I write this from seat 29F on a Spirit Airlines flight bound to New York for a mastermind meeting. I replaced my scheduled productivity article with this story because I need to share with you one core business principle that was missing from my customer experience today: take care of your customers and deliver what you promise. Period.

Here’s my story:

I travel frequently for work and business development. I generally flight on two airlines consistently but this time around, I could not get a flight that suited my schedule and had to settle for Spirit, which I haven’t flown in seven years after a disastrous experience involving a lost bag and poor customer service. However, I figured they were due for a second chance and so I booked it.

I was skeptical when I saw the extremely long line and upset faces of those trying to check in as I arrived at the terminal. My first disappointment came about when I discovered that my very small carry on bag was tagged at $40 regardless if I checked it in or not. The second disappointment came about when I was asked to return to the check in kiosk for a different receipt that never existed. Finally, when I was asked if I read English when I questioned their poor policies, you could say I was flustered and frankly, very upset.

As I look back at today’s events, I summarized the disappointments into three suggestions I will be sending over to the folks at Spirit Airlines. I trust these will be useful to you to:

1. Don’t nickel and dime your clients and customers. $40 for a carry on bag (not checked bag), paid soda & water and paid TV does not scream “we care”. It screams, “We are desperate for every dollar you have”. If you must charge for these amenities, then increase your ticket price to be inclusive.
2. Take care of your employees so they take care of your customers. It was clear to me that these employees deal with a mass amount of complaints and unhappy customers. Many looked tired and frustrated, which then creates a negative ripple effect to your customers. Listen to what they have to say and create alternatives to find a happy medium.
3. Customer retention is the key to lasting success. It is a lot cheaper to keep me happy and coming back than it is to get a brand new customer. Create a retention program that will allow your employees to do everything in their power to transform a bad experience into a positive one.

My story today may not be unique or a big deal after all, but it has definitely created an impression that will last a lifetime. Taking care of your customers and clients is the foundation of lasting success. Have you experienced something similar? If you agree or disagree with my solutions, I’d love to hear about it below.

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