Want an FBO Customer for Life? Try Making the Customer Your Fan

By Ron Jackson

“Being a fan doesn't mean being there from the start. It means being there ‘till the end.”
-Anonymous

It’s time for a role reversal in the FBO customer service industry.

Ever since the term “customer service” was first used, our corporate view has been to put the customer on a pedestal and do everything to make them happy. That’s all fine and dandy, as Forrest Gump would say, but it’s a rather dogmatic and reactive approach that can make your customer relationship fragile and leave your employees feeling frustrated.

Here’s something new to think about. It’s a complete role reversal. Instead of you and your team thinking the customer is king, invite the customer to think of your employees the way we think of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Hank Aaron and Cal Ripkin, Jr. There isn’t a red blooded American alive that doesn’t look upon these four with awe. We are their fans.

Baseball not your sport? Think of someone you truly admire for doing something extraordinary. That’s being a fan.

So, why not create an environment at your FBO where the customer becomes your fan!

It’s really a new mindset that takes place in in the process of molding your customer service deliverable. Let’s start by visiting an old axiom, “Go the extra mile?” Where did this come from, and what does it really mean?

It’s actually biblical in nature. During the height of the Roman Empire, a soldier could force someone to carry his backpack one mile. Think how heavy pack must have been? It contained everything a soldier would need while marching for possibly months-on-end. Perhaps a change of clothes, probably food, knapsack and extra spear heads, among other things.

In those days, it was the law. However, it also was forbidden to force someone to carry the pack for more than one mile.

In the biblical account of Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaims if someone forces you to go one mile, go with them two. A modern day interpretation of this verse is to do the unexpected and go the extra mile. Give them something extra, something not required.

In the FBO business, we often see customers come onto our ramps and not purchase any fuel - not even a courtesy load. I’m sure this upsets most FBO managers and their service team.

So, how can we change the mindset of the customer? How can we catch them off-guard and give them something unexpected - something to ponder?

In other words, how can we invite them into experiencing our best customer service?

Can you imagine what would go through a reluctant customer’s mind when you offer to take out their trash, put ice in their galley or clean their lavatory – for free?

“But why would you want to do that?” the customer might ask. “I’m not buying any fuel.”

“I know!” your line service person responds. “That’s just how we do business here at Ajax. Now, how about some fresh brewed coffee for your galley?”

If the customer doesn’t respond with a fuel purchase at this point, chances are a fuel order will be placed the next time they return.

It’s all part of making the customer your fan by going the extra mile. It’s an open invitation to keep doing business with you and make an indelible impression that won’t fade anytime soon.

In today’s social networking climate, chances are that customer will tell others about their experience at your FBO. On the ‘buzz meter’, I think we all would rate this as priceless!

This is just an example of going the extra mile with a reluctant customer. What about the regular customer? What can you do to go the extra mile and make the next fueling a memorable experience? I’m sure you can think of a few things.

As mentioned, it’s all a change of mindset on the part of your employees. You may need to conduct some team-building exercises that help create a culture that rewards them for doing a good job. However, the reward is not monetary. It should be something as simple as a pat on the back from both FBO management and other team members.

At Aviation Business Strategies Group, the discovery work we do with clients indicates that most employees aren’t looking for money or prizes in order to do a better job. What they are really looking for is recognition.

“That was the best galley service I’ve ever seen,” an FBO manager might say to a line service technician. “Way to go. Keep up the good work.”

At Aviation Business Strategies Group, we’ve developed a complete FBO customer service training system called “Don’t Forget the Cheese!” It’s memorable program that can help mold and change current company culture, including your employee team dynamics.

If you’d like some more ideas about making the customer your fan, please give me a call at 972-979-6566 or e-mail me at Ron@thejacksongroup.biz.

Also, please join me and business partner John Enticknap for our next NATA FBO Success Seminar, September 12-14 in Dallas, Texas. In addition, we’ll be hosting a NATA Webinar on June 28 titled: The Most Important Question to Ask a Customer.

