“What do you mean you can’t find my bag,” I said with obvious frustration coming from my voice. Due to a meeting that ran late in Arizona, I missed my flight to Oakland and found myself standing at the baggage counter. “Sir, our policy is that when a bag misses a flight, it is put on the next flight; so your bag should be here in an hour.” “An hour,” I said, but I am already running late for dinner with one of my customers. Sir, I’m sorry, but there is nothing we can do about it, you will just have to wait like everyone else,” the agent said with a sarcastic tone. Those were the last words I wanted to hear as Oakland was the 3rd city I had traveled to in three days. I wanted so bad to just go to the customer dinner, eat as quickly as possible and then get to my room for some much needed rest.
“I still can’t find my bag,” was what I told the same agent that had helped me the first time. The first flight after mine had come in and still no bag. “Sir, hopefully your bag will be on the next flight which should arrive in about an hour. Or, we can deliver it after 10:00 AM tomorrow.” Neither option was reasonable. I had an 8:00AM meeting the next morning, so delivering my bag after 10:00 AM simply would not work. Secondly, at that point, I had missed the dinner with the customer as the whole missing my original flight and missing bag ordeal had already made me 2 hours late. I said, “Can you please work with me? Can we have someone deliver my bag tonight? I need my clothes and business materials for my 8:00 AM appt. I don’t care what time tonight you deliver them as long as I get them by 7:00 AM tomorrow morning.” “Sir, you can either wait for your bag which will hopefully be on the next fight or we can deliver it after 10:00 AM tomorrow.”
In utter frustration, I said, “Please get me your manager.” He said, “Sir, it won’t make a difference, I have already told you your options.” “I understand that, I said, but can you please get me your manager.” “OK, he said, but it will not make a difference.” And with that, he pranced off through a door behind the counter. About 10 minutes later, he came walking out with a lady that I assumed to be his manager. I prepared myself for the scene that was about to go down, because it was so predictable. I knew that he had already told her that he explained their policies to me and that I was being unreasonable. In other words, “Boss, I have already done my job.”
Just as I suspected, she said, “Sir, John has already explained your situation to me. I understand your situation, but you only have two options at this point; wait for the next flight or have us deliver your bags after 10:00 AM tomorrow. That is the best we can do.” The only thing that kept me from blowing up was the fact that she had a pleasant demeanor about her. There was no sarcasm in her voice, unlike the original agent that helped me. Controlling my emotions, I said, “With all due respect, you do not understand my situation.” Yes, I did miss my original flight which was my fault. However, my bag should have been on the next flight which it was not. I missed a very important dinner with a customer of mine as a result. In addition, if my bag is not on the next flight, I don’t know what I am going to do because my meeting materials, clothes and everything else I need is in my bag. It is already 10:30 PM and there are no stores open for me to buy clothes for tomorrow. In addition, my meeting starts before any stores open tomorrow so I will not be able to buy clothes in the morning. On top of all that, I forgot my cell phone charger at home so my battery is dead. Because of that, I was not able to call my customer and tell him that I would not be able to meet him for dinner; so he thinks that I stood him up. I am beyond tired because I have been traveling every week and this is my third city this week. I was hoping to get in, have dinner and get some much needed sleep tonight. Instead, here I am at the airport at 10:30 at night waiting for my bag to arrive. Do you still think you understand my situation?” What transpired next completely surprised me.
She said, “Mr. Brown, thank-you for telling me your full story. If I were in your shoes, I would be feeling the same way that you do right now. I am so sorry that we have been so focused on what we can’t do as opposed to what we can do for you. I am supposed to get off work in 15 minutes, but I will stay until the last two flights come in…and when you bag arrives, I will personally deliver them to your hotel since our baggage courier may not be available. I want you to go to your hotel and get some rest for your meeting tomorrow morning. I will personally take care of your bags.” Then she gave me a travel voucher for my inconvenience and even offered to call my client the next morning and explain that it was Southwest’s fault that I missed the dinner.” I looked her straight in the eye and said, “Thank-you for listening to me and understanding my situation. I know that my options are limited, but it just feels good to know that you are working with me on solutions as opposed to what you can’t do.” We both decided to wait for the next flight to come in and then make a decision on exactly how my bag would get to my hotel if it were no on that flight.
Over the next 30 minutes as I waited for that flight, she kept communicating with me. Instead of going back to her office, she spent the majority of her time talking to me; continuing to offer her support and assistance. In addition, we engaged in a discussion about the work that I do and our families and backgrounds. Then she excused herself to make a phone call. Five minutes later, she was back standing next to me. She said that she had to call her husband and kids to let them know that she was going to be late. Understanding her situation, I said, “If you need to go home to be with your family, I can just wait for my bags.” She replied, “Mr. Brown, I appreciate that but, it is not just my job but my pleasure to help customers. I am committed to helping you and enjoy doing so. So I am not going to rest until we resolve your issue.”
The next flight came in and we were very happy to find out that my bag was on that flight. It was kind of weird but she actually gave me a hug and was genuinely as happy as I was to see my bags on the carousel. As I was in the taxi cab driving to my hotel, I thought about my experience that evening. First, I was reminded of all of the good experiences I have had with Southwest airlines and secondly, it reminded me of our role as sales and service professionals. At the end of the day, we all react to and form our perspectives and mindsets based on the experiences that we have and not so much the products we use. We use certain products because of the emotional experience and feelings they give us. For example, I can fly any airline that I want, but I tend to go with SW airlines because the vast majority of my experiences have been positive. When I think of SW airlines, my emotions are positive and because we all want to avoid pain and seek pleasure- I go with the option that I feel will be the most pleasurable and least painful.
This is no different for your customers, clients and prospects. Remember, they all have numerous choices as to where and who they buy from. The difference comes down to whom they have had or feel they will have the best experience with. Sell the experience your customer will have with you! You want them, just as I am doing, to rave about the interaction they had with you…and they will keep coming back to you and tell others about!