When We Fail to Train, We Usually Fail to Manage Crises Well
Seven years ago, my wife and I had an extraordinary experience at an airport. We were flying from Los Angeles back home to Atlanta. As we checked in at the gate, the agent said, “Oh my gosh! Can you hold on a second?” Unsure of what was happening, I suspected a problem. Instead, the head gate agent approached me saying, “Dr. Elmore, I’ll be escorting you and your wife to your seats.” As we walked down the jetway, I inquired what was going on. Why all the attention? He smiled and said, “You don’t know? You just passed two million miles with our airline, and we want to show our appreciation.” At that point, they poured on amazing customer service. We were upgraded to first-class seats, given a bottle of champagne and a gift bag containing a beautiful crystal globe inside. Then, the pilot walked back to our seats, knelt in the aisle, and personally thanked us for our business over the years. Finally, a flight attendant announced over the intercom that I had just crossed over the “two million milestone,” and everyone on board applauded.
My wife smiled at me and said, “Do they always treat you this way when you fly?”
A Study in Contrast
I joked how this was normal service I got each time I flew, but of course, I was teasing her. Allow me to share my most recent experience with the same airline. My wife and I just returned from Kona, Hawaii. The event I spoke at there was superb, but the trip home was the trip from you-know-where.
We were scheduled to fly home from Kona to Atlanta at 9:40 pm until we were informed that the flight was delayed two hours, now taking off around 11:40 pm. This gave us an uneasy feeling since our layover at LAX was a short one. We had heard that at midnight, everything shuts down in Kona. Surely, we wouldn’t be there past midnight, would we? We boarded the plane thirty minutes late and settled into our seats when a flight attendant announced, “I am so sorry, but we are not leaving tonight. Workers are repairing the runway between midnight and five a.m., so you must deboard, get your luggage and we’ll see you in the morning.” You could hear a groan across the crowded jet. At this point, our troubles had just begun. As we exited the plane, we realized no one was willing to help us. The airline staff said there was nothing they could do. Every airport employee had just left. As we retrieved our luggage, we were on our own. Panicked, passengers got on their phones trying to reserve a hotel room, an Uber, and another flight the next day. I waited on the line with each of these vendors with no results. The baggage claim area in Kona is literally outdoors since the weather is usually marvelous. Until it isn’t. My wife and I, and dozens of other passengers spent the night sitting outside, with no blankets or bed, the wind blowing through the dark night and a few sprinkles. At least for the evening, we were cold and homeless. The hotels were full. The restaurants were closed. The rideshares were unavailable.
The same airline that once displayed second-mile service had shifted to no service.
My Takeaway
There’s no doubt in my mind that when I crossed two-million miles, that airline staff had been trained to provide over-the-top service: the upgrade, the gift bag, the champaign, the visit from the pilot and the announcement to our fellow passengers. Training made them ready for this big moment when it happened.
My question is—where was the training for our recent moment of crisis? At midnight, when we deboarded the plane without a plan for the night nor the next day, it would have been so comforting to hear an announcement that said, “Passengers—we are so sorry for this inconvenience. But we have some good news. We’re ready for this kind of challenge, as it has happened before. We have a shuttle lined up outside of baggage claim and rooms reserved at a local hotel. We’ll be offering food vouchers as you hop on the bus. Rest well, and we will see you in the morning on the first flight out.”
Training and ownership make all the difference in the world. Leaders ensure their teams are ready for the best and the worst conditions. When crises occur, everyone is prepared. When training is absent, so is a sense of ownership on the part of employees. Customers are left to fend for themselves.
Never underestimate the power of training.