About the authors:

Ron Jackson
Ron Jackson is Co-Founder of Aviation Business Strategies Group and President of The Jackson Group, a PR agency specializing in FBO marketing and CSR training. He has held management positions with Cessna Aircraft and Bozell Advertising and is the author of “Mission Marketing: Creating Brand Value” and co-author of “Don’t Forget the Cheese!” the ultimate FBO Customer Service Experience. Ron co-developed NATA’s acclaimed FBO Success Seminar Series and writes an industry blog for AcUKwikAlert.com titled: The FBO Connection. 

John Enticknap
John Enticknap founded Aviation Business Strategies Group in 2006 following a distinguished career in aviation fueling and FBO management, including President of Mercury Air Centers network of 21 FBO locations. He is an ATP and CFI rated pilot with more than 7,800 flight hours and is the author of “10 Steps to Building a Profitable FBO”. John developed NATA’s acclaimed FBO Success Seminar Series and writes an industry blog for AcUKwikAlert.com titled: The FBO Connection.

Want to Deliver a Better Customer Service Experience? Start with External Operational Audits

By John L. Enticknap

What does an external audit program have to do with delivering a better customer service experience? Let’s explore the possibilities.

One of the most popular events at the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) FBO Success Seminar, conducted by the Aviation Business Strategies Group, is a discussion on lowering FBO insurance rates through better operations management. This includes training the CSR and executive staff on safety, customer service, technical procedures and practical application of quality aircraft ground handling techniques.

­­As part of the seminar, we discuss having a good “insurance story” – which essentially tells your insurance agent how the FBO strives to be proactive in preventing costly mishaps. It all starts with a comprehensive safety and training program. Your “story” includes the positive efforts of proper training with programs such as NATA’s Safety 1^st. 

One element of your safety program is an internal or self-audit of: your training, standard operating procedures, ramp operations and fuel quality control. Internal or self-audits are a positive part of your standard operating procedure. However, as you are aware, your FBO also is subject to external audits from airlines, FAA, airports and your insurance carrier, among others. 

Suffice to say, self-audits are necessary, but are not enough. When you do a self-audit, the problem is, you have a built in “human fudge factor”. It’s like giving yourself an annual physical and pronouncing yourself fit, instead of going to the doctor. 

Therefore, external operational audits need to be a part of your standard operating procedures and not just under the line service section. External operational audits also need to be a part of your Customer Service Program. Yes, we said Customer Service Program. What better way to demonstrate to a customer that you are concerned about their total customer service experience than by delivering: 

• Excellent marshaling of their aircraft
• Parking directions
• Proper chocking
• Ramp safety cones
• Marshaling into hangars with two wings walkers
• Fueling the aircraft with wing mats, without fuel spills, with the proper amount
• And yes, with the proper grade of fuel 

Superior customer service is all about earning the customer’s trust in your operation. It is not just about the fancy FBO facilities, or the smiles and pleasant greetings at the front counter. It’s also about your ramp operation and the customer’s perception that their aircraft is secure and out of harm’s way. 

External Audit Programs are the best way to assure your operation is running in accordance with your high standards. Not only safe operations, but conducting operations in such a manner that the customer has confidence that you’re doing things right! Some of the benefits and advantages of external audits include: 

• Providing a true validation of your internal or self-audit program
       – Self-audits are not enough
       – Need an unbiased ‘third party’ audit
       – Eliminates ‘fudge factor’
• You become a more efficient and safe FBO
• Verifies your Standard Operating Procedures
• Follows-up and benchmarks your training programs
• Keeps you in compliance with regulatory standards
• Enables you to establish a Safety Award Program
• Helps build a positive insurance story for your  brokers
• Can result in lower premiums, less costly accidents 

So, what kind of external audits should you conduct and who should you hire to complete the program? Having done numerous audits over the past several years and recently completed the NATA Accredited Auditor Training, my recommendation is to hire someone with proven experience and good references.

One of the newest audit programs available is the NATA Safety 1^st Ground Audit Standard. This program has two primary objectives:

1. To create a consistent operational safety standard for FBOs, airports, and others while increasing the overall safety level of these operations.
2. To provide on-demand charter, fractional and corporate aircraft operators with an alternative to costly proprietary audits of FBOs, airports and others.

