Deliver Great Customer Service by Practicing Your Craft

“Maybe because I've hit a million balls? … And maybe because I'm dedicated and want it more.” – Vijay Singh, professional golfer ranked No. 1 in the world, 2004-05

Recently, I was reading a newspaper article about the practice habits of professional golfer Vijay Singh, and I thought this would be a good basis for a blog post on delivering the ultimate FBO customer service experience. Perhaps this seems a little disjointed, so allow me to explain.

Whether you follow golf or any other sport, I’m sure you’ve run across articles and have heard TV announcers remark about the successes and failures of professional athletes. Frankly, I like to learn about the elements of success, rather than the failures, so when I read this article on Singh, it reminded me of his breakout year in 2004.

As you may recall, Tiger Woods had vaulted to the top of the world ranking and looked invincible. Then came Singh, playing like a man possessed, and he eventually replaced Woods as the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, at least for a period of time. He openly admitted that his goal was to become the No. 1 golfer in the world, thus replacing Woods, and he knew it would take long hours of practice.

Even Madison Avenue took notice that year. Singh appeared in a TV commercial where he was shown practicing putting on a frozen lake in Alaska while native Eskimos looked on in bewilderment.

And what was the message the commercial was trying to drive home? What made Singh so successful?

Dedication to Practice

The answer, of course, is being good at what you do by practicing your craft. In Singh’s case, it wasn’t just an hour here and an hour there but a wholesale dedication to improving his game through countless hours of practicing, practicing and still more practicing.

Everyone in the golf world was talking about it. Other players took notice, and his work ethic became legendary. As the old joke says, if you looked up the word practice in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Vijay Singh.

As part of our NATA-sponsored FBO Success Seminar, we teach a course on delivering the ultimate customer service experience. Called ”Don’t Forget the Cheese!” we use what we call Cheese Bites to help illustrate various good customer service habits.

One of these Cheese Bites is Practice Your Craft. Like an actor who must perform well on a stage, customer service staff are also on stage every time they put on their uniform and enter the FBO terminal  arena or greet an aircraft on the ramp.

The whole process of delivering a great customer service experience needs to be a well-orchestrated performance, practiced over and over to ensure the safety of not only the customers, but the FBO staff as well.

What Pilots Want from an FBO

At Aviation Business Strategies Group, we’ve conducted many FBO surveys to find out what pilots and dispatchers want most from an FBO. What pilots say is they know whether or not an FBO will deliver a good customer service experience the moment they pull off the taxiway and onto the ramp. If the line service personnel are not on the ball and looking sharp, they know the rest of the turn will be disappointing.

It’s called a first impression, and if an FBO is not practicing the art of delivering a good first impression, the rest of the customer service deliverable is lost!

It all starts with the way the line service crew ushers in an aircraft. Here’s where practice comes to bear. First comes a firm grasp of the wands, followed by crisp movements of the arms and a precise motion signaling the pilot to stop the aircraft at a designated spot on the ramp.

Then, the rest of the crew springs into action by carefully placing orange safety cones according to the SOP manual. Once the passengers disembark, the baggage is swiftly unloaded and placed into the waiting limo, which is then safely escorted off the premises.          

At the proper moment, the lead line service person (or CSR, depending on how you’re organized), approaches the pilot in command and reads back the order information previously sent to the FBO by either a phone message, fax or email. What pilots don’t want to hear is: “Howdy, how can I help ya?” Especially if they took the time to send in an order for service ahead of time.

Remember, You’re On Stage

While at the driving range with with another golfer who had grown frustrated with practicing, Singh admonished the other golfer. “That's your problem,” Singh said. “You won't work at your game enough to be as good as you could be.”

No matter if you are a professional athlete, a line service technician or a customer service representative, practicing your craft is an important element to having a successful career. Remember, when you put on your uniform and hit the deck, you’re on stage, and every customer is watching how you, and your FBO, perform.

If you have any tips or stories to pass along on delivering a great customer service experience, please email me at Ron@thejacksongroup.biz.

Ron Jackson

Ron Jackson is co-founder of ABSG and president of The Jackson Group, a public relations agency specializing in aviation and FBO marketing. He has held management positions with Cessna Aircraft and Bozell Advertising and is the author of Mission Marketing: Creating Brand Value and co-author of Don’t Forget the Cheese!, the Ultimate FBO Customer Service Experience.