Like many of you, I travel a lot for my business and every year strive to earn “gold” status in my airlines frequent flier program. And like many of you, I see the benefits of being a “preferred traveler” diminishing. Yes, we are seeing cut backs in every industry, and the airline industry is no different. And yet, what value is it for customers to engage in frequent flier programs, invest tens of thousands of dollars to a preferred airline, and be treated no different from any other customer?
Here are a few real-life scenarios of recent experiences I had as a “gold” customer on my preferred airline of travel:
- Needing to introduce myself as a “gold” frequent flyer customer even though the airline gold program assured me that flight attendants would know my status
- Little to no difference in wait times as some airports
- Very surly attitudes on the part of attendants whenI asked them for the “benefits” that I supposedly should be receiving anyway
- Standing in MVP gold lines and not being helped or acknowledged
- Flights not having first class upgrades available
- A dedicated phone number for “gold” members but representatives who are not knowledgeable in what services should be offered
But this BLOG is more than my venting about my experiences. I write this to help you think about how you are treating your major donors and customers. What ways are you telling them “thank you” for doing business with us? What special perks are you providing to assure them that their status is worth it? What are you doing to make sure you are constantly creating innovative ways to provide benefits? (In this economy – companies need to get creative to offer benefits). What are meaningful methods to remind your major customers that you appreciate their investment in your company?