So what does the Ground Audit cover? The audit screens seven separate operating areas within an FBO: Management Systems, Safety Management Systems & Quality Assurance, Training, Standard Operating Procedures, Security, Occupational Safety & Health and Environmental Policies & Procedures.

Who conducts the audits? NATA Safety 1^st manages the audit standard, but does not actually conduct the audit. For third party external audit certification, the FBO contracts with a NATA Safety 1^st trained Accredited Auditor. You may also do a self-certification, but the Accredited Auditor must be trained by NATA Safety 1^st.

For more information on this program visit www.nata.aero/groundaudit.

In conclusion, here is a recap of benefits from conducting an external audit: 

1. Safety. Not only for the customer, but for everyone involved in delivering the end product.
2. Better Customer Service Experience. A customer watches how an FBO works and determines, through perception, whether or not the FBO is taking care of business.
3. Lower Churn and Better Margins. A happy customer is a loyal customer. One willing to recommend your FBO, and also willing to pay a higher price to receive a better product delivered in a professional way.
4. Benchmarks Your Deliverables. Quality external audits will help measure your success in delivering a quality customer service experience. Utilized consistently, it will provide a benchmark for your service deliverable. It will reveal whether or not you’re on the right track - that your systems are operating well and if quality control is being maintained to its highest level. 

Tell us what you think!! E-mail us at jenticknap@bellsouth.net 

Accredited Auditor

Look for our next FBO Success Seminar in September 2012—Dallas, TX

http://nata.aero/Event.aspx

Ron Jackson
Ron is Co-Founder of ABSG and President of The Jackson Group, a public relations agency specializing in aviation and FBO marketing. He has held management positions with Cessna Aircraft and Bozell Advertising and is the author of Mission Marketing: Creating Brand Value and co-author of Don’t Forget the Cheese! the ultimate FBO Customer Service Experience. 

John Enticknap
John founded Aviation Business Strategies Group in 2006 following a distinguished career in aviation fueling and FBO management, including as president of Mercury Air Centers. He is the author of 10 Steps to Building a Profitable FBO and developed NATA’s acclaimed FBO Success Seminar Series. 

What’s Your FBO Insurance Story?

A better way to impact your bottom line!

Insurance for FBOs is a necessary business expense with a huge impact on your bottom line. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could effectively manage this activity and even reduce the expense?

This is one of the subjects we cover in detail at our next NATA sponsored FBO Success Seminar, scheduled for November in Atlanta. However, for now, here are some ideas you can incorporate into your business. 

If you’re a medium-sized FBO, we would not be surprised to hear that you are paying $1,000 per day for your insurance package. This is one of your more critical expenses; the one you pay all the time and hope you never have to use. So what can you do to actively manage this activity, not to mention the expense?

One of the key points is get to know your insurance broker on a first name basis. You need to get to know your broker. Have your broker visit your FBO, not just at renewal time, but at regular intervals. It’s your broker who can be the person who saves you money.

Yes, your insurance broker makes a fee off your insurance, but you have to establish a level of trust. That’s because one of your broker’s major jobs is to tell the insurance underwriters about your business, including the risks, accident history, training programs and your plan to manage those business risks.

Step 1

The key to your broker’s better understanding of your businesses begins with developing what we call Your Insurance Story. A main ingredient of your insurance story is establishing a comprehensive preventative safety and training program. Yes, it is more than just training your line service technicians in fuel quality control or fuel and ramp operations.

Whether you use the NATA Safety 1^st program or another program, it’s a first step in the development of a strong company culture fueled by constant operational improvement and active participation to reduce risks.

Step 2

So how do we put this important first step into action?

• Senior management must have a sincere commitment to establishing an active risk management program.
• Pick a training program and stick with it—don’t just teach it, put it into practice.
• Assign the training responsibility to active-hands on employees
• For Line Service—assign a Senior Experienced Supervisor.
  — The Customer Service component must have its own training program.
  — A&P’s must have more than technical training; they also need customer interaction skills.
  — If you employ Pilots and/or Flight Instructors, they need to be intimately involved in your training
      programs. Flight Operations insurance coverage is some of the most expensive in your insurance
      package. 

