Your Staff Are They Creating Raving Fans

Developing the Next Generation of Rainmakers Your Staff: Are They Creating “Raving Fans?” If you know me, you know I have traveled on business my entire adult life. I have over 5 million miles on American Airlines and over 1 million more on Delta, just to give you a sense of how much I have traveled. In this post I want to share with you how your staff can make a difference.  I use as the example, Laurie, one of the managers at the Denver Airport American Airlines Admiral’s Club. If you click you will see Yelp reviews. One reviewer said: Smiling faces and service! The folks working the Admirals Club are some of the best in the system. They have a warm smile as you walk down the hallway to go through the glass doors, and make you feel welcome from that moment on. Another reviewer said: I visit quite a few Admirals clubs (ok, maybe I’ve been to about all of them!) and this is one of the best…The thing that makes this club most special is the staff. I have been here multiple times and ALWAYS have been treated well. Nowhere will you find people more willing to call gates, operations, or anyone else necessary to make sure that your trip is a smooth one. I can’t say enough good things about them! In an era of deteriorating service in the travel industry, this club is a welcome respite! The reviewers nailed it. I bet they met Laurie. If I wrote a review I would say it just the way they did. Laurie has made a great impression on me and many others American Airlines flyers.   Several years ago, I regularly traveled to Denver. When I returned to Dallas, I always stopped by the Admiral’s Club at Denver International Airport. There, I met Laurie who was one of the Admiral’s club managers. She was special. She was incredibly nice, always upbeat and always helped me if there was any problem with my flight. Like one of the reviewers, Laurie called the gate for me and went the extra mile to make my trip smooth.  The bottom line is Laurie genuinely enjoyed helping people and it showed. I traveled to Denver this week. I got to the airport for my return flight early, so I went to the Admiral’s club. When I entered I told the person at the front desk I was testing my memory because I could not find Laurie’s name in my contacts. It turned out that Laurie was working that day. It also turned out that she is retiring at the end of the year. I got the opportunity to write a message and sign my name in her retirement book. I don’t travel to Denver that often now, but I know I will miss her. I mentioned that I have well over 5 million miles on American Airlines. Since 9/11 there is little I can say positive about air travel. It’s a hassle. Like the reviewers, I believe it’s the people who work for American that can, and many do, make the travel less stressful and more enjoyable. If you are a regular reader you might remember I wrote about another American employee who has retired. See  How your client service is measured. I wrote about Sherry Buss, a now retired ticket agent with American Airlines in Omaha, where she worked 28 years. Like Laurie, Sherry was exceptional and anyone who flew American in or out of Omaha recognized it. So, just suppose your receptionist and the rest of your staff were like Laurie or Sherry. Just suppose someone said the same things about them that you have read here. It would not make your legal work any better, but it would make your clients’ experience when visiting your office far better. P.S. Do you remember a blog I posted in 2013 about just such a person working in a Toronto based law firm? If not read:  Who Just Might Be the Most Important Person in Your Office? I practiced law for 37 years developing a national construction law practice representing some of the top highway and transportation construction contractors in the US.