At FuseDesk, our whole business is about customer service. We built FuseDesk to help business owners and customer service reps take great care of their customers. That’s why we like to showcase companies with great customer service: to serve as inspirations for us to emulate.
Southwest Airlines is one of the best examples of a company that puts customers first. What makes it great?
Here’s a start: the people at Southwest Airlines say they put people first, profit second. Here’s a quote straight from the customer support page on Southwest’s website:
“We like to think of ourselves as a Customer Service company that happens to fly airplanes…”
Customer service is so important to their company culture that they value it over the pursuit of profit or the actual service they sell!
Of course, that’s just talk. We want to see them back it up by actually serving customers this way!
Above and Beyond
Here’s an example of Southwest’s customer service in action. Janine from the Peace of Mind Blog published a remarkable story about her experience with Southwest:
“At 5:45 a.m., I was awakened by a text message notification. To my consternation, it was Southwest, telling me that [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][my] flight was delayed by an hour. I knew that meant I’d more than likely miss my connecting flight to St. Louis, since my layover was just an hour.
So, I planned to try to get to the airport extra early, in case that was helpful, and I braced myself for long, tense hours in the airport today and the likelihood that I’d end up spending the night in Vegas.
Instead, just as I was getting ready to leave for Spokane, I received a phone call from an actual human with Southwest Airlines. She told me about the delayed flight (turns out it was because of fog in Philadelphia this morning) and the likelihood I’d miss my connecting flight. Then she offered to put me on the 1:40 flight to Denver, which would get me home by 9:20 p.m. (The original itinerary had me arriving home at 10:55 p.m.) When I booked this itinerary, I chose not to fly through Denver because of the unpredictability of the weather there. But the weather there that day was fine, and I jumped at the opportunity.
That meant I had to make a beeline for Spokane, but luckily the call had come in time. I drove through heavy fog, which is no fun, but I got to the Spokane airport at 12:45 p.m. My boarding passes were waiting, and I only had to wait at the gate for a few minutes. The flight left on time, and I had an hour layover in Denver. The flight wasn’t crowded, and it had Wi-Fi. Life was good.
Thanks to Southwest’s amazing customer service and extra effort they made to ensure their customers wouldn’t be stranded, what was looking like a very stressful day turned into a relatively stress-free one.
This is why I choose Southwest whenever possible. The customer experience is superior to that of any other domestic airline.”
Create Your Own Positive Customer Stories
Stories like these are abundant online. Go ahead and do your own Google search! I can wait a few minutes for you.…
Okay, are you back? The point is that you can create positive word of mouth and fiercely loyal customers too! It happens when you treat your customers like they’re your priority (which they should be). FuseDesk is one way to help you do just that.
Want to see it in action? Click here to take FuseDesk for a test drive!
~FuseDesk team[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]