Step 3

For the third step, you need a good internal audit program. There are many tools out in the industry which can assist you in developing an internal audit program.  This is where your training programs are tested, your employees are seasoned and the company’s policies are validated. Where do you get an internal audit checklist? Talk to your insurance broker or talk to the fractional aircraft operators. For instance, NetJets’ web site posts the FBO Standard of Service document (www.suppliers.netjets.com)

Then follow these steps:

• Review your training program and develop your own checklists.
• Talk to your insurance underwriters.
• Conduct selected internal audits at least quarterly.

Step 4

As part of your good operating practices, you should have, or be willing to develop, a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) guide. I know, you’re a small company and you don’t want any of that “big company” and “big bureaucracy” feel in your own firm. In plain terms, you want to keep it simple!

However, in the aviation world, you need to operate a tightly run ship. It is a precise business, involving the care of multimillion-dollar aircraft. Therefore, you have to use standardized procedures.  The checks and balances that are built into aviation are what keep our operations safe.  

No matter what size your company, use standard training and operating procedures. This is no different than the standardized accounting practices that you must use to keep your books, file your taxes and pay your bills. What happens on your ramp needs to be standardized also!

So what will keep your insurance broker happy and also allow you, as the manager/owner, peace of mind? It’s knowing that your firm is operating well, even when you’re not in attendance.    

Step 5

You need to conduct regular external audits. Internal audits are not enough.

• The company needs an unbiased “third party” audit.
• It eliminates the “fudge factor.”
• It provides a true evaluation and validation of your own internal audit program.
• It helps build insurance story to brokers.
• It results in lower premiums, fewer costly accidents.

Your employees, probably the most important part of your safety program, need to have guidance and empowerment to have the confidence to enforce good operating practices.

Step 6

Therefore, give the power to your employees to enforce the standard operating practices. If they see unsafe operations, they should have the power to stop those operations.

As the old saying goes, “do it right the first time.”  For example, your SOP requires that you have a tug driver and two wing men to tug an aircraft out of a hangar.  On Sunday morning, a customer wants his aircraft and there is only a tug driver available, what does the supervisor do?

If you run a good operation, the aircraft does not get out of the hangar until the SOP requirements are met. Which would you rather have, a damaged aircraft or a customer who can be educated on the correct tugging and towing procedure? An extra employee is less cost to your business than dealing with damage claims.

In addition, your employees need to be recognized for their good works.

• Develop a good rewards program.
• Establish achievable goals and stick to them.  

The Five Most Important Tips for Effective Recognition

• You need to establish criteria for what performance or contribution constitutes rewardable behavior or actions.
• All employees must be eligible for the recognition.
• The recognition must supply the employer and employee with specific information about what behaviors or actions are being rewarded and recognized.
• Anyone who then performs at the level or standard stated in the criteria receives the reward.
• The recognition should occur as close to the performance of the actions as possible, so the recognition reinforces behavior the employer wants to encourage.

So what is your insurance story? It is a concise document that details your actions, training, management culture, audit results and most of all, your accident/incident history. Your investigation of the incidents to find the root cause, and what you’ve done to prevent future incidents: this is what the agents and underwriters want to know. Tell your broker and tell your insurance underwriter(s). 

There are many do’s and don’ts for insurance. But the above actions and efforts will make your company safer and reduce your exposure. And, as a result, you will reduce your claims and reduce your costs. Make sure your employees enjoy the fruits of their labor and reward them.

I’d like to hear from you—email me at jenticknap@bellsouth.net

John Enticknap

John Enticknap founded Aviation Business Strategies Group in 2006 following a distinguished career in aviation fueling and FBO management, including as president of Mercury Air Centers. He is the author of 10 Steps to Building a Profitable FBO and developed NATA’s acclaimed FBO Success Seminar Series.