Apple Spice Junction

Archive for November 9th, 2009

Every now and then you have experiences with service, both good & bad,  that make you ask yourself how those who cross our path walk away feeling.

 On a recent flight out of Atlanta, our plane had been delayed and was still at the gate 45 minutes after it was supposed to have taken off.  I could hear other passengers around me getting anxious and annoyed not only because of the delay, but the air conditioning was off and it was getting stuffy.  A few minutes later a pilot walked down the aisle and with a rather commanding voice asked for our attention.  He then introduced himself as Captain Geoff Jumper, proceeded to explain why the delay had occurred, apologized in very genuine way, offered to give direct contact information for the person at Delta who coordinates departures, and lastly, he sincerely thanked everyone on behalf of his family (calling his wife by name) that we had chosen Delta.  He then proceeded to let us know that he had a new flight plan that had been approved and that it would shave approximately 20 minutes off of the delay we were experiencing.  He also introduced the flight attendants, said how great they were and what a privilege it was to work with them today.  Needless to say, I was incredibly impressed…. (The only other time in all my travels I had experienced a face to face speech from the Captain was shortly after the horrible 911 events assuring us that our flight would be safe.)  That very same week, my family and I were leaving the movie theatre when we were asked how the show was, thanked for coming in, and invited to come back soon. Only this time it wasn’t the Captain or the manager. It was 3 young men holding brooms and mops.  It put the final touches on a nice experience at the movies and I left thinking I wanted to return and that my business was valued by the entire staff.  It seemed that even those who had been assigned the not so pleasant task of cleaning the theatre recognized the service didn’t stop when the movie was over.

 These are two examples of great service. One, however, was from the Captain, the other from the other end of the labor pool.  Both gave me the same feeling.  They valued our business and took the time to communicate it to me.

It’s my sincere hope that we leave our wonderful clients feeling that we truly value the opportunity to serve them. We operate in a very competitive industry and we understand the many choices facing each of you.  We hope that you will always take the opportunity to help us understand if we have come up short of your expectations.  Our ongoing goal, of course, is to exceed them.

Best wishes to all for a wonderful & safe holiday season.

Randy