asked.  Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, but she brought us our new waiter and introduced us.  Then we got moved the the table we wanted. 

Sounds like a happy ending, right?  Our request was honored.  Everyone was happy.  But did the manager, Jason Spieler, stop there?  No.  He took it upon himself to exceed our expectations going forward. So here is what also happened in turning around our initial negative first impression:

• Our drink orders where taken immediately by our new waiter.
• Jason the manager served our drinks.
• Our waiter took the time to make great meal recommendations.
• Jason also served our meals himself.
• Our former waitress stopped by to check on how things were going.
• Our new waiter was solicitous, on top of things, and really funny to boot.
• We didn't lack for anything - we were completely taken care of.

By the end of dinner, we agreed that this was one of the best service experiences either of us had had in some time.  In fact, I'm hard pressed to get this kind of service from other "high-end" restaurants.  Now, let's think about this. It started out less than stellar. It was packed in there.  Most restaurants would have either stuck by their "policy" or just reseated us and left it at that.  The Burlington staff "got it" right away - from our first waitress, to the manager, to the new waiter. They worked together flawlessly to reset our impressions and to make up for a rocky start.  Fantastic job!

I told Jason what a great meal we had and how impressed we were with their response to our little problem.  I shared with him a little information about customer loyalty.  A study by Technical Assistance Research Programs ( a customer experience research consultancy) shows that customers who have had a problem resolved successfully and amicably tend to be more loyal than customers who have never experienced a problem with a particular business.  Jason thought that was interesting and noted that he had never heard that before.

Here was another really interesting thing.  Jason shared with me that when he goes away on vacation to see his family, he goes to the local Cheesecake Factory for dinner purely as a customer.  He says being a customer while he is away helps him focus on delivering service to his own customers, and he gets new ideas he can use when he gets back home. 

How many of us would visit work on our vacation, if we really didn't have to?  Now I know why Jason and his team "get it."  He's not delivering just meals or good service - he knows he is delivering an experience. And he is a student of that experience.  His company should clone him and promote him.  Thanks Jason!  It was great being a guest in your restaurant. 

And by the way, when you go to the Cheesecake Factory, get the Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake.

Oh my god....I almost caused a scene eating it!

-- Lisa Dennis

The Power of Visuals

We've all heard the expression that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well, what about a gesture?  How many words is that worth?  It depends on how serious you are about the image that your company is trying to convey out in the world.

Last week, the power of the gesture struck me as I was leaving a Dunkin' Donuts in Rhode Island.  As usual, the place was packed and I parked behind the building, since all the spaces on the street were taken.  After getting my extra large, iced French Vanilla, cream and three Equals, (I'm always fascinated at how specifically everyone orders their coffee - often much more complicated than my "usual") I got back in the car and attempted to leave the parking lot.  Unfortunately, there was a white van blocking the driveway.  It wasn't blocking it a little, it was directly across the entire driveway.  Luckily, there was someone behind the wheel waiting for his partner to bring back the coffee.  So I tooted my horn.  The van moved up about 6 inches.  Given that my car isn't six inches wide, I tooted again.  Let me be clear here - I didn't lean on my horn - just a quick toot.  Well, on the 2nd toot, he moved about another 4 feet.  I was able to just about squeeze through without scratching his fender and my passenger door.  As I was making a right, it was touch and go trying to navigate the turn with this van literally right on top of me.  So this time I hit the horn. 

Now, if you were blocking a driveway and you knew you were blocking a driveway (there was a sign that clearly read "Don't Block The Driveway" right across from the passenger window of the van), you'd assume that you'd get some flack from people trying to get out of the driveway, no?

He didn't move another inch.  As I came around the van, I noticed that it had the name of a company in Fall River across the side in bright blue letters.  Name, logo, location and phone number. As  I drove past the van, I looked out my passenger window towards the van driver.  He looked right at me and put his arm up against the window with his middle finger pointing to the sky.  Aside from the obvious rudeness, what really struck me was the image of this hand right next to the company logo.  It would have made a great picture.

As I was driving down the street, I decided to circle back, so I made a u-turn, and jotted down the name and number of the company.  The juxtaposition of the company's obvious effort at trying to portray a professional organization, next to their driver's "brand statement" was too much to ignore.  I wondered if they would want to know how they were being portrayed on the street to potential customers by this driver - whose job it is to represent them. 

