The Search for Service

Greetings from 38,000 feet, cruising from Vancouver to Dallas, the second to last leg of my South Australia adventure. I was honored to get to represent LIVESTRONG and Team RadioShack at the 2011 Tour Down Under pro bike race (reported at www.livestrongblog.org and www.teamradioshack.com) but that's not the point of this blog.

It's about service. Customer service to be exact.

I'm a long time American Airlines flyer and to be honest, I'm quite satisfied with how I'm treated. And as the miles have racked up, so has the level of nicety in how I experience said travel. Seems logical, do more - get more, but as is often the case it only took a different perspective, arguably THE main benefit to traveling, to have me wondering: what has happened to what we think is good customer service?

- A bit of background, from 16-20 years old I worked in the restaurant business, primarily decent gourmet places, front of the house.

As I made my way to and from South Australia, a casual 36,000 mile round trip from Austin, I got to experience the gamut of modern travel. From economy seats to business class / private aircraft, Travel Lodge to a nice Hilton hotel. But at the heart of the experience was the striking difference at times between the levels of customer service.

The easiest difference was seeing how people were treated at the basic level, i.e. economy class (and how I usually travel). It seems to me that it starts with the company culture, is providing excellent customer service part of your core beliefs?

Good example of the positive side: the airline Cathay Pacific. Never heard of them? Me either until this trip. But I trusted my good friend and travel agent Mark Lester (www.onthemarktravel.com) when he told me flat out that he thought they were among the top 3 airlines in the world. I now believe him. From the moment you initiate contact with them at check in till you walk off the plane, you feel valued. The seats in economy are in a shell with decent leg room, and when you recline you don't crush the person behind you. The flight attendants ARE attendant, regularly checking in with you, and the food / drink is solid and at no additional charge. Sure, if you're in Business Class you expect that, but your paying up to 300% more for that "privilege."

I also saw this in the customer service in Australia, where tipping is rare but that's because their culture is to pay more for a meal so the staff is able to be paid a livable wage (over $19 / hour from what I was told). Net effect: you have people taking professional pride in their work to one and all.

None of the good or not-so-good customer service experiences I had were dependent on anything else other than personal attitude. I think that starts with a core company culture to good service and then hiring the right people who reflect that vision, and conversely not keeping those who don't. And finally, we as a people should expect good service, rewarding those who provide it with sincere gratitude, but then also voicing our concerns appropriately when we don't. Make it happen, folks, see you down the road! Ciao for now - Cb...