Southwest Airlines Customer Service
By: Fran Halford
You have proven that you not only “try” but “do” the right thing.
Our company delivers corporate training services to organizations across the US and abroad. As “road warriors,” our trainers have their share of horror stories of airport or airline experiences. Those negative experiences tend to get told and retold. Unfortunately, truly exceptional service—memorable moments that deserve recognition—often goes unnoticed and unspoken.
Many times, employees providing top-quality customer experiences do not have the opportunity to see they really have made a difference by simply taking an extra step toward service excellence. We would like to change that in at least one case.
When deplaning a recent SWA flight, one of our trainers left a book on the aircraft. The book had been a gift and the trainer blamed himself for his forgetfulness. He accepted the fact that the meaningful inscription on the inside of the page would likely never be duplicated. After telling us what happened, we all recalled the many items we had left on airplanes that were never recovered.
Several days after the incident, a package arrived at our office…the book. Inside was the inscription, a personal poem signed by his dearest friends Margaret and Woody.
SWA personnel found the book and researched the incident. They identified the purchaser of the ticket, Alliance Training and Consulting, by a boarding pass used as a bookmark. They then sent the lost book to our office. This in itself is a superior customer service effort, but here is the best part; the bookmark-boarding pass used by the trainer was a Northwest Airline boarding pass-not even one from SWA!
Our trainer was elated to learn the book had been returned. His enthusiasm for the exceptional customer service was contagious. As our “training personalities” took over, we decided to let all of our trainers know about the incident and ask them to include it in the examples of exceptional customer service in their training sessions.
© 2025 Alliance Training and Consulting, Inc.
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Customer Service: A Profit Center not a Cost Center
By: Vincent Amen and Scott Hornstein
This case study explores how Padgett-Thompson, a seminar company, increased revenue by 47% by refocusing the call center on outstanding customer care. Padgett-Thompson is a respected learning institution with an impressive track record of providing popular, skill-building training since 1977.
With a database of 6.2 million customers and prospects, Padgett-Thompson annually conducted over 8,000 public seminars with over 380,000 attendees. In addition, each year they have conducted over 2,200 onsite customized training programs for individual companies. Their most popular seminars included:
- How to Legally Fire Employees with Attitude Problems
- Basics of Accident Prevention and OSHA Compliance
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Communicating with Tact and Diplomacy
In line with a corporate mandated belt-tightening, Padgett was asked to reduce cost. Since the call center constituted the largest percentage of overhead or payroll budget, Padgett was directed to reduce call-center cost. The call center is viewed as an order taking operation. Additionally, customer service, especially as administered through the call center, had always been viewed as a cost to be controlled. There should always be downward pressure on the cost of an order to increase margin.
We would like to present a different view, where the purpose of the call center is not to take orders, but to deliver outstanding customer service. Superior customer care drives high customer satisfaction, which in turn increases near-term sales and loyalty. Loyalty, in turn, is a key component of long-term profitability.
Thus, the call center should be viewed as a profit center; a key component of the media mix, measured and rewarded for revenue, customer satisfaction and lifetime value.
Here is some supportive research illustrating the impact of poor customer service on customers, revenue and loyalty. Accenture commissioned International Communications Research to survey customers in the US and UK about their customer service experiences, focusing on telephone and Internet customer service interaction (5/05). Source: e-Marketer, 8/01/05). Almost half said that poor customer service led them to change a service provider in the past year.
Following are the reasons cited for switching:
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Poor service or product quality (61%)
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Get lower prices (46%)
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Service reps lack of knowledge about a providers services or products (39%)
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Lack of customized solutions (22%)
Our guess is that poor service, just like poor product quality, refocuses the customer from the benefits of the product to the price. Value-added products compete on benefits, commodities compete on price. Lack of product knowledge is, not surprisingly, a training issue. Training is also a substantial variable in the call center budget and a target of cost-cutting. Customized customer service training solutions are an outgrowth of a company's commitment to quality.
According to this research, the following are the most frustrating aspects of interacting with a customer service representative:
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Being kept on hold too long (78%)
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Needing to repeat information to multiple CSRs (75%)
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Inability of the CSR to solve problems (69%)
Additionally, 43% cited “not personable” and 43% cited “lack of personalized solutions.”
The results of this research certainly seem to uncover substantial opportunity. And that opportunity starts with investing in, and tasking the call center with, providing outstanding customer service. Instead of cutting cost, let’s generate more revenue under the existing cost structure. While intellectually this is a “no-brainer,” implementation involved basic but substantial change in three areas: positioning, measurement and process.
