Been really busy...

It's been really busy the last few weeks!

Auckland Aero Club is having a competition practice day this weekend (weather permitting). Should be interesting. We'll have a landing grid set up, where the objective is to land an aircraft smack in the middle of the thing. Sounds easy. Yeah right.

I'll be flying a Grumman American AA1-C trainer aircraft (as above) - it's got a fairly quick approach speed for such a small aircraft (70-75kts), but when you pull the power off it tends to try and fall out of the sky (which can a good thing if you're trying to land on a spot!).

Actual competition day is early October at Whitianga aerodrome which should help to sort out the men from the mice - and find us a team for the regional comps in November.

Competition rules are as per the RNZAC rules (www.rnzac.org.nz).

Customer Service. What? You Gotta Be Kidding!

Hmmm, OK, so I'm hardly likely to lecture on customer service, but hey, I've had some really good examples of really bad stuff recently.

Ever dealt with an organisation that treats you as if your only mission in life is to make their life horrible?

You know the types. The don't acknowledge correspondance. They never get back to you. Worse still, they promise to keep you up to date, but you never hear from them again.

Weird.

It's not as if you really want to be a pain. I mean, hey, you might even be able to help them make a bit of cash! But no, they really don't care.

Come on guys - keeping customers happy is really simple!

1. Under promise, over deliver.
It's better to say it will be ready in a weeks time, and deliver tomorrow than the other way around... Simple, eh?

2. Keep in touch!
Even a weekly/monthly form email is better than leaving them wondering if you've died or fallen into a rather large hole!

Oh yeah - a pet hate - don't set an expectation you'll get back to someone then avoid them like they have some horrible, highly contagious desease!

3. Don't lie - even to save your own backside
You'd be surpised how many times your customers work out that you're telling lies - usually before you manage to shut your mouth... OK, so you may have to withhold information from time to time, accentuate the positive and all that stuff, but black is never white and blue is not red... get the picture?

4. Treat them like they are the best, even if they're not.


Did I ever mention that I ramble on like a maniac? Oh well, send me a comment - it might encourage me to keep on rambling!