Sphinn - Screw You: Alaska Airlines Teach Us About Internet Marketing and Customer Service

61
Sphinn It!

Screw You: Alaska Airlines Teach Us About Internet Marketing and Customer Service

Went Hot: March 21, 2008 - 1:58 pm
Posted By: toddmintz 472 days ago
Topic Type: News Story (Jump to http://www.conversationmarketing.com)
Category: Other Online Marketing

Ian Lurie's unfortunate experience with Alaska Airlines leads to an insightful post on 10 ways a business can best apologize if they screw up.

11 Comments

Who Desphunn This (2)

Comments

from SEOinSeattle 472 days ago #

Votes: 1 | Vote:

+ -

Great list of customer relations and Internet crisis management tips.

Oh, and don't even get me started on Alaska Airlines after what happened in San Jose after SMX West. Don't make your home page (Seattle) fantastic and the rest of your website (San Jose, NYC, etc.) crappy.

_

from seowoman 472 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

I love the Motrin idea! Passing that along to our sales team.

from oldschool 472 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

Gotta love customer service at its best (sarcasm intended)

from Kalena 472 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

I don't get it. The AA staff weren't available to check him in super early? They arrived at the counter in plenty of time to check him in for the flight, right? What's the big deal?

from Jenstar 472 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

I was at the airport early today too, after speaking at SES, for the same flight... and I had to hang around until the Alaska people showed up too. The problem was that we had to sit there with luggage... with only about 8 seats available to actually sit in. It would have been much better if they had a sign at least saying when they came back... because it was a code share, I wasn't sure if I should be heading off to the American teminal to check in there.

from MikeDammann 472 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

I have learned one thing in business management: People will forgive you almost anything,uncaring behaviour and bad customer servivce they won't.

from nobodynoes 472 days ago #

Votes: 1 | Vote:

+ -

slowpoke hates airports.

from demerzel 471 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

Yeah, 3 PM is just too early to wake up and get to work on time...

from wrttnwrd 471 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

@Kalena it was actually 2.5 hours before the flight. But the real point here is that they didn't say anything about their hours. So we were all standing there trying to figure out what was up. A sign sure would've taken care of it.

That's really my point in the whole post - not that Alaska was annoying, but that a simple sign would've totally fixed the problem. That's the lesson we should all take to our sites.

from Kalena 470 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

Ah. Thanks for clarifying.

from Qvistar 469 days ago #

Votes: 0 | Vote:

+ -

Come on guys, I don't mean to sound like an AS (their official airline designation is AS) fan-boy. Alaska Airline is an undisputed customer service leader in the US airline industry. Grant it, they will miss the mark from time to time. However rather than throw them into a pit of howling jet engines, demand your due. Write a letter and let them know in few words that there are too many choices out there and that this is no longer a customer service problem but rather a "customer retention effort." This is airline industry code that says: “Do what is right to retain my business or else I will fly your competition for ever and ever Amen." Ask to be compensated for the below par customer service. If they don't comply don't fly. Smart companies are starting to get it: It is cheaper to retain you as a customer than to secure new ones. “A bird in hand beats two in the bush.” Sorry about the verboseness, I hope this helps.

Who Desphunn This Topic what is desphinn?

Avatar evilgreenmonkey 03/21/2008 02:30pm

Not much marketing value, just complaining about an airline with a couple of cross references to managing client websites.

Avatar Michelle 03/22/2008 01:21pm

I expected this to be an article about something experienced online - via the airline site. Something the airline did that was actually an internet marketing related issue of cust svc. It's not.