enx magazine

* JetBlue's customer experience meltdown began with a winter 2007 snowstorm - when they canceled 1,096 flights, stranding thousands of passengers, flight attendants and pilots.

* Con Edison's New York City customers experienced a 10-day power outage in the summer of 2006.

Seven Ways to Recover from Losing Trust

(1.) Start by apologizing; communicate quickly.

And don't apologize if you can't do it right. Start with sincerely caring, communicate what happened, explain how you will help customers - and do it quickly.

(2.) Be humble. JetBlue had the advantage in their situation because of their service record and history. David Neeleman, JetBlue's CEO, said he felt "mortified" and "humiliated" and began to take action immediately. Neeleman exercised even great concern when he stepped aside as CEO to hand the operations leadership over to Dave Barger, who he said was better prepared to lead that side of the business.

(3.) Make sure your customers know you care; put yourself in the customer's shoes. Menu Foods missed an opportunity here. People want to see a dog and cat food company show great empathy for the pet-ownership emotional connection.

(4.) Turn "recovery" into an opportunity that asks your customers, "Who else" would respond this way?

For example, why don't airlines have a contingency plan to transform delays during spring and winter break (when families are forced to spend long periods of time waiting in airports) into unexpected experiences? Imagine families' reactions when airline employees give games and snacks to the kids? Imagine the number of people who would recommend the company based on this inexpensive but positive experience.

(5.) Make sure to tell customers about extra steps that are being taken to make sure this does not happen again. This will build and keep customer loyalty.

(6.) Communicate frequently, actively and enthusiastically. Find an active way in the media to communicate directly to customers about what is happening, where they can get help and what is being done to fix the situation.

(7.) Make the changes necessary to ensure that this does not happen again. Think about Tylenol. In 1982, Johnson & Johnson experienced a crisis when it was discovered that numerous bottles of its Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules contained cyanide. The company recalled more than 31 million bottles at a cost of over $100 million. Johnson & Johnson's response was immediate, active, extensive and appropriate.

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