Handling Customers in Times of Adversity

NOTICE: We've Moved! Please click here to be taken to the new location!!

Several months ago I wrote a story, "Adversity at the Barbershop" about an experience I had when I decided to try out a local barber for the first time. It describes what happened when I innocently asked the barber to cut my hair shorter. The outcome was a classical example of what customer service should NOT be!

Alexander Kjerulf from Positive Sharing wrote a fascinating article about how two major airlines deal with their customers in times of adversity. He painted a stark contrast between the behavior of employees from Contential and Southwest in "A Tale of two airlines - why every company should have a Chief Apology Officer."

Interestingly enough, his article nicely complemented some stuff I wrote about the wonder of Southwest Airlines:

1. Passion at Southwest Airlines
2. Entertaining the Possibilities at Southwest
3. Acting on Intuition - The Southwest Story
4. How Southwest Remembers People

On another subject, some of you may remember a recent survey I created just for you, the readers of Adversity University. It is you, the reader, who keep this blog alive. You are important to me. It is my intention to make a difference with my stories, observations and tips but I'm feeling the itch to expand. It is my desire to have you grow with me and the only way I can do that is if I know more about you and what you're looking for. By taking a few moments to answer some of my questions in the survey, I'll be in a better position to take the necessary steps to make it even more enjoyable for you. You can respond to the survey by commenting at the bottom of that post or sending me a private email (link in the right sidebar).

The survey was borne out of my desire to expand and venture outside the scope of this blog. That means possibly moving to a more flexible platform like Wordpress. If there's anything I've learned about writing/blogging since starting Adversity University a little over a year ago, it's staying close to the topic as much as possible and not veering too far off course.

On a couple of occasions I did just that and it didn't feel right. For instance, I came across a great tip on how to send gigantic files easily and effortlessly across the Internet ("How to Send GIGANTIC Files Easily and Effortlessly"). You were probably wondering at the time how that was possibly tied to adversity. In as much as I tried, I couldn't really make the connection. While it felt funny to post it, I did it anyway because I really thought you would benefit from something like that. But it was not something I wanted to make a habit of.

After all, you came to Adversity University seeking something specific, not how to send video files! There are blogs that are designed to answer those kinds of questions but my thinking at the time was that if the free, downloadable program featured in that post made my life easier to do business on the Internet, it would do the same for you.

So I truly hope to hear from you soon! Until next time, enjoy the rest of your week!