How Southwest Airlines Gets Feedback From Its Customers

 If you've ever flown Southwest Airlines, you know that getting on the aircraft boils down to "first come, first seated." They don't have assigned seating. However, the downside to that is, if you are in the roughly 40 people in the first boarding group (the "A" group) and you want a  particular seat with extra leg room, then you usually wind up standing near the boarding ramp for 30 minutes or longer. After flying Southwest for 30 years, I've finally gotten sick and tired of it. Sometimes, people stand in line longer than they wind up sitting on the airplane (AUS-DAL, for example).

Southwest has considered changing their policy for several years. Now they're using their corporate blog, Nuts About Southwest, as one way to solicit feedback from their Customers. See their post, Enhanced Boarding.

If you're a business owner, take a look at their blog. Notice the mixture between humor, "back story," and seriousness. By giving readers an inside peek at their operations and culture, they're building stronger customer loyalty which also translates into positive word of mouth advertising. It also gives them a channel to communicate with their customers when something goes wrong and to negate negative word of mouth advertising.

You may not have time to write a blog about your business, but perhaps several of your employees do. This is yet another way to distinguish yourself from your competition.

If you're a Southwest Airlines Customer, consider dropping by and leaving a comment with your opinion of the boarding process.Or, if you don't fly Southwest becaause they don't assign seats, drop by and give them that feedback. Your comment may tip the balance to your favor.

Regards,

Glenn