Years ago my wife and I were flying out of O’Hare in Chicago during the Christmas holidays. We asked the gate agent at the terminal if there was a meal on the flight. He checked our tickets and said there wasn’t. We thanked him and headed to the food court to grab a couple of sandwiches.
We bought our food and headed back to the terminal when we heard our names over the PA. When we approached our gate agent, he told us that he had moved us to first class, and that there was a meal in first class. He smiled as he said the last part. We expressed our gratitude while he changed our tickets.
It was a crowded flight and he could have done that for anyone. What probably set us apart from the others is that we didn’t complain when we found out we didn’t get a meal. It wasn’t his fault, but I’m sure he heard complaints about it from others.
The lesson here is that it pays to be nice. You should always be nice without the thought of getting something in return; because it’s the right thing to do. Often you’ll be rewarded for it. We were rewarded for treating the gate agent respectfully. After all, he had no control over whether or not there was a meal on our flight.
I’m sure he felt good giving us the surprise upgrade. When people are nice to us we want to be nice back. If a server at a restaurant makes you feel special you’ll leave a larger tip. If employees at a company treat you like a friend and not a transaction you’ll visit more often, spend more money, and tell others about your experience. We love being valued.
When we are treated how we think we should be treated we remember it. It can fuel us for days with positive energy and it inspires us to be kinder. Thankfully, as human beings, we have the power on how we treat others.
Companies often forget that customers are human beings; not an account or ID number. We have names. We have feelings, aspirations, and fears. It benefits everyone to remember this. When we treat someone like a decent human being amazing things can happen.
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