The Extra Mile

In this era of record employment and “help wanted” postings everywhere, it strikes us that customer relations in this climate is more important than ever. Not infrequently, those who work in service businesses like restaurants, overlook basic primers in customer relations. A smile, timely communication, some hustle, and a simple “thank you for the opportunity to serve you…” go a long way toward leaving a lasting impression with customers. They also can contribute to the size of the tip.

This was brought to mind recently when reading this blog post by Seth Godin (seth.com), ageless online marketing whiz and author of a gazillion treatises on the art of selling yourself, services and products. It’s a short read, but worth it…

The $50,000 an Hour Gate Agent

Conventional CEO wisdom is that top management is worth a fortune because of the high-leverage decisions they make. But consider the work of Wade, an unheralded AirCanada gate agent. Yesterday, I watched him earn his employer at least $50,000 while getting paid perhaps .1% of that.

The microphone was out of order, but instead of screaming at the passengers, he walked over and spoke directly to the people who needed to hear him. On his own, he started inquiring about the connection status of a family of four. He could have cleared the standby list, closed the flight and told the four that they’d have to find another way home. Or, he could have saved them their four seats, which would have flown empty if they hadn’t been filled. Instead of either path, he picked up the phone, organized other staff to find and expedite the family and get them on board.

And then, in an unrelated bit of valor, he tracked down a lost wallet and sent his #2 to fetch it from where it had been left–getting it to the plane before it left. Most of all, in an era when loyalty is scarce, he probably increased the lifetime value of a dozen wavering customers by at least a few thousand dollars each.

Krulak’s Law states that the future of an organization is in the hands of the privates in the field, not the generals back home. Unfortunately, management and a lack of trust get in the way of the work environment you’ll need to build to earn the human, dedicated work of the next Wade. Hopefully, the airline will put him in charge of their horrible website next. But I’m not optimistic.

Where is your Wade? What are you doing to make it more likely that he or she will bring magic to work tomorrow?

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