http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704407804575425983109795768.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_opinion
***************
"We aren't in the coffee business, serving people. We're in the people business, serving coffee."
(Nabi Saleh)
***************
We are all now part of the great American "service economy" and I'm not sure we're used to it. That may, in part, be a generational observation but today's post by Peggy Noonan in her "Declarations" column gives me hope that I'm not alone.
First, a quick note about WSJ.com. These are people who may not know we're in a service economy now, but I digress. I've attached Peggy Noonan's article but I have no "surity" that those of you reading this will be able to click on it. That's because, even though I pay for my WSJ subscription, and I gain nothing monetarily for my blog posts, WSJ seems to feel obligated not to let me attach articles - some lawyer can probably explain that to me. Noonan's article is: "We Pay Them to be Rude to Us (In the service economy, all of us want to take the chute)", WSJ.com, Peggy Noonan, DECLARATIONS, 8/13/10 (OMG! Friday the 13th!).
JetBlue is an airline created by a team of refugees from Southwest Airlines and its initial success was essentially based on transplanting the Southwest culture to a "start up" while buying/leasing newer larger planes with TVs in the backs of the seats (I simplify, but not too much).
Now, the airline industry is what Warren Buffet calls a "Big Lousy Business" (BLB). And, as Buffet often explains, when an outstanding management team takes on a BLB, no matter how good that team is, it's the BLB that wins.
Back to JetBlue. Steven Slater, the flight attendant that got fed up and slid down the chute, was probably fed up with more than just his passengers. While I'm sure Fortune (or some other business magazine) could explain what JetBlue is doing in terms of making money, the BLB that JetBlue is a part of, sucks (that's a business term). So, policies (especially as they relate to costs) can cause employees to get less support, perhaps, than they feel they deserve. Here, I think of American Airlines announcing a few years back that they are eliminating free "pillows" so that they can save $350,000 per year. While I'm unaware of Steven's situation at JetBlue, it would not surprise me to learn that their flight attendants are getting less support than they think they need.
Back to Peggy Noonan. She points out in her post today that Steven's story is a "cultural story." To quote Noonan: "American culture is, one way or another, a business culture and our business is service." She goes on: "Once we were a great industrial nation. Now we are a service economy. Which means we are forced to interact with each other, every day, in person and by phone and email. And it's making us all a little mad ... We interact so much, we wear each other down."
Noonan's perspective is that over the past 30 years, as we shifted from an industrial economy to a service economy, "manners" became too fancy, or too sexist, or ageist or reflective of class biases. She's right and she articulates her point well.
So, everyone is getting on everyone else's nerves! And, in this economy, "Everyone understands why Steven took the chute!"
One other thing: if you landed from another planet and you needed an explanation of the American culture, Peggy Noonan would be the person to talk to. She's that good!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Just some random - not completely flushed out - thoughts:
ReplyDeleteIt strikes me then that those places we love for being kind - for free refills, friendly service, or going "above and beyond" are in fact those that have managed to hold onto those manners. They say "welcome" and "yes, sir" and recognize that you are a person, not just a source of their next dollar. We refer to them as old fashioned or quaint, but really they simply remember their manners.
And what of the thought that manners have been lost because they aren't efficient or profitable (from a business standpoint)? Consumers would rather pay less for a good or service. In order for a big business to gain the efficiencies it needs to bring us goods and services for less, they cut the expensive stuff - namely the people. Or put policies in place to make people efficient (aka no room to find solutions for each problem, just the generic fix). As much as we all appreciate good service, are we willing to pay for it? How often have we gone to one place to get their friendly advice or knowledgeable suggestions and then gone to another to buy the suggested good or service for less?
For me it's an interesting dilemma: I don't think I should have to pay more to be treated with basic respect, but is that what today's business environment demands? If price rules all, do we have another choice?
Interesting post, as you suspect the article isn't visible to us heathens not paying Rupert Murdoch.
ReplyDeleteI will say having worked in the service industry that some customers are absolute savages to workers.
As a consumer, some servicepeople are complete savages to customers.
Both should knock it off. Last night I was at Wal-Mart and a haggard-looking cashier helped me out. I bantered with her about the weather, made a joke about my weight, etc... she was beaming when I left (my wife pointed this out to me).
Did it "cost" me anything to be nice and engage her, instead of stoically ignoring her like the last person in line had?
Not really. I had a nice time, she did too, and we both left feeling better for it.
Sometimes dollars and cents don't have to enter into it, and sometimes these are situations where it doesn't really apply. If people were just a little friendlier to each other I suspect we'd have a much nicer day-to-day experience in this life.
I know, I'm a real revolutionary here.
Sarah and Craig: thanks so much for your insightful comments! :) It's not expensive to smile and have a positive attitude. You both have (as do many of the students who came before you) Al Casey's definition of "Attitude" (which is really Dr. Charles Swindoll's). Attitude comes before everything. For the Big Lousy Business ("BLB") that is airlines, deregulation made continuing profitability unrealistic - so "saving your way to inconsistent profitability" became the norm: no pillows. We all get to fly "cheaper" but everybody's angry.
ReplyDeleteSarah -
ReplyDeleteNice post! You ask "As much as we all appreciate good service, are we willing to pay for it?" and I think the answer is some are and the market provides for those as well. This is why you have both Wal-Mart and Nordstrom in the retail arena. Many people go to Nordstrom because of the customer service. You also have some "hybrid" organizations like Target which deliver a cheaper product and while not the "white-glove" service of Nordstrom, it is generally much better than Wal-Mart.
Craig - I think you have an excellent point about the dyadic nature of the relationship between employee and customer. As a veteran of both retail and restaurant jobs, I can't tell you how many times that customers thought they could be abusive because the "customer is always right". It is a relationship and like any other relationship both parties should treat the other with basic respect and kindness. Sounds like you held up your end of the deal :)
Tracey: Great comment to Sarah and to the rest of us! :) We have to remember that some industries (as well as some "market spaces" within industries) are just Big Lousy Businesses (Buffet's BLB) and that no amount of putting the customer first is going to help anything. In those cases, cutting down the shear size of your customer base and improving the quality of your service, might be the way to go.
ReplyDelete