A few years ago I broke my ankle on the soccer field. Both the tibia and fibula were cracked! It meant a period of time on crutches and a boot. After a short rest I was determined to remain working, which at that time involved a bit of travel. (Online meetings hadn’t become the norm yet back then!)
So off I went to Brisbane with my crutches, hopping amongst the business travelers early in the morning. Arriving at Brisbane airport I knew I had a long hobble to the taxi queue but there was no way I was booking a wheelchair.
As luck would have it, just as I walked through the gate a Qantas staff member was driving past on a transporter. He saw me and stopped, insisting he take me straight where I needed to go. I hadn’t booked it, but he went the extra mile because that is what customer service is all about.
They now have a loyal customer in me because of that moment, and they continued to provide that extra bit of service over the years I was regularly traveling. Many people have their horror stories about airlines, but it’s those moments of joy that bring a customer back.
What do you routinely do that makes your customer feel important? What about other stakeholders in your business – how do your key suppliers know they are important to you? Have you set targets or goals around your stakeholder experience?
Leading organisations create targets for customer satisfaction, yet it’s their actions that really make the difference. Perhaps Qantas had “never leave a customer stranded” as their target that year. Everyone from check-in to pilots to trolley drivers delivered for me that day. But this isn’t just an airline thing; perhaps your organisation needs a stakeholder experience target too.