Like many of you out there who have experienced Virgin America for yourself, I can hardly contain my excitement and joy when my travel plans call for flying on a Virgin route. Richard Branson continues to kick the a**es of any competitors in whatever field or industry he chooses to enter and Virgin is a shining example. If you’ve never flown Virgin, prepare for a sublime experience from the planes, products, food, availability of Wi-Fi, and amazing entertainment system. To be fair since Virgin is the new kid on the block, they do have the advantage of having brand new everything compared to the more established (old) carriers (who are really taking mediocre to the next level).
But what Virgin excels at is customer service and this is why my headline refers to their differentiated upbeat, can do attitude, and not just altitude as you might expect. Their great customer service is accentuated when compared to complete mediocrity, such as the flight I’m currently on from SFO to Atlanta.
Let’s compare mediocre vs. great for Older Airways (mediocrities) and Virgin (Great):
| Scenario | Mediocre (Older Airways) | Great (Virgin) |
| Flight has been delayed by 3 hours due to weather delays | Apologize to passengers in the waiting area. Make numerous references to the weather being the cause of the problem and that the inbound plane waiting in-line for 3 hours waiting to be de-iced | Apologize, but also use the opportunity to engage with passengers by playing some games and offering drinks and movie coupons as prizes |
| On boarding at the gate, checking tickets and announcing order to board | Chastise customers who attempt to board before they have been called. Publically humiliate them by sending them back to the line. | Point out that it is not quite time to board, allow passenger to subtly take a side step to one side. |
| On boarding at the gate, policing baggage size and number of carry-ons | Force passenger to put their carry-on inside that measuring suitcase contraption to prove that it is not bigger than regulation. Chastise and call out passengers who have 3 items out in the open and refuse to let them pass until they insert one of their items into their remaining 2 bags. Despite the obvious fact that it WILL certainly fit. | Assume that your customers are smart enough to have done the pre-measuring. If does turn out to be too big, politely request that it be checked.Use common sense and realize that in this case, combining the items from 3 into 2 does not mean it will take up much less space. Again given the flight is obviously not full, wait until a problem occurs before taking any measures. |
| The fuel gauge on one of the tanks is not functioning correctly, further delaying departure | Apologize to passengers, tell them the reason and blame paperwork that needs to be reviewed in order to determine fuel level | Have good enough quality control to not have a faulty gauge in the first place. But if it is discovered, certainly have paperwork resolved within the 1 hour timeframe that the plane has been on the ground being serviced |
| Some video monitors have malfunctioned. This was discovered BEFORE the plane left Atlanta | Apologize to passengers. There will be no movie on this 4.5 hour flight | Fix the problem with the monitors while the plane was in line for 3 hours waiting to be de-iced. Apologize , but also offer some form of minor compensation, such as a complementary beverage or snack |
| Planes are old so they still have the same tube TV monitors | Planes are old. Do nothing.But wonder to oneself why not replace tube TVs with Flat Panel overheads? Total Cost, probably less than $200 each at Costco. Might make your planes lighter and consume less fuel and power too? | Not applicable. |
| Planes are old so they still have non-smoking lights in conjunction with the seat belt icons. | Planes are old. Do nothing.But wonder to oneself why not replace the non –smoking lights/signs, with a panel that has an electronics icon to at least pretend to be more modern? | Not applicable. |
| Provide Wi-Fi and power supply | Planes are old. Upgrading but it’s taking a country mile long time or not bothering for certain flights/planes | Yes and Yes. |
| Ordering extra food from printed menu | Get the order wrong by missing out one of the items. Blame the aircraft noise for not hearing the complete order, even though after the first item, the second item was added by customer in response to the question, “anything else?” | Not applicable. Order from the comfort of your seat using interactive touch screen panel and deliver food within minutes of ordering |
To be clear, I’m not blaming the staff at Older Airline for mediocrity, as in any company the attitude and leadership comes from the top. If you don’t have the attitude and culture for great customer service, which in Virgin’s case includes some well thought out processes and guidelines, but also adds a healthy dose of empowerment and can do customer service.
Ultimately, the gap between Good and Great is one that is difficult to bridge, but as Jim Collins’ book from a decade ago points out, it can be achieved. Judging by my observations Virgin is actively widening the gap for great service, making what may have been previously acceptable or “good” look very mediocre. Based on my recent flight, Older Airways should aim for just getting back to mediocre as their first goal.
Just so you don’t think I’m purely a fussy, never satisfied consumer, my goal of this post is to raise a discussion point about what it takes to be great. As VP of Marketing at MetaTV, I instigated, with the backing of the executive team, a set of core values in which “MetAmaze” was a prime element. Amaze in this context meant to delight customers to the point at which they are shocked by your efforts. But core values cannot just be placed on paper, or on a wall, or in a handbook, it has to be a state of mind and engrained, encouraged and re-enforced through compensation and accolades. You would think by now much of this is 101 company leadership and culture for major corporations. Unfortunately somewhere along the way, companies like Older Airways get complacent and it’s great to have someone like Virgin come along to shake things up. Can Older Airways can respond to the challenge!