This is a mild rant.

A while back, I flew a very, very well-known airline.  It was a typical flight – very crowded, not many people looking happy with the process.  Including the flight attendants, or the counter agents.  They all looked like, and acted like, they would rather be somewhere else – anywhere else.

As I boarded the plane, I commented to the flight attendant as I boarded:  “you look tired.”  She said, “you have no idea…”  She was probably grateful that I gave her permission to voice her fatigue.  But, if you want to know the truth, I was pretty tired myself.  And a welcoming face, with a glad to see you voice tone, would have been nice.  Not from this crew!

As the doors closed, we were shown a video.  On it were smiling faces, with perky voices, all saying “thank you” for choosing this particular airline.

The contrast between the (assumedly paid) faces and voices on the video screen, and the real, live voices and faces on the airplane, were stark, dramatic… No one was thanking me in person for choosing this airline.  Just the hired voices were doing the thanking.

So, if you can’t actually provide genuine, smiling and welcoming customer service, just hire it done, with a facade of customer service.

Contrast that with the tone of real, live flight attendants I have seen on Southwest Airlines.  At times, I feel like they are borderline too perky, too happy, too cheerful…  Bur after this contrast, I will gladly accept the perkiness of Southwest Airlines whenever I have a choice.  In fact, when I have a choice, I will go out of my way to choose Southwest Airlines.  I will gladly trade an assigned seat for a face and voice genuinely glad to have me on board.

Get customer service wrong, and it leaves an “I’d rather be somewhere else myself” impression on this customer.