NWA – Delta Improves Customer Experience. Will it last?

by Kevin Stirtz on June 23, 2009 · 0 comments

in Improve Customer Service

It appears the predictions that a down economy would spur companies to higher levels of customer service are coming true. Recently on a trip to Philadelphia my wife and I were delayed on a NWA flight. Our plane left the gate about an hour late and then we sat on the tarmac for another 45 minutes or so. I didn’t give it a second of thought except to say I was glad there were no thunderstorms between Philly and Minneapolis.  They can do more to wreck a summer traveler’s schedule than just about anything.

A week or so later we each received a nice letter from a customer service executive at NWA. The letters apologized for the delay and informed us we had received an extra 1000 frequent flier miles as a way to compensate us for being inconvenienced.

The first thing I did was hit myself squarely in the stomach. I wanted to make sure I was awake and not dreaming. I was both pleased and astonished. This was uncharted territory for me: A major airline going out of their way to apologize to a customer and offer compensation. And they did it without us saying a thing.

I was thrilled to see this major change in how NWA treats their customers. Maybe it’s the Delta influence. But I’ve been delayed on Delta before and never received such a letter. So I choose to believe companies are changing how they do things. I think they are actually focusing on delivering a better experience to their customers as a way to increase customer loyalty.

Is this a trend? Are other major companies stepping up their efforts to deliver a better experience to their customers? Or is this a fluke? Will it eventually fall by the wayside like so many other tactics tried by big companies?

Have you had similar experiences?  I’d like to hear your thoughts.

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