In this blog, I will NOT debate the merits of what has taken place on United Airlines or American Airlines or any other airline. More information will be revealed.
Dealers take note: one big reason that negative publicity for airlines has multiplied also affects dealerships.
Customer Service and Perceptions
Video footage gives proof of some of what took place on airlines, but perceptions prior to seeing the videos fuels outrage. ACSI or American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) ranked the airline industry in 2011 as having the worst customer service. It’s been near the bottom ever since.
The ACSI ranking is reality, not perception.
The perception of the airline industry is already negative just like it is for say, cable television providers. This perception makes it easy for consumers to believe an airline employee did something wrong.
Following is an interesting way to research consumer perceptions: using Google search you can type a fragment sentence and see perceptions of just about any industry.
Before the sentence is finished, Google’s technology guesses what I am going to type (blue highlight) based on what others have typed into Google. This is not Google’s opinion. It is based on data which suggests what thousands or even millions of people have typed into Google previously.
Compare the airline employee question to a Chick-fil-A example.
I fly the friendly skies often, speaking at dealer conventions and spending consulting days with dealers all over the country. I’ve never been dragged off of a flight nor have I threatened a flight attendant; but I have experienced many snippy, miserable flight attendants and other airline employees. This makes it easy for me to believe that an airline employee was in the wrong.
I didn’t post a screenshot of dealer perceptions here because it’s offensive. Check it out for yourself. Go to Google and type in, “Why are car sales” and “Why are car dealers” and read how Google auto-populates the rest of the sentence.
Final Thoughts for Dealers
Know what the perceptions of the car dealer industry are. Avoid the negative and highlight the positive.
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