Lessons From the Road

Lessons From the Road

Jim Hinshaw
Contributing Writer
Improvement Professional, President & Sales

Just finished up a year of traveling for business, and have learned several things on the road.  I am TSA Pre-check, so I never stand in the long line waiting for the x-ray machines.  Don’t have to pull my shoes off, take my computer out of the bag, none of that.  So I am leaving Phx early part of the week, get to airport and discover the Pre-Check line is down.  And there are about 150 people in line, only three lanes open, a forth is sitting vacant.  At the end of this line is a sign that says: questions?  Tweet TSA, @askTSA.  So I send over a question, why do we not have all 4 lines working and why is Pre-Check shut down?

Before I get thru the line I have an answer.  They came back and said that they try to match the expected load with staff, but missed the fact that the colleges in AZ were out for the holidays, and lots of people were traveling this week.  They did say that they were working to help, had a guy walking the line asking if you flight was leaving in the next 30 min, if it was, you got moved to the front of the line.  So they were pro-active, doing what they could to help out.

I went thru the line, got my computer out along with my toiletries, went thru the scanner, put my toiletries  back in my bag, and walked away without my computer.  Realized it when I got to Denver, really not feeling good about this turn of events.   So I tried the twitter account again.  This time I tweeted: Help, left my computer at terminal 2 in Phoenix, what do I do?

They tweeted back, asked my time, date, which terminal, etc.  Then after I replied, they said someone would call me when they located my computer.  Right!  A lady called the next morning, said she had my computer.  I arranged to pick it up, and all is right in the world.  So I realize the TSA group is not always our favorite, but in my world, they did me right, using technology, responding to my needs.

Second illustration: I stayed at a Marriott property recently (the Epicurean, a boutique hotel), gave my car to a valet.  Went to check out, gave the attendant my claim check, went in to settle up at the front desk.  My car pulled up outside, attendant ran out to get another car, mine is parked in front all locked up.  When he came back by I asked for my keys, he did not have them.  They were in his hand when he locked up my car, but he left them in another car.  Now it gets interesting.  My car is locked, the car keys may be in the parking lot, or on the way to the airport, he cannot remember where he left them.  I had a flight home in a couple of hours, little frustrated.

Enter Genevieve Wojick, who was on the front desk.  She had seen me out front, noticed that I had not left, came out to see if everything was OK.  It wasn’t.  She was cool and calm, told me that I did not need to worry, she would handle everything.  She said she would arrange for the car to be towed, or a second set of keys delivered, whichever was needed.  She would get me a ride to the airport, let the car rental company know what was going on, the hotel would handle any extra charges, I would make it home fine without any problem.

As she was calling a cab, the attendant came running back in, he found my key!  I am so impressed that she had the ability to work past what seemed to me to be a huge problem, and never seemed shocked or worried at all.  She was the “voice of reason”, my label, not her official title.  Marriott does a great job in hiring people to work their hotels, she is a testimony to going the extra mile.

As I ended my trip home, had a couple of excellent examples of employees going the extra mile.  Checking into my United flight headed home, as I put my phone down on the scanner to read my boarding pass the gate agent said: thanks for flying with United Mr. Hinshaw.  Called me out by name.  I listened in amazement as she called out the people behind me as well, each person.  That has only happened one time before, and it sure makes an impression.

As I boarded the plane, a tall (6’) flight attendant welcomed me aboard.  She had a distinctive accent, asked her where she was from, she said Germany.  They raise helping people in Germany, if she is any indication.  She saw a young mom coming down the isle with a baby and child seat, having a hard time.  Sylvia said, let me help you, grabbed her child seat, walked her to her isle.  Coming back, she saw an elderly woman about 5 foot tall looking up at the bins, wondering how she would get her bag up that high.  Sylvia took the bag and hoisted it up, not a problem.  Made me feel good about flying United.

So how does this apply to you and your business?  Do you equip your front line (or actually any employee) to handle a situation when something comes up you didn’t plan on.  I am confident that Genevieve’s hotel manager did not have a “what do we do when the keys are lost” drill.  What he did say was: make a decision, we’ll figure it out later!  He gives them the authority to make things happen, and in my case, eased my mind completely.  What happens when a plumbing, electrical or hvac install doesn’t go as planned?  When someone from your team steps through a ceiling?  The truly impressive companies today have a system in place to work thru those opportunities when they occur, not if they occur.   They actually plan on a problem arising, sort of like a fireman training for a house fire.  They train on a burning building, not just read a book.

What can your team do to make that customer seem special?  Make it a goal this year to do more than just what is on the proposal, make the customer feel like they are the only one doing business with your company.  The customer knows that you are going to do what is required to service or install your products in their home or building.  What is amazing is when you go the extra mile, deliver more than what they expected, they then become raving fans.

So sit down with the entire company, ask them how they can make the customer feel better by doing business with them.  Don’t have time?  Better make time, because some of your competitors are doing that today, your customer may just decide to work with them in the future.  Thanks for listening, we’ll talk later.