The distressed airline industry has created many travel horror stories, but one of my worst experiences offered some great lessons in customer service. Last winter I was scheduled to keynote in Canada and took an early morning flight out Indianapolis to be sure to be at the SSCA convention in time. After a delayed flight to start the day, we made the connection and were in the air to Saskatchewan when NWA turned the plane around, announcing a cancellation due to a number of weather issues in Regina (imagine that in February). They re-booked us on the 9:12 p.m. flight, so I resigned myself to a day of work in the Minneapolis airport. While it wasn’t the best news, I was happy that I'd still make it in time to speak the next morning. At 11 p.m., after waiting patiently for 12+ hours, they cancelled the flight and made the mistake of telling me that NWA had known around 2 p.m. that would be the case.

While that news was irksome, the gate agent at least agreed to send my checked baggage down to baggage claim so I could shower and be dressed for the conference the next morning. After a long wait in a very empty airport (picture Twilight Zone), it became apparent that my bag was never coming. I flagged down a NWA employee driving by on a cart, who just happened to be a mechanic. He was very concerned, tried to find the right personnel, and led me to the last remaining agent in the airport. She was another story; let's just say that her concern for customers could fit in a toothpick. After napping 5 hours in a dirty hotel room with no luggage, I returned to the airport before 6 a.m. for yet another delayed Regina flight. There was no chance of making it in time to get through customs, keynote, and fly to another speaking commitment, so this trip became the first engagement I've ever missed. And to top it all off, the flight back to Indy was delayed and my luggage was lost!

NWA is typically my airline of choice because of the little things that make a difference to frequent travelers… such as free upgrades, convenient business services, etc. They rated about last in my mind that particular day, so I e-mailed NWA to explain the hardship they had caused my client and the difficulty of wasting a small business owner’s time. Much to my surprise, NWA responded promptly to correct their customer service errors and didn't make excuses. Here's what they did...actions that can be applied to appease many customer complaints.

• Acknowledged their poor internal communications and took responsibility immediately.

• Empathized with the hardship this created.

• Offered to compensate by refunding the unused portion.

• Ensured the concerned mechanic would be appropriately commended for his service.

• Outlined steps of corrective action that will be taken with the nasty agent.

• Worked to appease the customer by offering something of value (frequent flyer miles in this case).

Through corrective customer service, NWA retained their favored carrier status with one customer. How can you do the same for your customers? Remember - the most significant challenges frequently create the greatest opportunities to develop relationships.

Michele Payn-Knoper founded Cause Matters Corp. to provide training in sales, grassroots marketing, and agricultural advocacy. Learn more at www.mpk.info about her professional speaking and consulting work. Receive her free monthly “Connections” e-newsletter filled with lively commentary on championing agriculture and selling solutions by e-mailing newsletter@mpk.info.