I understand that it may be a challenge to have a positive attitude early in the morning. I even understand that other customers may set employees off with their unpleasant attitudes. But it is imperative to maintain great customer service at all times.
This morning at MDW upon arrival, my mother asked Nancy (SWA employee) for wheelchair service. With an attitude and extremely dismissive, she told us to go to Full Service check-in. I went to sit in the wheelchair section and door 3 and my mother proceeded to the counter. This process is normal for MDW and for most airports around the country. But, her nasty disposition with us, was unacceptable. What made me log on and share this experience is while I was waiting patiently for wheelchair service, Nancy offered a couple that had just walked in a wheelchair and the couple was on their way. NOT OK! I wasn't going to say anything, but I walked over to her in pain and out of breath, to ask her why she would do that. Nancy was caught and stumbled to find a reason. She knew she was wrong. And she didn't even apologize.
ALL customers should be treated with fairness and with a pleasant demeanor. We were nice to Nancy. She should have returned the same. Customer service and customer experience is the reason why you retain customers. There are many other airlines that I can choose. Chicago is a major city with multiple airports in the area. I love and adore the majority of SWA employees and most of my flights are enjoyable. But, Nancy needs to be reminded that customer experience is directly linked with ROI. I'm confident the C-Suite executives wouldn't be pleased with this. Put her in a non-customer facing position if she can't be nice and pleasant. And if she's not a morning person, change her shift!
