A company’s relationship with its customers has a range of realities in actual practice, dependent on which company or industry we’re talking about. But being on the receiving end brings its meaning to the fore.
When your scheduled flight from point A to point B is delayed, and delayed again so that your actual arrival is hours past the promised time and your luggage is lost in the ether, that airline’s attitude toward its customers quickly becomes critically important to your mental health and well-being, to say nothing of your personal plans.
Ditto the computer software marketer that chooses to cease upgrading a favorite application you’ve been using and become dependent on after years.
In fact, these two examples are real. First, United Airlines. Yes, I admit that on this particular occasion, my flights from San Diego to Houston and Houston to Boston this week were on time. The on-board service was adequate. This, I’m sorry to say, was the exception. And not just with United but with the other legacy airlines with which I’ve done business: Delta, American, and US Airways.
I bring this up because United is in the throes of combining operations with its newly acquired Continental Airlines. Though my flights this week were on Continental aircraft, staffed by Continental crews, everything else about the experience was United. We were reminded of that repeatedly.
What got my attention was the short on-board TV welcome by United’s CEO, Jeffery A. Smisek. The prime purpose of the welcome, it soon became apparent, was to apprise us of the progress the company is making in merging the two formerly independent airlines.
And what was the first thing Smisek mentioned? They are making progress repainting their planes. Huh? Will new paint jobs improve on-time performance? He didn’t say anything about merging their two distinctly different cultures, nor anything about improved customer service resulting from combined operations.
Furthermore, the cocktail napkins that accompanied the beverage service said the following: “Planes change. Values don't. Your priorities will always be ours.” Really? Is United telling us that their values parallel our priorities? Like on-time flights and no lost luggage? I doubt it.
Sorry for the cynicism but I’ve seen this movie before, especially in the airline industry. Can anyone tell me with a straight face that the Delta-Northwest merger has improved service to the cities those two formerly independent carriers serve? Same question for US Airways and America West.
Let’s be honest: the primary, perhaps sole purpose of airline mergers is to realize the cost savings that combined operations will yield. It most assuredly is not because the execs sat down and said, “Let’s merge so that we can improve service to our customers.” If that is, in fact, among their priorities, then it’s at the bottom of a very long list.
Here’s a different case in point: different industry, different type of product, different type of customers. Intuit is a software company, most famous for its Quicken brand of personal and business financial software.
I have been using Quicken on my Macintosh computers for at least 15 years – perhaps longer. The software has helped me manage my finances quite well, for which I am grateful. But apparently, I will no longer be able to use Quicken.
I’m not entirely sure why, because I am not a software expert. But with the introduction of Mac OS X 10.7 (a.k.a. Lion), Quicken will no longer work on Macintosh. I started digging into this because I am reluctant to give up this helpful software, and learned that Intuit has not updated Quicken in more than five years and, further, has no intention to update it so that it will operate on Lion.
An exchange of fruitless emails ensued with their tech support people. Sifting through their extended namby-pamby answers, I gleaned that they really don’t care about Macintosh customers anymore. They suggested that I load Windows on my Mac so that I can continue to use Quicken. Of course, that answer fails to acknowledge that to do so, I would have to acquire Windows and a Windows-compatible version of Quicken. Aside from the added cost, I don’t want the tech hassle.
So Intuit has lost me (and no doubt countless other Mac users) as a customer.
I find it hard to believe that Intuit is walking away from Mac users, a target audience that happens to be the fastest growing among all computer users. That’s their choice. My choice is to seek an alternative to Quicken and cease doing business with Intuit.
What’s the lesson here? It’s not difficult to find the flip side of good customer service and the long-term value and good will it brings to the company willing to commit to it. Why am I exclusively a Macintosh user for 20-plus years? Why do I pay such close attention whenever Apple introduces a new product?
Apple’s customer service is second to none. They will not let you go until they are confident that they have solved your problem. Apple offers a myriad of ways to access customer service: over the phone, on-line discussions and FAQs, and their famous Apple Genius Bar where you can get face-to-face help on virtually any problem.
(Not coincidentally, Apple is thriving. Check their revenues, profits and stock price for proof.)
Compare that experience to the frustration felt standing at the end of a snaking line at the airport customer service counter after your United (or Delta, or US Airways, or American) flight was canceled.
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