News from Cfleesia

iwc:

Trying out the Harvard Idea Cast podcast.  Heard a couple of dry ones, and one good episode: #107, Singapore Airlines’ Winning Strategy (they don’t provide a page for the episode, so the best I can do is to link to the MP3 file - about 10 minutes long). Towards the end of the episode, Professor Rohit Deshpande talked about three lessons that we can all learn from Singapore Airlines:

1. Marketing should be treated as an investment, and not as an expense. This is a particularly important thing to remember as our economy gets worse, as marketing budget is usually the first thing to get cut.  Prof Deshpande thinks that if we can change our point of view and see marketing as an investment, we’d make better decisions during good or bad times.
2. Focus needs to be on the customer - rather than on the product or the service.  There’s a big difference between serving your customer and having the best product.  And the professor believes that if your business is “customer-centric” and you’re giving what the customer need - you can ride through the tough times because your customers will stay with you.
3. Getting the customers involved in all aspects of your business - and have them involved in helping you solve problems.  I agree with this to a certain extent…  Customers are obviously important, but I think the opinions of your customers are often formed by the very few vocal ones, and they may not represent the majority.

About the airline industry - it seems that most airlines are providing great service and attention to their business and first class customers.  For us normal folks who cannot afford business class, we are treated like cattle.  I think it’s strange to split up your customers into the very rich and the extreme price-conscious.  What about the folks in the middle, who are willing to pay extra but cannot make the jump to business class?  Maybe there’s something I don’t know about the airline industries, but it seems to make sense to create a middle class, that I can pay extra for a bit extra legroom, humane service and decent food.  Is that too much to ask for?

Put this alongside recent reports about SIA considering an extra charge for the (dubious) privilege of having an exit aisle seat.. customer first? Naaah.