<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by B747-437B:
"Random acts of kindness" create unreasonable expectations which can not be met and lead to a further erosion of brand equity over time.... Pilots should stick to doing what they are trained to do and do well, and not try to dabble in marketing and customer service.</font>
I suppose the pilot who stands at the door to welcome his passengers on board with a friendly word or two is not doing what he's trained to do either. He should be positively dissuaded from attempting to take on a customer-service role.
For the pilot who banters with his passengers with messages not directly related to inflight instructions, some serious counseling is required to help him stick to piloting.
In fact, what we really need are crew members who act like robotic automatons that do precisely what they've been trained to do and not anything beyond.
The fact that successful companies like Southwest and Walmart tend to have company cultures which encourages employees to go "above and beyond" is probably a coincidence.
Stick to the rules!!!