So how did the airline do?

The Answer: Not good

Communication between airline staff was poor and the messages that were passed on to customers were conflicting. I overheard one irate customer saying that he would never fly with this airline again.

I instantly thought about how a similar situation was handled by a competing airline on route to Perth. The announcement began: 'We are sorry to inform you that flight 749 to Perth has been delayed due to bad weather conditions. We are doing everything possible to get you all flying soon and apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. We have an impeccable safety record and as soon as it is safe to fly, we will be on our way. Thanks for your understanding and patience in this matter." The announcement was said with genuine empathy and customers were satisfied with the way the airline handled the difficult situation.

Here are some great questions to ask to help ensure a true service culture is maintained in your organisation.

• So how does your organisation respond to difficult situations? If something goes wrong, are your staff well prepared to deal with that situation in a way that makes your customer feel good about it?
• How many customers do you lose each year due to poor service?
• Are all your customer-service staff empowered and encouraged to correct a difficult situation? Or are there long, drawn-out processes that require authorisation from management for virtually everything and anything?

The power of 'word of mouth' can never be underestimated. If customers are not satisfied, they tend to complain to friends who in turn pass this feedback on to their friends. Reputation is everything in business - the question is: how does your business reputation for exceptional customer service compare (especially when things don't go as planned)? Do you under-promise and over-deliver or the other way around?

Enjoy the journey

"Search your heart, open your mind, live the dream."

Cheers, Blake Beattie

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Blake will be speaking in Melbourne, Gold Coast, Mackay, and Hervey Bay over the next few weeks. Blake has also been chosen to present at the largest HR Summit in Singapore in 2009. If you are interested in having Blake present to your organisation and deliver unbelievable value and results feel free to visit:

http://www.blakebeattie.com/bookings.php

Copyright www.blakebeattie.com 2008

On this website you will find:

• 4 free online personal assessments
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• Details of Blake's products to be released in 2008
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• Links to Pay it Forward Day and the Life Changing Experiences Foundation.