Customer care when things go wrong

Category: Editorial

Richard Winfield - editor and principal consultant

Several years ago, when American Airlines flew from Birmingham, I was sitting in an aircraft waiting to take off for Chicago. An announcement came that, because of the cross winds, we were overloaded and would have to wait to see whether the wind would change or whether our luggage would have to be shipped by road to London's Heathrow Airport.

About three hours later we took off.

In between, nothing happened - we just sat there, in the cold.

Yesterday my Emirates Airbus was in the process of taking off from Dubai; we were accelerating along the runway and about to lift off when the brakes went on hard and we came to a shuddering stop.

An announcement was made that the captain had aborted the take off and we would be returning to the terminal. About ten minutes later as we were travelling back, there was another announcement from the flight deck starting with an apology that they had not been able to get information to us earlier and explaining that the pilot had detected an unusual vibration and the aeroplane would return to the terminal for an inspection. It would take about an hour. Apologies for any inconvenience.

Quite soon after this the cabin crew announced that they would start the telelvision channel on the video system. Then they came around with soft drinks. Later they came around with more drinks and chocolate snacks.

Eventually we took off about two and a half hours late after a part had been replaced.

Throughout, we were kept informed and the cabin crew looked after us. It did not take a lot of effort and, whether it was a standard procedure or they used their imagination, it was a very different experience from the previous one with American Airlines.

What do customers want when things go wrong?

They want the supplier to confront the issue and their needs – and they want to be informed. The best service in the world is of no use if the customer is left out of the loop. Ignorance leads to worry which leads to anger. Most people recognise that occasionally things do go wrong or people make mistakes. Properly dealt with, this can be an opportunity to win loyalty, not lose it.

As a matter of coincidence, I had met with the Emirates VP of Training & Development the week before, who had explained how emerging companies need operational leaders rather than an autocratic style. Clearly Emirates is succeeding in this.

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