The call center needed to be repositioned as a corporate resource, providing outstanding customer care as a strategic product of the corporation. Representatives then became a corporate asset, moving from a “customer service representative” to “Learning Consultants.” Measurement must include the basic call center metrics as well as a system for recognizing and rewarding achievement in customer service and revenue.
The process had to change in order to view the customer differently. Prior to this, the customer was viewed as a call, as a transaction. Take the order and move on to the next call. The process now had to encompass a view of the customer lifecycle – the customers’ wants, needs, and aspirations from the time they are thinking about training; to the research and investigation of specific training programs; to the actual seminar; and back at the office when they use the skills and concepts taught. Instead of just recording a sale, the learning consultants were expected to help customers make informed decisions based upon their goals. Necessarily, ongoing training became the catalyst for change.
© 2025 Alliance Training and Consulting, Inc.
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Customer Service Skills for Success - $65.00
Learn the skills needed to communicate effectively with customers and deliver world class service customers expect.
Product Code: CS101
Duration of Course Access: 12 months
Introduction and Overview
Customers are the lifeline of any organization. You can advertise incredible promotions and drastically reduce your prices to build your customer base, but unless you retain your customers, your organization will not survive.
Studies have shown 25% of an organization’s customers are unhappy all the time. And if that unhappy customer takes their business elsewhere, it will cost the organization five times as much to replace them as it would have cost to keep them.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course you will be able to:
- Determine who your customer is
- Know how your customers buy
- Identify what the customer actually wants from you
- Become customer-focused
- Satisfy the customer
This online program is designed to aid Customer Service Representatives in delivering quality service to avoid costly service errors, minimize customer frustration and improve customer retention.
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View: Instructor-Led Customer Service Courses, Seminars and Workshops
Customer Service Training Course Directory
Customer Service Courses
We bring Customer Service training to you - offering live, instructor-led sessions either onsite at your workplace or virtually, giving your team the flexibility to learn in the way that works best for them.
Customer Service Training Information
Customer Service Training for World-Class Customer Care
Instructor-Led Onsite, Live Virtual & On-Demand Customer Service Training
Learn essential customer care skills to achieve world-class customer service, strengthen customer loyalty, and create a positive, service-driven workplace culture.
Alliance Training & Consulting provides interactive customer service training workshops, live virtual training, and on-demand recorded webinars for organizations committed to improving the customer experience and achieving consistent service excellence.
Customer Service Training That Builds Strong Service Cultures
Our customer service training programs help organizations:
- Establish clear, company-wide customer service standards
- Improve service communication across all customer touchpoints
- Resolve customer complaints efficiently and professionally
- Build trust, loyalty, and long-term customer relationships
Participants learn practical techniques they can apply immediately in real-world service situations.
Proven, Interactive Customer Service Training That Works
Our onsite customer service training and our CSR Webinars go far beyond a list of do’s and don'ts. Through interactive exercises, case studies, group discussions, and hands-on practice, participants learn how to:
- Retain customers and encourage repeat business
- Respond confidently to challenging customer interactions
- Deliver consistent, professional service under pressure
Practice sessions built into every course ensure skills transfer directly to the job.
Customer Service Skills Your Team Will Develop
- Create superior customer satisfaction
- Identify what customers really want and expect
- Communicate effectively by phone, email, and face-to-face
- Handle difficult and demanding customers with confidence
- De-escalate conflict and resolve complaints professionally
- Strengthen customer loyalty with new and existing customers
- Improve sales and upselling opportunities through service
Training That Improves Results Across the Organization
- Identify obstacles preventing higher service performance
- Improve customer interactions across all service channels
- Implement proven techniques to increase customer loyalty
- Focus service efforts on outcomes that matter most to customers
- Improve sales performance and expand the customer base
Whether addressing everyday service challenges or high-stress situations, participants gain tools to deliver service consistently.
Why Customer Service Training Matters
Excellent service is critical to organizational success. Customers expect service representatives to be courteous, knowledgeable, and efficient in every interaction.
Just as accountants, engineers, and IT professionals require training to perform effectively, customer service professionals need specialized training to handle difficult customers, resolve complaints, and manage demanding service challenges. Customer service excellence is not instinctive - it is a learned skill developed through targeted training.
Training Delivery Options
All customer service courses are available in:
- Instructor-led Onsite Training
- Live Virtual Instructor-led Training
- On-Demand Recorded Customer Service Webinars
Programs can be customized to meet your organization's goals, industry, and service environment.
Who Should Attend
This training is ideal for:
- Customer service representatives
- Call center and contact center teams
- Front-line service staff
- Help desk and support professionals
- Client-facing professionals in any industry
📞 Get Started Today
Contact us at 913-385-5515 or complete our Contact Form to discuss your customer service training needs. We'll help you select the right onsite, live virtual, or on-demand customer service training solution for your organization.