Tuesday Morning CX Thoughts

Big Changes in One Week

Quite a bit can happen in just one week. In the face of so many changes in our world following #COVID19 I think most are aware that "normal" will not ever be the same again. This will hold greater significance for me as I've finally taken the final step in my family's move to Hawaii. A move like this is challenging to say the least, but add the complexities a global pandemic into the equation and you'll understand why my cover picture means so much more.

If you follow me on LinkedIn, you know that my weekend got an early start with my participation in a portion of the NFL Draft on Thursday. In general, I watch the first night of the draft anyhow, but usually just in the background of my other activities. This year, I decided to host a virtual watch party with participants stretching from Florida to Hawaii. After my plans were in place, things took a twist with me being invited to represent my favorite team on TV as part of the virtual audience. Getting to see the inner workings of the draft was a #FanExperience highlight, and the same held true for friends that unexpected saw me on TV. Despite everything going on, I made more of that experience (both the participation and the experience with friends) than I have before. I'll talk more about this on our webinar and the impact on fans, just be certain to register here and join us for the conversation.

A Nearly Empty San Francisco International Airport

The next day, I was on a plane to my new home. My preference would be to drive in my own car, but until they build a bridge to Hawaii, that won't be happening. The #travel experience was nothing like I expected, and that was a great thing. The #CustomerExperience was unique in so many ways that can't be replicated in normal times. From three ticketing agents engaging in a full conversation with us as we checked our bags, the TSA agent that was about as friendly as I've ever seen them (despite his comments mentioning it was the busiest day in the last few weeks with only a dozen or so passengers going through screening at the time), to the very cautious flight attendants that wanted to be very careful with their health but still wanted to engage in conversation with passengers during the flights which were nearly empty.

All Passengers Accounted For on Our First Flight

While it might be easy to focus on the difficult aspects of the trip (the lack of services in airports was overwhelming and the entry into Hawaii had more pressure than clearing customs in an unfriendly country), it was the most friendly experience I think I have encountered in several years in travel. In fact, when I reflect back, many of my great travel experiences came at a time of crisis. Certainly not at this level, but weather that was interrupting routes, a delay with a mechanical issue and even once a hurricane altering my vacation route. What stands out with all of those situations, much like the situation over the past few days and including my draft experience? It was all about basic needs being met - conversation, understanding and empathy. That is nearly impossible when, by example at Denver International Airport, you have approximately 200,000 passengers passing through in a single day as was the case in 2019. By contrast, the average volume is down 95% for the same time in 2020.

It is not profitable to be operating like this, but those that I spoke with (from a safe social distance) all commented about two things: the scene was surreal but the employees were as friendly as we've ever seen them. I wish there were more people for me to ask (I'm sure there could be some commentary about my #MarketResearch scientific methods), but it certainly wouldn't have been the same. It does remind with a fact that we sometimes forget #CX isn't about measurement, it's about the actions we take - in good times and in bad. And here's to hoping that normal never returns when we get back to normal.

One Additional Thought

If you don't think it is the little things that matter, the customer experience highlight was going through the CLEAR lane and recognizing that they moved away from fingerprint identification to a retinal identification to avoid having to touch anything, yet still wiping the kiosk down both before and after using it, then handing me a small bottle of hand sanitizer that I could use throughout my journey. I felt valued as a customer!