During a recent interview, I received this question:
How do you handle customers who, once they’ve been “delighted,” now expect that level of service and even feel entitled to it?
To me, the best illustration of this dynamic is frequent flyers. When airline customers first join a frequent flyer program, it’s incumbent upon them to accumulate a significant chunk of miles (usually 25,000 within a calendar year) before attaining status that entitles them to privileges such as priority boarding and waived baggage fees.
While in the process of acquiring status in the airline’s frequent flyer program, these customers dutifully wait in line and pay to check their baggage. But once they achieve a certain status – especially elite status, such as United Airline’s 1K – these same passengers become annoyed, even indignant, when having to wait in line or being denied an upgrade to First Class.
I’m not sure what the remedy is for an entitlement mentality, but I can say this with certainty: Don’t extend perks or privileges to premium customers that you cannot consistently honor. For example, if an airline designates an exclusive station in the terminal for premium passengers to check-in for their flights, then it had better be adequately staffed.
If it’s not and the line of spring breakers moves faster, then you have a problem.
How would you respond to this question?
Don’t settle for ordinary. Choose extraordinary. (It’s always a choice.) Order Delight Your Customers: 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary by Steve Curtin or purchase from select retailers, including Barnes & Noble.
Watch the 90-second book trailer.
Illustration by Aaron McKissen.