So I called and asked for a manager who was in charge of their fleet to discuss a problem I encountered with one of their vans.  A manager came to the phone, and I related to her what happened, and followed it with my comment that I was guessing that this wasn't the image they wanted to send to potential customers out on the road.  She was shocked and repeated to me, "Our driver gave you the finger?!"  "Yes," I said, "it was rather striking next to your company logo."  The manager asked for any other details (location, time, etc.) and assured me that the person would be dealt with and that this was NOT the impression they wanted to give.  She made the point to thank me for bringing this to their attention, and she sounded very sincere in those thanks.  I told her that I was the president of a marketing and sales firm, and that I know first hand now how hard it is to get a positive message out there.  It seemed a shame to have it squandered by an employee who simply forgot that he was not in his own car, representing himself.  He was being paid to represent a company. 

While it may seem harsh that I called and reported him, as a business owner consider how you might feel if a gesture sent a message that you never ever intended.  How many words is that worth?

  -- Lisa Dennis

A Rose by Any Other Name? I Wonder...

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.

-          William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare’s words make for beautiful poetry, but do they ring true in today’s market-driven business world?  Not really.  A variety of similar products may “smell as sweet” as one another, but the name by which they are known will have much to do with how well they sell in the marketplace.  Whether you are talking about a product or a service, the name by which you are known says a lot about you, on a number of levels.

So what causes me to wax poetic today?  I just read that the Ritz-Carlton Boston was sold, and will be re-named.  Now, as a customer-oriented guy, who has a background in trademarks and brand names, this makes about as much sense as poking yourself in the eye with a pointed stick.

For the past 100 or so years, the name Ritz-Carlton has been synonymous with "legendary service" and "gracious elegance," if I may quote the Ritz's web site.  Furthermore, the Ritz-Carlton Boston has been the cornerstone of this hotel chain's glamorous history, dating back to the early 20th Century.

So, while the new owners of this property, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, one of Asia's largest hotel groups, undoubtedly have great pride in their own organization, I wonder how strategic a move it is to drop one of the most timeless of all trademarks in order to promote their own organization.

The CEO has already said that he intends to keep all the management and employees currently working at the Boston Ritz, and that's great.  These folks are already trained in the Ritz-Carlton "way."  So why boot the name, in favor of something reminiscent of Donald Trump's gaudy house o' fun in Atlantic City?  Names with the sterling reputation of "Ritz-Carlton" don't come along every day.  So unless there is some stipulation in the sale agreement that the Ritz name specifically can not be used by the new owners, I'm thinking they are making an egregious mistake.

   -- Chuck Dennis

Measure of Success

I am reading an interesting book about building an organization around the customer, called Chief Customer Officer by Jeanne Bliss. She has worked in executive positions for Land’s End, Microsoft, and Mazda, to name a few, and she has primarily been the customer advocate in these organizations.

Her book is very tactical, and instructs people on how to “fight the good fight” regarding dedication to the customer. I had the good fortune to speak with Ms. Bliss on the phone, as I was (and still am) reading her book. She recommends what she terms “guerilla metrics” in measuring business success. These metrics go beyond simple sales goals, and other inane customer service metrics like average length of call, number of calls taken, etc. Her metrics are:

1. What is the value and volume of your new customers in any given time period? Are you bringing in new business, and more importantly, is it the right kind of business?
2. What is the value and volume of your lost business, and what are the reasons behind their defections. It is critical to know why customers no longer do business with you.
3. What is the value and volume of your renewals, or repeat business? What reasons are behind this? You need to know what you are doing right for each customer.
4. Analyze revenue and profitability by customer group. Sales figures alone do not tell the whole story. If a customer brings in tons of revenue, but requires huge amounts of attention and hand-holding and special treatment, they may not be your ideal client. You want to shrink your most costly customer group, and grow your more profitable groups.
5. Referrals by customer group. Who is, and is not, referring your business to others, and for what reasons? This is quite possibly the most important metric, in my mind.

These metrics get to the heart of the matter. Is there more business coming in than leaving? If so, why? If not, why not? And, are people sufficiently enamoured with your business that they would recommend you to their friends and colleagues? This is called Trust, and it is the most important asset a business can have.

  -- Chuck Dennis

Fly With Us? US Air Grounds Itself With This Passenger

As many of you know, the airline industry is at a difficult cross roads:  vying for customers, increasing fuel costs, profitability eroding, some airlines even emerging from bankruptcy filings.  Seems like a time when focusing on the customer would be a top priority, no?  Well - not for every airline, apparently.  Perhaps US Airways needs to communicate that imperative more effectively to their front line staff.  Here's what it was like trying to be a US Air customer last week.

