Customer Service Spin on JetBlue Flight Attendant
Customer Service comes to the surface of major airline as news headlines focus on JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater. It appears he’d “had enough” with his job and decided to exit in grand style. After an argument with a passenger where curse words were exchanged, he grabbed a couple of beers, announced on the loud speaker system that he’d had it, opened a door and slid down the emergency chute.
Public response to Mr. Slater’s behavior has been interesting. He’s been applauded by some for his actions and has become somewhat of a hero to many who’ve wanted to exit their jobs in similar fashion.
Here’s my take: Shame on Mr. Slater. His behavior was everything but professional. I’m not saying the passenger was right. On the contrary, the passenger was 100% wrong. Still, no excuse for Mr. Slater to have reacted in the unprofessional manner he did. How should someone react in this type of situation? In a way that brings dignity and respect to both him/herself and the company he/she represents.
I preach that the customer is NOT always right. I usually follow up this line with, “So let the customer be wrong with dignity and respect.” However, when the customer is so wrong, the dignity and respect has to come back to the employee and the company.
So decide if the customer is worth keeping. If not, “fire” the customer. I would imagine that if Mr. Slater would have had the belligerent customer taken off the plane by the captain or a gate agent, he might have still received applause – from passengers who were impressed with how he handled the situation. That’s customer service!
Shep Hyken, CSP CPAE is a professional speaker and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please call (314) 692-2200 (Email: shep@hyken.com – http://www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (http://www.TheCustomerFocus.com).
Copyright © 2010, Shep Hyken -- http://www.hyken.com-- (314)692-2200
Shep Hyken is the Chief Amazement Officer of Shepard Presentations. As a customer service expert, he helps clients with their customer service strategies. He is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author. For Shep's article blog please visit www.hyken.com/blog For information about Shep's speeches and customer service training, call 314-692-2200. (http://www.Hyken.com and http://www.TheCustomerFocus.com)
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1 comment:
Shep, I couldn't agree more.
This morning, I replied to an interesting blog post by Kristina Evey on the same topic. In her blog post, Kristina considered the reponsibility of customers (also this particular customer) in service.
I agree with Kristina that customer service is a two-way street. This means that both customers and service providers have to cooperate in order to deliver and experience good customer service.
With regard to this particular incident (and based on the facts in the media), I can only conclude that both parties overreacted. My best guess is that both parties were too emotional to be open to each other’s arguments. In this case, it might have been better to bring in a third party to settle the dispute.
So, in my opinion, both parties were at fault. Service reps should never accept disrespectful behavior and assaults from customers. However, service reps should also try to master the situation at all times.
Regardless of this particular customer’s temper and behavior, I can’t justify the harsh reaction of the flight attendant. Losing your temper in front of a customer is one thing, showing it to an entire plane is another. This reaction has influenced the customer experience of the entire audience, and it may have damaged JetBlue’s reputation. I understand why it happened, but it should never have happened in the first place.
I am glad to see that the customer service community has a more balanced opinion on this incident.
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