Customers Don't Expect You to be Perfect

Today’s motivational quote highlights that no-one is perfect, but that it is how you handle issues that can make or break a customer relationship.

It’s Friday, which means it’s time to be inspired on the final working day of the week by a leader in the customer management field.

Today’s quote is by Donald Porter, who said the below during his time as VP at British Airways.

When CX Network spoke to Abigail Comber, Head of Customer at British Airways, she reiterated the importance of the way you interact with the customers. "Above all else, it's about the service," she said.

"The best products in the world are no good if they're not delivered brilliantly. Our motto is: To Fly. To Serve. It's WHO we are and it's what we do. Service needs to be both intuitive and consistent irrespective of whether it's on the ground and in the air so we have a huge focus on that within British Airways."

And what steps does BA take if things don’t go according to plan?

Comber added: "The travel industry is open to more issues beyond its control, such as weather events. We put a lot of effort in to planning and preparing for any issues that affect the travel plans of our customers. In the event we do face this sort of thing, our focus is on the customer and what we're doing to keep them up-to-date, explain what we're doing for them and offer them alternatives.

"Customers accept that things happen which are beyond the control of the airlines and airport, it's how they're managed that leaves someone as an advocate for your brand."

For more insights on how to fix things when they go wrong, check out our interview with Caroline Wells, Head of Costumer Insight at the Financial Ombudsman Service, in which she talks about complaints handling 101.