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An article in today’s WSJ profiled jetBlue airlines employees – 10% of which were previously firefighters or cops.
Note: The annual risk of being killed in a plane crash is about 1 in 11 million. Compare that to the risk of being killed in a car crash which is about 1 in 5,000.
Jetblue’s implied emphasis on emergencies is a far cry from the Mad Men era when intelligence and good sense as well as beauty were required for these positions. In that era it was about serving the customer. (OK in Mad Men it means sleeping with the first class customers. But that’s not my point.)
It’s not just airlines hiring the ex-military…
Home Depot has been known for hiring ex-armed services guys and gals four years. Several years ago in a Bloomberg cover story subtitled, “Skip the touchy-feely stuff. The big-box store is thriving under CEO Bob Nardelli’s military style rule,” it too cited 9/11 and the “battle” analogy.
“And if his company starts to look and feel like an army, that’s the point. Nardelli loves to hire soldiers. ..Recruits such as Ray “understand the mission,” says Nardelli. “It’s one thing to have faced a tough customer. It’s another to face the enemy shooting at you. So they probably will be pretty calm under fire.” You can read the full story here.
This got me to thinking: Is customer service a battle? If so, who are the enemies?
What is it about former police officers, firefighters and others in the armed services that makes them perfect for their roles in these organizations? I’m sure they do as their told. They follow procedure. They can handle bad things. They are fine employees and no offense or judgement of them personally or as a group intended.
But are their experiences a good fit for customer service?
I guess that depends as Bill Clinton would say, “On what your definition of IS, is.”
To me, customer service is making the customer – yes not that overused, over-hyped BS of “guests” – feel at that moment of interaction, they are the most important person in the world.
Have you gotten that at Home Depot? Not me. (See my earlier post.) Jetblue? Efficient- yes. But isn’t their value proposition CHEAP? Is that customer service? Or just doing the same beige thing well?
Customer service is not what happens when something goes wrong – that’s damage control.
Great customer service isn’t:
- Getting my money back on something I wore once to a party.
- Being able to return something for cash without a receipt.
- Getting free shipping.
- Getting my way for a discount because I think I deserve it.
- Giving me a gift with purchase after I am rung up, and not telling me prior.
- Asking if I have a coupon at the register. Especially when I don’t.
- Treating me like cattle, as an imposition or something to have to “deal with.” That shows by your face, your tone, your words – or lack thereof.
Great customer service is:
- Welcoming me to your store
- Connecting with me as a person first, then as a customer.
- Offering me a brief store tour if it is my first time.
- Knowing everything about a product and offering information when you see I’m considering it.
- Being a chameleon and matching your approach to my personality.
- Pointing out options prior to me reaching the counter.
- Suggesting additional items that will save me time, put my project or outfit together or enhance my experience without me asking and thus saving me a trip back or a lower satisfaction level with my chosen product or service.
- Thanking me for me patronizing your store. Could be a handwritten note, an email or just, “Thank you for shopping with us today. Hope to see you again soon.”
These are by no means all of what it takes to deliver service but for me, helping people have a better experience prior to a return – or God forbid a crash – is what it’s about.
This has nothing to do with the military, it has to do with how businesses look at customers, their experiences and creating exceptional experiences. We the customers aren’t the enemy.
What say you?
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