Before they move us, we move them

That is a slogan. Of a global multinational company. That for four years operated under Chapter 11 bankruptcy - the largest and longest bankruptcy case in the history of that industry.

A couple of years after the company emerged from that protection, it upset one of its customers. That unpleasant incident could have been resolved in a matter of days at a cost of US$2-3K at most. Instead, the company chose to completely ignore the customer and his concerns. Perhaps because it was on the brink of another bankruptcy – at some point its stock dropped 99% to US$0.01. A year later the stock recovered, but that disgruntled customer retaliated via social media. As a result, the company’s stock dropped again, by over US$200m. 

Fast forward to 2017. Same company. Similar obnoxious ignorance. Only this time social media carries a different weight, and ONE BILLION dollars is wiped off the company’s value. The CEO praises members of his stuff. Without realising, perhaps, that “Before they move us, we move them” doesn't mean dragging bleeding paying customer off the plane to make space for employees. (You would have guessed by now which company I am talking about.)

Compare that to another global player from the hospitality industry. A regular customer experiences some difficulty with customer service. On a Friday evening. He raises the issue with the company’s CEO. Within hours the CEO’s capable team takes the matter in their hands. Regional President is alerted. He instructs his local management accordingly. Eight hours later, by Saturday morning, the customer and his family feel greatly valued by the company. Deep sincere apologies for that small incident are graciously accepted. Problem solved.

To quote Lionel from Maid in Manhattan: “What we do, does not define who we are. What defines us is how well we rise after falling.” So true.

The second company does not have a slogan as such. Instead, one of its Service Culture principles simply says: we seek to deal with others as we would have them deal with us.

P.S. Oscar, give Allen Smith a call. Yesterday.