Australia, Sunday the 15th April, travellers returning from Hawaii via one of our local airlines, the aircraft has technical issues so they were held up for up to three days. The overriding issue all travellers  interviewed on TV mentioned was, “They did not tell us what was going on…”

So they were frustrated, many saying they woul d not travel with that carrier again. Seems reasonable I guess.

I appreciate that the view of a few is not the view of all, however the negative view of a few indicates the depth of the organisations communication was not far reaching enough to ‘get to’ these people.

In any situation where customers are under pressure what your organisation does or doesn’t do is critical to how they percieve your organisation in the future.

I always remember being taught the lines “Be Firm, Fair and Friendly with students” while I was learning to be a teacher. A great basic strategy that underpins many things I still do in customer service. Example, does the customer believe I was fair in what I did, friendly enough in delivering my message, and see that I dealt firmly with the situation. I will often reiterate the situation by asking, “Do you think I dealt with the situation fairly in light of the situation?” Their answer will then be the guide I need to know what to do next.

If they say “No, I don’t think it was fair…” then I ask, “How specifically was I not fair?” and get more information. However, if they say “Yes it was” I can then focus on solving the situation and stop the chit chat. Note, I am focussing on their reality and not mine, oh I could argue solidly that I was in the right, and then they would argue back and it could escalate in to world war three.

The aim, to set the guidelines and build on that foundation to provide a solid solution all can work with. I know service issues are rarely easy however with simple guidelines in place your organisation can sail through challenging times with ease and grace.