The Employees That GO The Extra Mile (remember those coupons?)

No coupons anymore, so I WRITE LETTERS. Reward good service with a pat on the back. I battle bad service by being nice to to the rude ones (makes the embarassed and they change their mood).

Since I am in the mood, I thought I would share with you all my parting shot to United regarding the outstanding job done by Geri ******** (last name withheld in this post) in the 1K room in Seattle. We will all miss our 1K angels. Here is what I sent to the 1k e-mail address:

My 1K angel has been Geri ******** in Seattle, where I am now based. Geri has gone beyond ALL expectations many times. Her attention to detail has saved me from trouble or a bad connection many times, and I notice she always makes each of her customers feel like they are her only customer. She even called me once during my travel day to see if was doing all right on a day when I was traveling while recovering from surgery. I felt like a very special customer that day, just from a three-minute phone call.

Her name is well known among United 1K members. I have heard Geri’s name mentioned very favorably in other United 1K rooms, she also receives compliments from customers on a well-known Internet web site, and her name is the first one that I hear mentioned by any 1K flyer from Seattle on the plane when discussing our favorite experiences in service.

In my career, I have worked in customer service as well, so with my background I am able to recognize outstanding customer skills such as those I have observed as exhibited by Ms. ******** in the past few years I have lived in Seattle. One of the greatest challenges is the customer who is upset or angry. I have watched Geri defuse these situations, find a way to calm the customer down (usually with her own patient manner and politeness no matter how rude the customer is), and witness the customer change their mood as a result of her effort, to the point where they say, “Thank you.” Her knowledge of the system, and experience in customer service shines every week when I look forward to seeing her.

In summary, Ms. ******** and her standard for 1K service WILL BE MISSED! Everyone at United Air Lines, especially those serving 1K flyers and VIP’s, impress me with the continued efforts to maintain my loyalty as a customer. My impression is that Geri ******** represents the spirit of customer service that United Air Lines needs today, and her service has been one of the primary reasons I still fly on United.

Best wishes to everyone at United.

...Mike