The situation begins at Continental.  I had an initial flight with Continental, which was delayed, causing me to miss my connecting flight.  So, Continental re-booked me on Delta (they have an agreement with them) to get me out on their next flight.  I went to Delta to check in, who claimed not to have the reservation.  A set of flight vouchers and a copy of the reservation showing me booked on the flight didn't seem to impress them.  They still said they didn't have me in their system.  Go back to Continental, they told me.  But Delta did have my luggage - which was transferred to them by Continental.  I told Delta that, who still insisted they never had my reservations or bag.  I was exhausted after a long week, and frankly didn't want to get caught in between airlines.  I needed to get a flight out. So I decided to see if I could get a flight at US Air. I had vouchers that would allow me to fly on any airline. 

So off to the US Air ticket desk I went.  The US Air agent looked at my vouchers, said there was a flight, started to book me, and then informed me that I would have to get my bags back myself, and have them rechecked before being put on the plane.  One small problem:  I didn't have my bags. They were already in the baggage loading area, having been checked at Continental, and then transferred to Delta.  And I was not quite sure where they were currently.

So I tried to explain the situation, and the US Air agent kept interrupting, his voice getting louder and louder. I was not successful in explaining - so I took a deep breath and said "We're not communicating well here.  Can you let me explain the situation and the help I need?" 

He interrupted me, stated that he was trying to help me, but that I was being rude.  Given his treatment of my request for help with locating my bags, I found that a bit ironic.  I tried to explain again that I didn't have access to the bags and needed his help.  Could he call down to the baggage area (which I had no access to) and ask for my bags to be located? He kept telling me I had to get them myself. This wasn't possible because they were in an area which is not open to passengers! He cut me off again, tossed my vouchers onto the counter and said:  "You know what? You're not my customer.  Go back to Continental." 

Needless to say, I was pretty shocked by that - and asked him, "Is this how US Air treats someone who is trying to be a customer?"  He got very angry at this point - put his head down, raised his arm and waved me off.  "Go!  You're not my customer. You're Continental's problem." 

So I asked to speak to a supervisor.  He told me that he was the supervisor.  I then asked for his name (his badge was turned so I couldn't read it).  "I'm not going to give you my name." he said.  So I asked to speak to someone above him, which of course, he refused.  I told him that I was shocked that I was trying to buy a ticket and ask for some assistance and that he had treated a potential customer that way. 

His response was to snatch my vouchers from the counter, come from behind the counter and march away with them.  No explanation or word to me.  He just took them and left.  I followed him - and told him that I would be speaking with Customer Relations at US Air.  He looked back at me, and said, "I don't give a damn who you talk to."  And then he marched up to the Continental desk, which was empty, and he walked behind the desk and threw my tickets onto the counter.  The tickets slide across the counter and hit me.  Then he slammed the door and marched back to the US Air desk.

US Airways' current tag line - displayed prominently on their website - is "Fly With Us."  Apparently this ticket agent didn't know that US Air actually WANTS more passengers.  If asking for some help, and wanting to be heard until you've finished a sentence is unacceptable - then how many of us will fly with someone else?  I know that this passenger now believes what the US Air ticket agent said is right - I am not their customer.  Not now. Not ever. 

Oh - and I did make it home the next day with the assistance of an amazing, helpful and thoughtful ticket agent at Continental.  She tried to book me on the US Air flight - since it was the only and last flight out that night.  Unfortunately, my friend at US Air noticed the reservation, called her back and said, "We don't want her."  So he canceled the booking.  The last flight out - and he knew it. 

My Continental agent felt really badly.  She even apologized for the behavior of the U.S. Air agent.  Apparently, my friend at US Air has a bit of a reputation at the Charleston Airport.  A ticket agent, a gate agent, AND a TSA supervisor there told me that he does this to people all the time.  Mary, the Continental agent, apologized for him - even though he was not with her company, and not her co-worker.  She still apologized that I had gone through something so awful in "her" airport.  Mary Platt, ticket agent with Continental, was fabulous.  She booked me a hotel room without being asked, arranged for a shuttle to pick me up - and got me a tooth brush!  Oh yes, she went to find my luggage and confirmed that Delta was wrong.  They did have my bags - which flew off to my destination without me.  God, I love to travel!  I can say that in over 20 years of flying for business - I have never experienced the kind of customer "service" that US Air had to offer me. 

So "Fly With You?"  Not a chance.  Continental got it right.  Empathize with the customer's problem.  Anticipate the help they will need.  Do it without being asked.  Cover all the details.  Own the problem - even if you didn't create it.  Make it all better!   And she did.  Thanks, Mary Platt.  The more you helped me, the worse Jeff, the U.S. Air ticket agent looked.  He obviously doesn't know what a repeat customer looks like - and it's clear that you do and you will!

--- Lisa Dennis