About 2 weeks ago I was in a real grind. Thanks to my own forgetfulness, stupidity, or whatever you want to call it, I had bought plane tickets for the wrong weekend. After rejecting the idea in my head a few times, I eventually got around to accepting my mistake and began the dreaded process of trying to get in touch with some one at the two different airlines I would be flying with. Amazingly within minutes I was TALKING to a real person at United Airlines. Yes, I said minutes. In addition to this blessing, United agreed to waive most of the fee required for changing tickets and they answered all my questions. Feeling surprised and encouraged, I went to the American Airlines website. "Where are the humans?" I muttered to myself as I scrolled through dense content and crisp stock photos. I could not find any contact information. After a few searches, I resorted to some pathetic and desperate measures by googling things like "humans at AA" and "contact info for Airlines." Then this popped up. Gethuman.com. Woah. Within minutes I was connected to a real person, talking over my dumb mistake, and pleading for some kind of bargain. Maybe the stars were aligned or something else crazy because after hanging up I realized I should have lost hundreds of dollars but instead my concerns were heard and then thoughtfully cared for at a very low cost to me. That is the value of humans. I deeply grateful (and perhaps a little more loyal) to United and AA for changing my flights with little-to-no charge. But I will give even more good karma and business to Gethuman, an organization that truly understands what we all want: to be treated with humanity and even a little dignity. Whether it is the folks at your customer service desk or the commercial you approve for radio, think for a second: am I treating my clients the way I would hope to be treated? Good service and effective marketing is authentic and personal. It is accessible, it listens, and then responds genuinely. If you haven't heard this story from TAL, take 22 minutes and get in the shoes of someone who may be similar to one of your customers. Consider: how can I use more humanity in my interactions with customers? What stories and actions can I share that might improve damaged relationships from past experiences?
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AuthorI am a graduate student in Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University. I enjoy writing, hiking, and spending time with my family. Archives
June 2015
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