Thank You and Have A Good Day

Sometimes I wonder whether we pay attention enough to people who actually try to make our day a little easier or maybe just a little more pleasant.  Here are two cases in point to make the point.

I have noticed the airlines are making a more concerted effort at public relations and it comes from what many might think an unlikely place.  The cockpit.  On three recent flights I have been greeted as I deplane by a member of the flight crew; either the captain or first officer in the cockpit door. In one instance I was being wished a good day and “thanks for flying with us” from the first officer who had scampered onto the jet bridge right after the forward doors were opened.  I was greeted in the same way on my return flight and when I asked whether this was a new policy he indicated it was something the airline was trying out to see if anyone would notice.  It was noticed.

Then just this past weekend I rented a car.  Upon arriving at the Enterprise lot in Denver, I was greeted not once by seven times by seven different employees with a “hi or “hello.”  Over the top?  Maybe, since I could barely respond to one before the next greeting flew my way.  But it’s always good to err on the side of slight overkill as opposed to making the customer feel like they are just another customer.

Good PR and good customer service are so critical in business.  It can make or break a deal or be the determining factor of whether a customer become a repeat customer.  At Enterprise, it seems someone decided a dose of customer relations training was in order and from my experience it seemed to be paying off. 

But the lesson here goes beyond renting a car or buying a ticket and getting on an airplane.  It involves giving people a sense of worth or value.  Both make us feel better and out step quickens because we have been made to feel better, albeit sometimes only for a short while.  Imagine though what the day would be like if we all said hello, or thank you or paid someone a small compliment.  What if our actions made someone else feel better, or feel more confident about themselves or allowed them to escape the dreariness of their existence?

Maybe we should go out and try it today.  My guess is that if we do the messed up world we live in will be a better place.

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