“Things to Think About” for the Reference Professional

#crlp Increased customer loyalty increases sales, revenue and profits.

“Things to Think About” for the Reference Professional is a weekly blurb to get you thinking. You can find content here on this blog or at Twitter under the hashtag for Customer Reference and Loyalty Professionals #crlp.

JetBlue Flies Right with Customers

I saw this article posted on JetBlue in the San Jose Mercury News (taken from the Washington Post) today and thought it was worth sharing. What’s better than showing your customers that you value them and have empathy for what they’re going through? Customer loyalty is more than products and services, it’s also how you treat the customer and this is how you build loyalty!

JetBlue will refund your tickets if you get laid off

Washington Post
Posted: 02/23/2009 02:46:19 PM PST

Lost your job and can’t afford the trip you had planned?

If you’re ticketed on JetBlue, the airline will refund your fare.

The JetBlue Promise will allow full refunds to those who buy a ticket between Feb. 1 and June 1 and involuntarily lose their job on or after Feb. 17. The airline typically charges $100 for cancellations and issues the balance in the form of vouchers, which must be used within a year.

The person requesting the refund must have paid for the ticket or tickets, must be 18 years old as of Feb. 17, and must have worked for at least 30 hours a week. Refunds can be requested for up to nine customers on one itinerary, so families or groups traveling together will receive full refunds if the person who paid for the tickets is laid off.

Robin Hayes, JetBlue’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said in a statement that the new policy allows passengers “to book early and take advantage of our low fares without worrying they will lose their money if they need to cancel their trip due to job loss.”

Refund requests require documentation: They must be received by fax no fewer than 14 days before the scheduled departure of the outbound flight. The original must be notarized, sent via certified mail and received no later than the outbound flight’s departure date.

To download complete eligibility terms, a refund form and contact information, go to this page.

“Things to Think About” for the Reference Professional

#crlp There is a difference between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.

“Things to Think About” for the Reference Professional is a weekly blurb to get you thinking. You can find content here on this blog or at Twitter under the hashtag for Customer Reference and Loyalty Professionals #crlp.

“Loyal Customer Since 2008”

This weekend I received my new insurance card.  Written above my i.d. number is “loyal customer since 2008”.  Really?  Am I loyal?  Have they ever asked me?  What do they consider being loyal?  Paying my bill on time? 

 

This bugged me so I started to think about loyalty vs. satisfaction.  Customer loyalty can sometimes go out the door for customer satisfaction if a good enough price break is given or if there are extra incentives. What?  Did I just say that there’s a difference between customer loyalty and customer satisfaction?  You betcha!

 

Lots of people have written about the difference between loyalty and satisfaction, but I think that more people need to talk and write about it.  There is a difference.  I’m satisfied with my car insurance company, but am I loyal to them?  Not if the company listed next in the phone book can give me the same or better coverage for the same amount of money or less.  On the other hand, I am 100% loyal to Nike.  I’ve tried other running shoes and I don’t like them.  I don’t care if I can get a pair of ASICS for 50% less than my Nikes.  I’m a Nike girl through and through and when people ask me what type of shoes to buy, I say Nike.  That’s customer loyalty!

 

Companies can’t mistake customers using them because of short term discounts for true customer loyalty and companies need to be aware of the difference.  Satisfaction is a feeling of gratification while loyalty is faithfulness. If you’re loyal you’re satisfied but just because you’re satisfied doesn’t mean that you’re loyal.  Know what your customers really are!

“Things to Think About” for the Reference Professional

#crlp Know what is expected of the reference program – is it to support Sales, Marketing, both or neither? 

“Things to Think About” for the Reference Professional is a weekly blurb to get you thinking. You can find content here on this blog or at Twitter under the hashtag for Customer Reference and Loyalty Professionals #crlp.

Pixar Knows Employee Loyalty

As a follow-up to one of my recent posts, I thought I’d give a good example of how a company is keeping its employees loyal.  We all know that you’re never going to have 100% employee satisfied, happy and loyal, but you can come close.

 

A few weeks ago my brother-in-law invited me up to Pixar. He has been working there for about two years (he’s still considered the new kid) and has always spoken highly of the company.  And, to reinforce what a cool company it is, my nieces are very very very proud to tell their friends and anyone who listens that their daddy works for Pixar.

 

Let me back up for a minute.  If you don’t know what/who Pixar is, think Steve Jobs, Toy Story, Cars, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles…you get the picture (literally!) Okay, so now you’re with me.

 

My brother-in-law started his career at Pixar in the on campus theater. He was told to sit in the 6^th row because that’s where all the directors sit.  He was told that he was a film maker (he’s in IT) along with everyone else at the company.  That’s everyone from the producer to the cafeteria person to the janitor to the graphics person. Everyone at the company is a film maker.  If that didn’t get him pumped up enough about his first day, Janeane Garofalo (the voice of Colette in Rataouille) was at the office. 

 

Sure, almost everyone likes their first day at the office, but Pixar has been able to keep employees happy and loyal for a lot longer than their first day.  As my brother-in-law was showing me around the office, I was surprised at the “un-office” feeling the company has.  Employees were zipping around on scooters, there were statues of characters from multiple films throughout the hallways, pictures of employees in the company dance, music, screen writing, fly fishing (yes, fly fishing) and art classes adorned one corner of the building.

 

In one section of the building I felt like I was back in college because some of the offices had a very dorm room feeling to them with two people per brightly painted, couch furnished room with the required lava lamp.

 

Three of my favorite aspects of Pixar are:

1) The conference rooms are almost like fish bowls with glass on at least two walls.  When you walk in the main door, look up and you’ll see conference rooms with the glass wall looking down to the “town hall” like square where people meet up and eat. This allows employees to literally see who they are making films for – talking about voice of the customer!

 

2) Being a movie production company, Pixar has access to lots of movies.  Their in house theater previews movies for employees and not always Pixar movies.  The day I visited, I was able to watch one of the movies up for an Oscar.  On a Friday night at 6pm, the theater was crowded!

 

3) Probably my favorite thing about Pixar is that children born during the production of a movie are listed at the end of the movie credits under “Production Babies”.  How cool is that? My youngest niece will be listed at the end of the next Pixar movie. 

 

There are so many different ways to make employees happy and loyal and Pixar seems to have captured it all.  From calling all employees film makers, to recognizing new babies born during production to offering free classes from movie writing to soccer to providing free cereal and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Pixar has captured the market on happiness. My brother-in-law being there two years is still one of the new kids.  That alone says a lot!

 

You can find Pixar jobs here but if you think you’ll have one interview and be hired, think again.  They carefully select only the top notch candidates to join their creative, talented, fun and energetic team.

“Things to Think About” for the Reference Professional

#crlp The customer tells your story better than you do.

“Things to Think About” for the Reference Professional is a weekly blurb to get you thinking. You can find content here on this blog or at Twitter under the hashtag for Customer Reference and Loyalty Professionals #crlp.