53
Biz Wiz THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
שלא נהגו כבוד זה בזה By Azi Rosenblum
on a video clip or your 140 character version of something. At the same time, there is something to be said for the inexcusable way that some companies have put operational efficiency above all else which can often dehumanize the consumer when they put profits and operations before the average Joe. This is more than just “not nice” – it’s 2017, and you can’t get away with it anymore because the customers are more powerful than ever. The fact is that while we all benefit from the common airline practice of overbooking (higher occupancy on flights means they can keep costs lower), these operational strategies can sometimes overtake common sense and human decency, which results in the confident and sadly all-too-common “sorry sir/ma’am, I’m just doing my job” attitude. If a policy exists for creating efficient and positive results most of the time, there should be an excellent plan in place for how to handle the other times. Clearly, that was not the case on Flight 3411. Customer service (often abbreviated as CS) hinges on two things: Communication and Solutions. When either party is not communicating properly or is not working toward mutually acceptable solutions, neither the customer nor the company is doing any service to the another. As consumers in this age of communication, I truly feel that we have gone too far. Customers are too quick to take their grievances to the stage of public opinion, and companies (especially the big ones) are losing sight of the people
that make up the numbers. To strike a balance, we need to have mutual respect and always take a moment to put things in context. Yes, my soup was cold, but this is one of hundreds of soups I have had at this establishment. Maybe I should just ask for it to be heated up without getting heated up on social media?
This article is dedicated to the memory of my friend Duane Carpenter, a man who epitomized the values of customer service in his uniquely dutiful, delightful and joyful style. His smile, his funny hat, and his energetic greetings at the Smith Ave. Shoppers always made me feel like a million bucks! Duane, who was recently moved to another location, died suddenly of a stroke last week. He was a great guy, and really knew how to make customers feel great while doing his job, as he would often chant “thank you for shopping Smith Ave. Shoppers… 2801 Smith Ave!” Azi Rosenblum is a business consultant and the founder and CEO of RemSource, an outsourced provider of administrative and bookkeeping services for small businesses. To suggest a topic or ask a question for a future #BizWiz column, email BizWiz@ baltimorejewishhome.com.
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
matter of minutes. Watching the fallout and reactions to the incident that happened on Flight 3411, there was a struggle that emerged in my mind. On the one hand, there is absolutely no excuse for that kind of violence and for a paying customer to be inconvenienced so the airline could get a staff member to their destination for a work flight. On the other hand, like it or not, the airline DOES have the right to take back that seat for which they offered compensation, and there was more than one seat needed, so I guess not everyone got a bloody nose that day. Would it be safe to assume that the conduct of the passenger had much to do with the direction the incident took? Then, and this is the part that concerns me most as a business owner, the incident goes viral and literally the entire world, is bashing United Airlines. United operates 4,496 departures daily. Worldwide, the estimates are nearly 100,000 airline flights a day. One incident, on one flight, on this one day, and the daggers come out as if United, and the airline industry at large, are not performing the astonishing feat of moving people through the air and across great lands and oceans while feeding and entertaining them, mostly without incident. Seriously? Hysterical much? Communication today has made it such that when you complain, you have an audience of immeasurable size. It’s not just you calling customer service - it’s you on stage, a huge stage, and everyone gets to sit back and watch, draw conclusions and make judgements based
MAY 11, 2017
United Airlines: the irony begins with the name. Although it’s basically ancient history in the world of social media, the early April incident gone viral portrays an almost unimaginable but telling story of the growing divide between customers and companies. As a business owner, a business advisor, and a consumer (now and then when I get out of the office), I must admit feeling conflicted about this whole situation. DISCLAIMER: No… I don’t think a broken nose is ever an acceptable part of your airline experience; please don’t tweet about me yet, keep reading. If you study the history of “customer service” you will notice an unmistakable parallel between communication technology and the growth of customer service departments and practices in business. Prior to the invention of the telephone, the consumer was so far removed from corporations and factories that they were essentially powerless and disconnected if anything went wrong. Sure, you dealt with the local shop or supplier, and they of course had their own interest in serving their customers well, but consumers and clients certainly did not have the upper hand. With the invention of the telephone in 1879 (nice job, Alexander), followed by switchboards in 1894, rotary dial phones in the 1920’s, and eventually our first call centers in the ‘60s, the relationship between company and consumer has become more direct, instant, and demanding than ever in a world where you can tweet to international airlines and they will reply in a