Airport Business - 26

CUSTOMER SERVICE
AUTHOR Walker Jaroch

Creating Quality
Customer Service

Keeping customers comfortable and loyal is an
easier said than done job, requiring an FBO be
customer service-focused from top to bottom.

CUSTOMER SERVICE, it's an important aspect for
any business and what it means changes from
industry to industry. For a hotel, it may mean the
warm greeting of the concierge. A restaurateur
may prioritize cleanliness and timeliness for their
customers - and for an FBO, they need to take all
of this, and more, into consideration.
Roman Mendez, general manager,
Desert Jet Center, said for him, customer
service is about going above and beyond
expectations.
"The way we define good customer
service is great customer service," said
Mendez. "It is not just about having the
car ready and helping with bags. Those
are helpful services we will always
provide. It's about going to the next
level, above and beyond what is expected
and making sure that things go along
without any hiccups for the customer.
When customers f ly into our FBO,
they are immediately greeted planeside
by friendly and attentive staff offering
water and assistance. On warmer days,
we make sure to have plenty of cold water
available for guests to take. Our team
cars are ready and waiting, cooled off
or warmed up for a comfortable ride to
their destination. Great customer service
is paying attention to the needs of the
individual customer."
Desert Jet CEO Jared Fox agreed,
knowing your customer is the first step
to providing quality service.
"I always say it's a mix between a

five-star hotel and an FBO here and
that's what we're trying to do. Really
anticipatory by knowing our customer,
knowing what their needs are going to
be before they even know it in some
cases," Fox said.
Located at the Jacqueline Cochran
Regional Airport, Desert Jet Center
serves the Palm Springs, Calif., area
which Fox said gives the FBO a unique
clientele, with returning customers flying
in seasonally for the winter months and
making Desert Jet their home.
"This is their home base so they're
in and out," Fox added. "It's one of
the things I fell in love with the FBO
business is the interactions with the
people that we get to see on a daily basis."
Knowing the customer is also key for
Texas Jet's Customer Service Manager
Holly Hopkins, who said the FBO's
approach to customer service is defined
by the customer themselves.
"Good customer service is what our
customers say it is," said Hopkins. "Don't
assume you're doing a good job. Ask
your customers what they think of your
service, safety and facilities."

26 \ AIRPORTBUSINESS / AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2020

Feedback for Desert Jet Center is a
critical parameter in deciding how they
run their operations or make changes,
with the goal of creating a memorable
experience. Mendez said their main
source of feedback comes from talking
with their customers. Some customers
also prefer to leave online reviews and
referrals.
"Receiving feedback is the best thing.
We get a lot of compliments, so we know
what's working. If we get compliments
on something, we really push that
forward. If we get feedback that we need
to improve on something, we want to
work on improving those areas. We want
our customers to know their feedback is
important to us, and that we take it to
heart," Mendez said.
Off line, Fox said his ultimate goal
is to provide an experience that people
can't help but talk about.
"We know that's a tough ask. People
are more likely to share bad experiences
than they are good experiences so
we really have to provide a special
experience, a good, positive experience
for them to start telling their friends and
Airport Business

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