The Virgin Group founder explains why your team is only as strong as its weakest link.
I have always liked Sam Cooke's old hit song, "Chain Gang." It comes in handy when I'm talking about customer service. That's because delivering good customer service requires frontline workers to receive support from co-workers -- in effect, a chain reaction of teamwork that is consistent from beginning to end. And the chain of assistance is only as strong as its weakest link. I love hearing reports of good care, especially when they're shared by a Virgin customer. But no matter what the source, there's usually a lesson to be learned. To prove I'm not always bashing our competitor, British Airways, I'll tell a consummate customer story that involves that other British airline: An Executive Club passenger left his leather coat in the airport lounge. He rushed to the front of the plane and asked if he could get it. "Sorry, sir, too late," replied a member of the cabin crew. "But don't worry. I'll tell the ground crew and they'll have it sent to you." He was convinced he'd never see his favorite coat again. Seven and a half hours later, when the flight arrived in New York, an agent met him at the door of the aircraft with his coat.
They'd put it on a Concorde flight that beat his slower 747 across the Atlantic! (Of course, B
ritish Airways can no longer pull off that trick, since the Concorde is no longer in service.) The airline could have put the coat on a later flight and the customer would have been just as grateful. But going the extra mile
builds massive customer loyalty and brand enhancing benefits. You can be sure that passenger talked up the airline for years, and now even the founder of a rival company is telling the tale. How great is that?
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