The United announcement came across my FB newsfeed this morning, and then on LinkedIn I saw a quote by Richard Branson that I think is very relevant to all service industries.
Look after your employees well and they will look after your customers.
I was asking my students in a Managerial Accounting class about companies that have done well in a disruptive business environment and those that have failed. Think Block Buster and Net Flix, taxis and Uber, and then we talked about the importance of the customer - easier to keep an existing customer than find a new one. They then highlighted the difference of their travel experience with SouthWest vs United/American/Delta. United has been impacted by LCC and they chose to go down the LCC path. Wonder what would happen if United were to empower their employees and make them feel supported and appreciated? I know there are pilots and supervisors that attempt to do this but do not think it is embedded in the United culture. Think there would be a greater bang for the buck if the management team at United appreciated and listened to the customer facing staff - am sure they would say provide a little more shoulder room in the Y seats, make Direct TV available to everyone, reward us for OTA not OTD....they work with the pax and know and hear us but they are unable to effect change as they are not valued by management. Something to be said for the Toyota philosophy of listening to the employees who actually do the work. Something to be said for valuing your employees as valued employees will make the customer experience all the better. Companies that provide differentiation can command a higher premium.