Taco Bell Says...

My flight from Belgrade to Milan had mechanical problems so 20 minutes after take off we turned around and made our way back to point of departure. I sat for two hours in a dingy and uncomfortable waiting room before Alitalia called to tell me I was going to miss my connecting flight to Delhi. After collecting my bag and going to the Alitalia office the lady at the desk asked me if I wanted the same flight for the next day.

“Yes,” I replied, “but I would prefer you get to me to Milan today. Get me a hotel there tonight and I will continue my journey tomorrow.”

“Oh, I can’t do that,” she said, “As your flight has not yet been cancelled.”

“So, you can’t get me to Milan to get my connecting flight and you can’t give me a hotel because officially it isn't canceled? So what should I do, wait another five hours before you do cancel the flight so I can get a room?”

Eventually they put me on a Lufthansa flight and I arrived in Delhi the next day. I thought about the events of this journey and how interesting standard operating procedures prohibit people from thinking rationally. I realize procedures are put into place for a purpose, but procedures, sometimes, confine people inside a process box that does not allow them to logically view problems and seek alternatives. You would think that there would be training, especially in customer service, that would help employees solve problems whether it is within procedure or not. Here are some training tips on how to help employees think outside the grid of rules and regulations.

1. Your First Responsibility is to Solve The Problem - If the predicament is the company’s fault, the representative for the company should be trained to solve the customer’s problem? The lady at the Alitalia service(?) counter would have been happy to book me for the next day’s flight, if I paid for my own hotel room. She was trained to follow procedure, not helping me, the paying customer, to rectify a situation that was clearly the fault of the airline.

2. Problem Solving Is Profitable - Solving problems for the customer, in the long run, will add to the bottom line, not detract from it. I suspect Alitalia was trying to save a few bucks by not paying for a room to keep me that night. I’m not sure how they come out better by passing me off to Lufthansa but, it seemed apparent to me the lady was trained to think about how to save the company money, not how to help the customer. When a company has that mentality it shouldn’t come as a surprise when they loose market-share. Next time perhaps I will simply book on Lufthansa as I am not sure Alitalia will help me in a pinch. If the company would have solved my problem it is a company I am more likely to want to do business with in the future. If I have to solve problems created by others, I will find another travel option.

3. Take Responsibility - After two hours standing around in an stuffy lounge, the natives were getting restless. When people asked those at the desk for information, i.e., what is the estimated time we might continue our journey; who will help with the connecting flights? those with the walkie-talkies and badges merely shrugged their shoulders and said, “I’m not in charge.” Hey, we don’t want you to be in charge, but since you do work here it would be nice for someone to say, “I’m not in charge, but I will find the person who can and will help.” Maybe they won’t be any more helpful than the lady behind the customer service (?) desk, but, as Taco Bells says, think outside the bun -- take responsibility. It’s called taking initiative, which seems to be lacking in customer service training.

The good news is I made it home with just a 10-hour delay. Through it all I never lost my temper, was never rude and didn’t act like an idiot, which is more than I can say for some of my fellow passengers. It does no good to burst a blood vessel when things go wrong, especially when it's things out of my control. My outlet is this blog, which few people will read. But, who knows, maybe someone from Alitalia or someone else in customer service will stumble across it will and be of help. Either way, I’ve got it off my chest. Blogging can be so therapeutic.