Succeed By Transforming, Not Conforming

You've probably heard that Southwest Airlines is experimenting with assigning seats to customers now. Southwest, a customer experience darling has always been known for their efficient but cattle call-like, first come first serve seating. There's a lot of chatter on other blogs and in the media about how great it is that Southwest is now like all the others. But are they?

Southwest still knows the customer better than most other airlines, let alone most companies. They continue to look for ways to make the customer's experience a better one - not conform to outdated and inefficient ways to keep doing the same old thing. The first day of assigned seating and planes ended up leaving early from the gate. Now that's something that every airline could learn from.

Comments

[Tim Whelan]

Maybe its just that they unlike so many others actually listened to their customer feedback and adjusted to meet the customers need.

This goes beyound conforming or transforming. It is all about focus, the focus on the customer. It's about listening, identifying and formating a responsive action to what the customers real needs are.

Transformation? Well maybe if you weren't listening in the first place.