Is your customer service in ICU or the picture of health?

I had the unfortunate experience this past Friday to get grounded in the Richmond International Airport from 6:00pm until 9:40pm all because of thunderstorms in Atlanta. My flight schedule had me returning to Charleston through Atlanta. Upon arriving in Atlanta I had the joyful experience to get stuck there from 11:30pm until 2:30am. To say the least I experienced the extremes in customer service, let me share with you my journey. But before we begin make sure your tray tables are locked and your seat backs are in the upright position!!

Our meeting wrapped up a little early and my 3 colleagues and I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to check in and get cleared through security prior to boarding. I had printed my return trip boarding passes at the airport the day before when I arrived. So no worries there, except I wasn't able to move my seat on either flight, but oh well.

Sitting at the gate waiting to board no mention of storms in Atlanta however, once on the plane within minutes of the last person boarding and the door being closed we were informed of the fact that we would be getting back off the plane due to the storms in Atlanta. Once back off the plane we were kept informed of the status of out flight, not by the gate agent but the Captain of the flight crew coming over to the gate agent's public address system and making announcements. He was clear as possible sharing the information he had received from the Atlanta Airport as to their status.

It was refreshing to see such care being taken in one's customers. But, of course this is not the end of the story.....
While waiting my co-workers and I walked up to one of the two restaurants in the gate area to have dinner. It was busy since we were not the only gate having issues getting their planes to depart. But the folks running the restaurant seemed completely oblivious of this fact and closed off half of the seating to customers.

Also, one of my co-workers sitting on the side of our small table was told he had to move to the other side of our table to keep the aisle clear. Despite the fact that all the other staff took it upon themselves to take two side steps around the table and continue their walk to serve the customers. It was the bartender that informed him that he had to move and then manage to proceed to move everything on the table around to make him move to the opposite side.

Now I am happy to report we did finally get the notification we would be taking off just before 10:00pm. We touched down in Atlanta at 11:20pm and proceeded to the “B” Concourse. Upon walking out of the plane the gate agent was instructing everyone to look at the display for their connection. My connection to Charleston was there, departing at 11:30pm. As you might recall, we landed at 11:20, we taxied to the gate and there I was standing at the gate looking at the display and it was 11:30. So I turned to the gate agent and asked, my flight to Charleston says it is leaving from “C” Concourse at 11:30, it is 11:30 now what do I do? He looked up at the display and said, “11:30, hmmm, you might make it.”
Yes, I was completely dismissed as to my problem by the person placed at this location to help in resolving these exact problems!

Feeling completely ignored I took off for the “C” concourse. Only to see the door shut and myself and another couple turned away. I walked over to the automated kiosk there that scans your boarding pass in the case of a missed flight. Mind you this boarding pass was originally for the flight that was supposed to take off at 9:30 originally. The self service kiosk printed me out two options, placing me on standby for the flight that was pulling away, or a flight at 8:30am Saturday morning.

I mentioned this to the couple that had also missed our flight. They informed me they had been booked on a flight leaving at 1:00am from “D” Concourse. So away I went to the “D” gates.

I met a wonderfully helpful young lady named Trisha at that gate. She booked me on the 1:00am flight with a smile.

We did take off, not at 1:00am, seems the flight crew was late arriving as well, so it was 2:30am when I was finally heading to Charleston.

The rest of the trip was painless. But in these 12 hours, I saw pretty much every extreme in customer service attitudes from the people placed in the positions of serving their customers.

The few minutes it takes to spend listening to your customer, understanding where your customer’s frustrations come from can repay you many times over.

I made eye contact with the Captain and the flight crew on the flight from Richmond to Atlanta and thanked them. The professionalism they displayed set a standard to ease the situation.
Trisha, the wonderful gate agent also was told how much I appreciated her efforts.
These individuals’ customer service skills are alive and well.

The bartender back in Richmond as well as the management staff, I do not see success in your future. Nor do I see great reviews for the one agent tending to the passengers exiting a very over do flight. My opinion, the customer service skills past some time ago in these folks, or at best should be on life support.

But this experienced reminded me that customer service can’t be effected by what kind of day we have had, what mood the last customer was in, or the amount of grief they gave us, it has to be a passion that we all live by. Each customer is the number #1 customer we have. Each customer problems are the only thing you should be focusing on, because it is the most important, to them therefore, it has to be the most important to you as well.

Remember when answering the phone to smile, it can be heard, and you just might make your customer’s day, and that is what it is all about.

A new resident starts a blog....

Well, I am not really sure why I am doing this. Blogging seems like it should be done by someone with something profound to say. I don't think of myself as profound, but here goes something.....

First off, I suppose you should know a little about me. I moved to Charleston just under a year ago to begin the service division of M.C. Dean, Inc. M.C. Dean, Inc. is the 3rd largest electrical contractor in the USA.
It is a family business that is able to blend the family business mind set into a large company. Great leadership is the key. And great leadership is the key in all sucessful businesses. You could have the latest gadget on the market but without sound leadership you will be like a one hit wonder singing star.

I myself have been in the electrical trade for over 30 years. Spent 3 years running my own business in a bad economy for those of you that remember the early 90's, and now I run my part of M.C. Dean. I say that because we all run our own part of the company we work for really. We are responcible for our own sucess, and short comings.

Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area I benifited from the government supporting the  area and always having a job to go to and be able to earn a living. Living here in South Carolina has shown me that everything I believed about being lucky growing up as I did was correct.
Many people here I have met are struggling to find a job. It is cut throat in the market place today, when it comes to earning a living. I earn my living fixing electrical proplems. Adding, reapairing, changing, whatever is needed we can handle it.

But I believe in the end we all would perfer quality over a bargain deal. However, the bargain deal is normally what we take. 
In the service field it the same as anything else, time and time again the customer is offered a great price and the quality they expect is just not given. That fact has provided me a living for over 30 years.

See, I was the service guy that was sent in to fix someone's "good enough repair". I hate doing something twice. Walking past someone wondering are thinking why didn't you do it right the first time, is an uncomfortable feeling. I don't believe in good enough. I expect the same from the people I work with as well. If you went out to a resturant and ordered a steak and it was only cooked on one side would it be good enough for you not to say something? That's the way every job should be approched.

Another reason M.C. Dean, Inc. is still around after 60 years. Doing the job right the first time.

Being here in Charleston I have met some very taleneted people and I have seen some outstanding work. However, I have seen the "what were they thinking" work as well. I suppose what it boils down to is I do not want you to give me a "job", I want you as a "Customer". I know I have to earn that privledge.

Now when I started this rambling I did not intend it to be a commercial for M.C. Dean, and if it comes off that way it was not meant to be. Guess what I want to get across is we get what we pay for, so why do we settle for "good enough" when it comes to minding our business?

As I stated, we are all running our own business in our work lives, we expect a certain level personally, shouldn't we expect the same professionally?

My intention is to post things here weekly. I will shoot for Friday's, so hopefully you will find something I say worth the time it takes to read this.