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Whack!
Posted by Sam Meers on Monday | July 16th, 2012
Sometimes a customer experience just hits you up side the head.
I was boarding a Southwest flight to Newark this week when an unexpected event occurred. While sitting in my aisle seat waiting for other passengers to board, a large white metallic object fell and whacked my glasses, knocking them off my face and barely missing my head.
As soon as the phrase “What the hell was that?” left my lips, the gentleman who had been putting his luggage above my head began apologizing. His white quart size aluminum water bottle had fallen out of his backpack. The flight attendant happened to be standing next to me and was also asking if I was okay.
Fortunately, I was okay, as were my glasses. The flight attendant, still present, asked, “Is there anything I can get you?” I’m sure she was thinking a cold towel or ice. I initially said, “No. I’m fine. Thank you.” Then, a quick thought hit me. This is Southwest. They love customer service. I quickly said, “Yes. A free drink.” A smile graced the flight attendant’s face.
The gentleman with the flying water bottle, sat in the row behind us and continued to apologize until we were somewhere over Cleveland. The flight attendant, however, demonstrated why Southwest lives up to their brand promise every day. She brought the free drinks. She brought peanuts. In fact, she gave us an entire plastic bag of peanuts.
Companies have the opportunity to live up to their brand promise every day in very small ways. But it only happens when everyone in the company truly understands the brand and is empowered to act on it.
Thanks Southwest. We love your airline.
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July 16, 2012 | 9:00 pm
Sam, the cookies you gave out at the end of the creativeEvolution panel discussion last Thursday were a stellar example of Meers Advertising acting on its brand–thoughtful, creative, customer focused.