Good customer service starts with goodwill, not a tag line
Without goodwill, particularly when your own systems, policies, or culture are to blame, means all your marketing gloss about customer service is nothing more than fairy floss - completely without substance. Fly better? How about fly fair first.
This is certainly the case with Emirates Airlines who, based on two personal experiences in recent years, have demonstrated an utter disregard for goodwill, opting instead for exploitative profits and unconscionable conduct.
On the first occasion, for the privilege of 17 kg extra luggage from Europe to Australia I was charged A$1,700 excess baggage fees - no negotiation and "if you don't pay you don't get on the flight". Now I get that excess baggage is a "free hit" for the airlines, but $100 per kg is quite simply immoral. For the record, the same suitcase on internal European flights cost around A$60, and of course if I personally weighed 17 kg heavier there would be no charge, so clearly it's not the weight.
On this second and current occasion, they want to charge my wife $565 to change her name on a ticket because we got married and subsequently changed her passport to reflect her married name. As I reminded them, changing surnames after marriage has been a cultural process the world over for millennia, long before air travel and even longer before Emirates Airlines existed. Yet this arrogant airline claim their systems don't accommodate this. Now I won't bore you with their pathetic process excuses, none of which stand the test of simple, let alone system, logic, particularly to an IT professional.
Suffice to say that this could all have been resolved with a couple of quick key strokes had goodwill existed within their company. Yet regrettably the keystrokes have been left to me as I type this polite warning to my friends and colleagues that choosing Emirates Airlines means you are dealing with a morally corrupt organisation who is completely devoid of goodwill in their customer service.
So with my rant complete, the question is what can we learn and apply from this.
For me I always start with: "Am I living these same principals and applying genuine goodwill in my own dealing with customers and everyone else in my life who is important to me?" I believe and hope I am, but please tap me if you disagree.
Secondly, how do we ensure that our systems and process governance comfortably coexists with goodwill and customer service. This comes down to empowering and trusting suitably trained and experienced staff on the customer service frontline to make judgement calls that balance the natural tension between these often competing imperatives. This may require some investment but this will be far less expensive than recovering from mass customer dissatisfaction. And please note, this is not the job for a bot.
Finally vote with your feet. As these firms are so clearly dollar not service driven, taking your business elsewhere will likely send the clearest protest. I know I will.