Total CX

JetBlue Makes a Weather Delay Bearable

Last week, Patty Seybold, Fanny Wong, Meg Lewis, and I completed a rewarding, but exhausting, Customer Co-Design Session in Florida for a long-time client. Happy, but bone weary, we arrived at the airport to discover that our flights were all delayed. Although Fanny and I were on the same flight, Meg and Patty had different destinations than we did and were booked on different flights. But Fanny and I, as well as Meg, were all flying JetBlue, and, conveniently, out of the same gate.

Originally scheduled for 4:30 pm, when we arrived about 3 pm, Fanny and my flight to Boston was posted as being delayed until 5:50 pm. Meg’s flight to La Guardia was scheduled for 6 pm and no delay was indicated. Hmm, I wondered, how can two flights so close together leave from the same gate? In addition, we noticed that there was an aircraft at the gate waiting, but we didn’t know which flight it was for.

A few minutes later, we saw that the Boston flight was now scheduled for 6:05 pm—not a good trend. Wearily, we sat down, happily found outlets for our computers, and reluctantly went back to work. (Okay, Fanny and Meg worked. I was playing a game.)

Just as we were starting to get antsy, a JetBlue gate agent came on the sound system to update us. And, although the news wasn’t great, the update was.

Accepting Customer Feedback in the Right Way

The last time I was flying JetBlue (which I do often), there weren’t any Extra Leg Room seats available. Usually I secure one of these seats, not so much for the extra room, although it is very welcome—it’s nice not to have to worry about anyone hitting my laptop closed when the person in front of me reclines their seat as I’m working—but primarily for the other benefits that come with that upgrade: early boarding (so enough room in the overhead bins for your luggage) and the priority security line at major airports (including my home base of Logan airport in Boston).

I mentioned to the gate agent that it would be great to have an upgrade option to priority security and boarding that wasn’t dependent upon a restriction of specific seats. He advised me to go to the JetBlue web site and offer this recommendation. I figured that this was a nice blow off. Offering feedback on a web site rarely seems to do anything except generate an automated response that leads nowhere.

However, the next time I was booking on the site, I decided to try it. On the JetBlue.com home page, I decided to try the link for “Speak up.” (See Illustration 1.) Sure enough, it led me to a page where I was welcomed (on the “Get Answers” tab) with a very simple, but convincing argument for email feedback: “JetBlue's Help Site was designed with your needs in mind. Chances are that the answer to your question can be found here. Plus, it is much easier than picking up the phone to ask.” In addition, there were two additional tabs: “Give compliments” and “Share concerns.” (See Illustration 2.)

Customer for Life…or for the Time Being?

I live in a student mecca in Boston. Many of the local businesses cater to the college student crowd, including local restaurants, clubs, clothing stores, and even youth-oriented laundromats. The merchandise, the atmosphere, and the prices, which often include discounts with a student ID, are terrific for students. But for old fogies like me, not so much. These are businesses that I tend to avoid.

However, there are some neighborhood businesses that attract the college crowd with specials and overall discounted prices that are also places that I frequent, such as supermarkets, dry cleaners, and banks. Add to these: electronics stores, car rental agencies, and even airlines that have student pricing and options, but who are providers of merchandise and services that span life stages. These businesses—both local and national/international—have found great ways to woo students and to deliver a great experience to both young students and to older customers.

I have become fascinated with the marketing strategy of engaging lifetime customers by starting them out young and growing the relationship throughout all the life events that come after graduation.

Does your company have a strategy for encouraging students to become loyal to your brand? My article looks at what some savvy companies are doing to create customers for life.

Engage Them Early, and They’ll Be Customers for Life
Targeting College Students for Free or Discounted Products and Services Can Be a Great Customer Relationship Strategy
By Ronni T. Marshak, Executive VP and Senior Consultant, September 22, 2011