Wow your fans: How an airline created a fan from an awful experience

by Bo McDonald

For several years I’ve been a loyal flyer of Delta whenever I travel.  The airline has had some ups and downs, but whenever they’ve fallen short, they’ve always made a comeback with an apology and a “thank you” for my business. This trend ran especially true several weeks ago.

I was scheduled on a flight from San Francisco back home to South Carolina. As the plane taxied to the runway we came to a stop. A long stop. After several minutes the pilot let us know there was a mechanical issue and we would be heading back to the gate. My 9:30am flight was now rescheduled for 2pm, which would put me back on the East Coast late in the evening.

The plane was fixed. We were on our way as schedule just before 2 and I was back in South Carolina by 11pm. I never complained, or made mention of my inconvenience. However, several days later Delta emailed me.  It was an apology for the major delay and inconveniences. And, surprise, they were adding some additional SkyMiles to my account to make up for the stress of the day.

There’s no way Delta could have predicted that a mechanical issue would have occurred. Much like there’s no way for you to predict potential issues within your organization that will cause a break down in customer service. I’ve always believed that what happens is in the past. Focus on making the situation right, then go above and beyond to fix a problem. It will usually make you a hero and earn a loyal customer for years to come.

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