Sep 24, 2014

My family and I returned via Singapore, after a vacation in Europe. It had been a long flight which started in Athens and we disembarked, and were very tired and jet-lagged. We moved to the baggage carousel and waited for our luggage noticing the thinning group and luggage. A uniformed lady tapped me on the shoulder and asked if we could see our luggage on the carousel. When we replied that we couldn’t, she asked for our luggage tags and contacted the baggage handlers to find out if they still had more luggage to offload. Upon conversation it appeared they didn’t and she invited us to her office to explain what actions she would hence undertake. She got all our details pertaining to our stay. She told us that she would have further information regarding the missing baggage for us within 24 hours and would ensure that our bags would be forwarded to our hotel upon arrival. It still remains one of the more stand out examples of customer service I have experienced. Make no mistake, I’ve had baggage go missing before but it usually involved me having to find out where to report it missing, and do all the administrative follow ups to establish progress. It’s just not the same thing, is it? So what created the difference? Sure, eventually my luggage was found and returned but the way of handling it was fundamentally different. I believe that excellent service is about a mindset which chooses to be proactive and positive in solving customer concerns. Perhaps it is best summarised as being:

• When one’s needs are met and the experience is even better than expected;
• When the problem is resolved positively and effectively;
• When the service provider has an attitude focused on resolving the customer’s problem as the primary goal, rather than an interruption to a busy day.

The best customer service is if the customer doesn’t need to call you, doesn’t need to talk to you. It just works. –  Jeff Bezos