I was on an airplane the other day. It was a rough two hour ride. From about 10 minutes after we took off to about 10 minutes before we landed we had turbulence. I really enjoy flying, so it didn't bother me too much. But it scared my traveling companions and several others on the plane. This was one of the roughest flights that I have been on. It wasn't bad in the sense that the plane was making severe, gut wrenching jarring but it was constant and loud.
When the wheels touched the ground there was a passenger a few rows in front of me that began to talk to the other passengers around her. She announced her intention to never fly this airline again. This was the worst flight she had ever had because of the turbulence and she would never fly with XYZ airline as long as she lived. She was going to call the owner of the company to complain. She encouraged everyone around her to stage a boycott of this airline because the pilots obviously did not know how to fly.
She then got on her cell phone and started calling her list of friends and acquaintances to tell them what a terrible time she had and to let them know not to ever fly this airline again. She was walking up the isle, cell phone in hand, telling everyone not to fly on XYZ airlines and suggesting the names of alternative airlines on which to fly in the future. She was saying how this sort of thing would never happen on those other airlines.
I just sat in my seat and watched the entire tantrum.
Was it the airlines fault that we took off in a storm and landed in a storm? Was it the pilots fault that we had turbulence? Did they really "not know how to fly a plane"? What exactly went wrong here?
I believe that every airline that flew between those cities that day had turbulence. I believe that every pilot no matter what their skill level ran into the same situation. I believe there was nothing anyone could have done to avoid a rough flight. But there was still this woman that was absolutely convinced that it was the airlines fault. How many people did she tell about her bad experience? How much embellishing did she do? I am sure by the 20th time she told the story she had changed it a bit to make it more dramatic.
This experience was an important lesson to me. It reminded me that just one person, who perceives a bad experience, can affect the minds of potentially hundreds of other people.
The next time someone sits in your chair to have a service, I hope you will remember this lady. I hope you will not cut corners. I hope you will follow all of the proper sanitation procedures. I hope you will do everything possible to make the client feel comfortable and secure. I hope you remember we are all in the service business, serving very important people. Give your clients more than they expect and your business will flourish. Give them a reason to switch nail techs and they will.
If you have any ideas about how to create a unique experience for your client, or if you are struggling to keep clients, give me a call at 602-493-9043 or an e-mail at erick@gelousy.com and tell me your story. Maybe we can learn from each other.
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1 comments:
This is an excellent blog - I just found it, sad to say, and I agree whole-heartedly. The "silent customer" - the one who doesnt' say anything critical to you after (or during) the service - is the one who can make you or break you. Everyone wants to be made to feel special, and no matter who is sitting in the chair across the manicure table, they want to be treated as though they are the only person in the world. Even though it's not your fault that the weather is lousy, it is your responsibility to make the trip as comfortable as possible. Good job!
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