I am currently working as a Purser for one of the world's largest airlines, Delta. As Purser I am responsible for conducting the crew briefing where the flight attendants sign up for the positions they will work on the trip. Conducting an effective briefing is a learned skill. There are only twenty minutes to cover a lot of information, and part of that time is given to the captain for introductions and his briefing. Things get real when we get on board the aircraft and begin the boarding process. There is a second flight attendant leader, the service leader, or commonly known as the "B" (Purser is the "A") and they are in charge of directing the service in the main cabin. As Purser, I am responsible for directing the service in DeltaOne, the company's terminology for our First Class cabin. I introduce myself to each of the customers, offer a menu, and tell them I will be back shortly to record their meal choices and whether or not they want to be awakened for the pre-arrival meal. About a year ago I decided to set expectations for myself and our customers at the beginning of every flight. Here's how that generally goes...
I stand up front and ask for everyone's attention. Then I say "My name is Kevin Keddington, and I am your Purser for the flight. My personal goal, as your Purser, is to make this the best flight you have ever had. I realize that is a very high bar, and since I want to retire in a few years still married, not in jail, and not on the front page of USA Today, I have three limits: Legal, Moral, and Doable. If there is anything that is either legal, moral, or doable, please ask, ask me or any of our flight attendants and give us the opportunity to meet or exceed your wants and needs for this flight, because my ONLY limits are legal, moral, and doable. That way, when you walk off the airplane at the end of the flight, you can honestly say to yourself 'that was the best flight I've ever had!' Welcome aboard!"
I have had only positive responses to this approach. There is something about it that relaxes the traveler's mind, that they can count on being taken care of, that we appreciate their being there and value the opportunity to see just how good a service we can put on. I have had a couple of people say, "Wow, I really like that. I think I will use that in my business" to which I often say "as long as you're willing to pay the royalty since I have copyrighted it." Now I haven't actually asked anyone to submit any royalty payment, but I would like it to be known that it was my original idea. After all, can anyone really expect you or me as a service provider to do any more than what is legal, moral, or doable? The implication is that ALMOST nothing is impossible, if you just ask, that we are willing to do whatever it takes to meet a customer's wants and needs, within an enormous framework of possibilities.
