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Feedback forum: Involving the customer for better business decisions As the old saying goes, the customer is always right. And that's why it's so important to talk to him or her on a regular basis — not just when it's time to strike a deal or solve a problem. Many operators know the value of customer surveys and follow-up. Testimonial pages are increasingly popular on operator websites, and many operators directly solicit their customers' opinions and input. Pointing the way Take Arrow Stage Lines; Omaha, Nebraska. Owned by the Busskohl family since its founding in 1928, the tour-and-charter operator takes great pains to call tour leaders after trips to gauge satisfaction and make notes on coach preferences. Arrow dispatchers then refer to those notes when coordinating subsequent charters. The company is also working on response cards for tour operators to hand out directly to their passengers. Already, customer follow-up has paid off. Luke Busskohl, sales and marketing manager, and great-grandson of the founder, points to a recent example in which an operator complained that a coach wasn't up to Arrow's usual high standards. "We discovered that one location wasn't doing the best job of cleaning the buses, so we changed our cleaning operation." Prairie Coach Trailways; Dell Rapids, South Dakota, listens carefully to its customers too. The proof is in its engaging website, which stresses the importance of customer relationships both by being generally informative and by offering a personal touch. The Prairie Coach site includes driver biographies, detailed vehicle descriptions so that customers can ask for coaches by name, newsy updates, testimonials and even press clippings about the company's charitable activities. The MCI method From soliciting operator opinions when designing new models to soliciting feedback after delivery, MCI has a long history of listening to customers. MCI routinely follows up on motor coach deliveries both to ensure customer satisfaction and solicit ideas that can lead to important product improvements. MCI Fleet Support has a formal process in place as well. MCI asks its Fleet Support customers to fill out customer satisfaction surveys following every service encounter. In addition to using the surveys to troubleshoot any problem areas and improve service, MCI uses them to motivate and reward staff. Every quarter, MCI gives bonuses to technicians at the service centers voted best overall and most improved over the previous quarter. Can something like this work for you? Why not give it a try and see. Ask your customers how you're doing. However they answer, they're probably right. The FYI from MCI editorial staff values your feedback, too. Please e-mail any suggestions, comments, or ideas for future articles to fyi@mcicoach.com |
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