Thank you! What does it mean to be thankful? It means to be obliged, in someone’s debt, indebted, appreciative, beholden! I googled the phrase “thank you” while waiting on a recent plane delay. I did this because I was IMPRESSED by the Delta gate agent who did an excellent job as we boarded the plane. Let me explain.
We actually boarded our plane on time, or should I say, we boarded our 1st plane on time! We sat there at the gate for longer than usual, and finally, the pilot made an announcement that there was a light on that wouldn’t go off, so the mechanics would be looking at it. He said, “I am unable to give you a time on departure.” There was a lot of
Photo Credit, psd.
grumbling and everyone (including me) was making phone calls to reschedule things. In these situations, I strive to consider the alternative. The pilot could have found the mechanical situation while we were in the air, and then what would I have to grumble about???
About 45 minutes later, we deboarded from the plane. About an hour later, we boarded a different plane and there was yet another mechanical delay. By then, the crowd was getting angry. Again, I strove to keep the right mindset. I have found that when it seems there are so many things going wrong, the devil is trying to keep me from whatever I’m trying to do, as God must be ready to do something GREAT!
We deboarded the plane yet again. When we boarded the plane for the 3rd time, one of the gate attendants began bellowing, “We just want to thank you for flying Delta. We are sorry that this delay has happened.” He repeated the statement until all of us had boarded the plane.
When I gave my boarding pass again to be scanned, he shook my hand and said, “Thank you so much for flying Delta. I’m sorry this happened to you today.” I watched how screaming passengers mellowed as they passed through with their boarding passes and the gate attendant thanked each and every one of us, apologizing and shaking our hands.
That guy did GRRREAT! He didn’t reverse the clock and magically get us in to our destination on time, but he did make the whole situation palatable. So much that if you had been thinking you wouldn’t fly Delta again, that feeling disappeared.
How often do you thank the people in your life? Do you take the time to thank your customers for being customers? Do you thank the people that work with you? In our system, we thank our members with a thank you note the day they enroll, and with another thank you note when they have a buddy enroll. How about if a member is upset about an issue they’re having? Do we thank them for being members and apologize that the issue happened?
When you thank your customers, it causes them to keep buying from you! Now, first and foremost, I think our motive needs to be that we are grateful. Retention happens when you are grateful!