In a previous article, I talked about the need for flexibility
and humanity in customer service over adherence to corporate process. The
example came from JetStar’s headline news appearance in New Zealand over its treatment of the grieving mother of a shark attack victim.
Less than two weeks later and the UK’s Virgin Atlantic and their security contractor G4S provide another case study of how not to deliver front line customer service.
In this
incident, gate staff refused to allow Petty Officer Nicky Howse - a serving
engineer in the British Royal Navy returning to duty from a family funeral - to
wear her uniform on a flight, despite this explicitly being allowed by Virgin’s
company policies.
The story highlights the stark reality of how the actions of
individual employees at the front line can rapidly turn a company’s reputation
into a very public bad news story.