A true blue solution: 8 ways to move from clean-up to commitment

There exist many people in this world to envy...and then there are several people that I'm really thankful I'm not right about now. The current front-runners? Bald and not-so-beautiful Britney Spears (who gives new meaning to bad hair day) and Jet Blue's CEO David Neelman (who gives new meaning to bad travel day).

There have been many great posts on the Jet Blue fiasco, please do check them out. As I've said before--and I'll likely say it much more--there exist myriad opportunities in mishaps (if we see them as such). So I'm focusing this post on an 8-point plan for shaking the blues:

1. Give some heaven. If you haven't already, award each of the grounded passengers free flights for a year. Yep, a year. Wait, there's more: give them a 4-day vacation to their choice of, say, 3 places so as to "give them a bit of heaven since you put them through hell." Yes, I advise using that copy.

2. Engage (front-line) advisors. Go and meet with 20 of the customers that sat on your plane. C'mon, you're likely meeting with enough consultants that didn't sit on your plane. Ask them to be on a newly formed "Customer Advisory Board" whereas they fly free forever so long as they meet with Jet Blue either once a quarter or twice a year (you might divide these into 2-4 groups so you're meeting with groups each month). To be sure this is not a focus group--we all know how I feel about those--this is a customer advisory board. What's the catch? Just one: they need to be honest with their feedback be it good, bad or indifferent.

3. Keep it real. Implore five of these customers to tape a few seconds of "I'm giving Jet Blue another chance...won't you?". Compile the actual people saying this into a commercial (and if you get one with a mom and her baby, even better). Explain that these customers sit on your advisory board and you're thankful for their time--and be upfront with viewers that they've been given free flights to accomodate their woes. Get this on broadcast TV and on YouTube.

4. Go on Oprah. Have an epiphany (and please mean it) that this fiasco actually opened your eyes to new opportunities on just what it means to be customer-focused and explain how you're leading the charge for all companies to take better care of customers. Then give everyone in the audience free flights and other items (maybe even give point #6).

5. Give goodies. Print up some kind of in-flight goodie that says "thanks for being True Blue". Maybe it's gum or a salty treat. Not sure exactly what it should be. Something fun and enjoyable.

6. Share the blunders and best practices. Write a book on managing a customer-focused brand through ups and downs. You can employ a team of writers, self-publish and get it to market within 100 days. And give the eBook away for FREE--this way everyone can learn how to better treat people because, after all, your mission is not planes it's people. Ensure it's sent to all of the Fortune 500. If you raise the bar you can continue to set the bar.

7. Honor others. Begin a "True Blue" award series wherein each year you identify, say, 3 customer-focused companies in any industry that exemplify customer service. After all, customer service is not just limited to the sky. It's Jet Blue's legacy to influence other leaders and other industries to focus on delighting customers (at least that's what you told Oprah, better make good on it).

8. Get Social. Launch a blog, much like Microsoft and Dell, that allows and encourages people to give you feedback. (If you have one already, pardon me I couldn't find it). Apart from customers reading your blog it's really more for the media, analyst and business communities to monitor your ongoing commitment.

Alternatively you can blow your budget on a barrage of thirty-second "I'm sorry" TV spots, NYT ads and billboards but in following the above advice you underscore and advance the very mission of your brand. And this route actually saves you money. Plus you'll look even better because you're not solely doing clean-up but coming through on your commitment.

And hey, this way you get to be the Comeback Kid :-).

P.S.: If you do publish a book I've got just the forum for you to connect with other marketers, a Book Club that has already increased its membership by nearly 20% in Segment 2 alone (yippie!).

Comments

[Clay Parker Jones]

CK, nice post.

All great recommendations, as always. And though I haven't been through all the reportage on the subject, don't you think there's an inward-facing component to all this? It might be a really good idea to spend some money on improving the culture of caring for customers within JetBlue. It's great to give away free stuff, and to issue apologies and that, but if you develop a stronger sense of altruism among the people that contact the customers, a lot of the problems might have been solved on the day of.

In number 7, Honor Others, you get to this point a bit by saying, "better make good on it"... While public apologies and acts of kindness are great, if you can get your employees to drink the company Kool-Aid (in the bright red, customerservice passion-fruit flavor), well, then you solve the problem in the future. I know it's not very new-media, and it's really difficult and expensive, but it is right, don't you think?

[David Reich]

CK, Neeleman's been everywhere the past few days. Maybe everywhere except Oprah.

It seems like Jet Blue has made a lot of the right moves to fix the public relations mess, although one could argue as to the value of $25 off. I think their Bill of Rights is a good idea, as long as they really honor it.

Hearing Neeleman on Letterman last night, he said they know what the problem was -- although he didn't elaborate, even as Letterman pressed him on it. But he said they know what went wrong and they've fixed it. Guess we have to trust him on that,until there's another screw-up.

I don't know if Jet Blue has had any planned social media presence in the past, but I'd be willing to bet they will now. The goodwill they've accumulated over the years by providing good service at good prices is paying off for them now. It seems like most people are rooting for them to succeed and get through this.

[Lewis Green]

Jet Blue remains trapped in believing it knows what is best for its customers. And until the airline industry begins to involve its customers in solutions, lousy service will continue, and all the free tickets in the world and CEO proclamations won't make those of us who fly feel happy and served.

[CK]

All: I apologize for not addressing your most excellent comments. Since mid-week my blog has allowed me to post but not to comment. But I can comment on other blogs. It's all sorts of ironic and I 'think' it's all better now. Odd when your own blog blackballs you.

David: Yep, Neelman's made good rounds and we are rooting for Blue...now he needs to make good on the commit.

Lewis: Fully agree. I think I address what you're saying in the below to Clay being that I think point #2 is the most critical.

Hiya Clay: Of All the 8 points above I think #2, the Customer Advisory Board (NOT a focus group, actual customers) is likely the most important because if they take that "real" feedback/input and instill it into their corp. culture (like you advocate) they're really making good on their commitment.

I think that your recc of "internal" could be less difficult than they think given the right systems (e.g,. instilling it into training, conferences, internal-facing blogs/intranets, performance benchmarks). And actually, Jet Blue may have an easier time than most being that they've been such a darling for so long due to good customer systems--so they "seem" to have the communications internally (the case of grouded planes is actually an entirely different post being that it's a deficiency in their business model. The result of that deficiency is grounded planes. The poor choices once grounded resulted in poor customer service).

On the external side, I see the biggest opp for them is to take the lead as customer service champion since so many industries are failing right now. Will they have to make changes? Without question. But what if they take that opp and effect not only their own company but others? Not only is that a good deed, you can't buy that level of marketing and press coverage.

And I'd like some passion-fruit flavor kool-aid, heavy on the Vodka please ;-).