Southwest Airlines, the Most Remarkably Kind Flight Attendant and the Art of Customer Service

In our latest top 10 case-pack we talked about the importance of social-media-based customer-service and how both bad and good experiences can be amplified and spread at incredible speed on it. We also mentioned that according to recent research, 25% of social media users expect a response within an hour and 6% expect something within 10 minutes!

For today’s post we’re looking at customer-service from a different angle and submitting to you the thesis that airlines having in-flight WiFi could possibly harness the power of social customer-service in radically new ways. For example,  some customers might post something on your Facebook page while in the flight, and expect you to do something before the plane lands.

But what if they ask you to do something you never expected? (Something good, of course!) Read on to see what a delighted customer wrote:

“If someone in the Southwest Airlines corporate HQ can see this – I’m on flight 913 currently en route to Phoenix and I want yall to know that our flight attendant Holly is perhaps one of the most remarkably kind and helpful people my girlfriend and I have ever met. If you can meet us at the gate with something remarkable for this remarkable woman (a promotion, a raise, a chipotle burrito, anything), I will sign a document pledging to only fly Southwest from here on out (unless you do not fly where I need to go). Of course – I request a “Keyman Clause” in this agreement stipulating the contract terminates if Holly ever leaves. People like her are why I fly SWA.”

Southwest Airlines’ marketing team was monitoring facebook at the time and immediately informed their colleagues in Phoenix, who decided to prepare a surprise for both passenger and flight attendant. Upon arrival they were met by a SWA team with a big cake, a giant contract and a sash (unfortunately no burrito could be found near the airport).

The mere fact that a passenger was so happy and comfortable that he sent such a message (and, that too, extremely publicly) is  a testament to Southwest Airlines’ exceptional management that empowered the company’s employees to do whatever they feel is right to make customers happy.

Southwest is well known for these kinds of improvised actions: We all remember the singing-flight attendants and the famous surprise parties, but this time we feel that they have gone one step further by listening to their customer and turning his suggestion into a fantastic experience that will undoubtedly be remembered for a long time and shared on social media reaching millions of people.

This initiative is important for three reasons:

  1. It would make flight attendants even more keen to perform their duties really well and make customers comfortable.
  2. It would apprise customers of the fact that Southwest actively listens to them on social media.
  3. This works as a huge PR initiative at almost no cost because of the goodwill created in the minds of customers and the general information received from an “authentic” source that Southwest does customer service really well.

As an end-note, for those who constantly ask about the ROI of social media, let’s have a look at how much “I” was involved: surely there had to be some upfront investment in social media, but even considering the time invested by the employees who took part and the cost of the cake, it wasn’t really a lot. And now look  at the R: We all know that a positive brand image spread via a viral initiative by millions of delighted fans and customers is invaluable. Moreover, the lifetime customer value of someone who signed a contract saying he will only fly with SWA for the rest of his life can only mean great things! Here’s a toast from SimpliFlying to the great guys at Southwest and the incredible power of social media!

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