I have only had one conversation in my life with Anna, yet she is someone I will always remember. As you may recall from a past blog post, Anna, a Delta Air Lines associate, saved my bacon by taking $100 out of her own account so I could pay for a cab from LaGuardia Airport to get into New York City for a business meeting. I thought you might want to know the rest of the story.
I received a Tweet from @DeltaAssist to ask if I would pass onto them my phone number and email address, as they wanted to contact me regarding Anna and my blog post about her extraordinary action to help me. Upon connecting with the Delta team, they informed me that they wanted to highlight Anna’s work and attention to customer service at an annual company meeting. They asked if I would be open to being filmed so they could show others inside of Delta her story. I said, “Of course; I would be happy to help.”
One Friday morning, I arrived at the office to find individuals and equipment that had traveled from New York City and Atlanta to capture the story of what happened at LaGuardia that day. While being filmed, I thought mostly about what had happened to Anna since that chaotic day.
I was informed during the filming that Anna had been promoted. She now wears a red coat and is no longer behind the desk, but manages others. Her daily actions got noticed and rewarded. I was very happy for Anna.
I share this video with you for two reasons. First, I think it is a great story about doing the right thing, making individual decisions because it’s what your gut tells you to do. Second, I share it to lift up Anna. I am not sure I will ever have the chance to have a second conversation with her. Maybe one day, rushing through LaGuardia, I will come across her. But mostly, I felt like the Annas of the world need to be seen, lifted up, and for everyone to learn from.
Anna says it is important for us to put ourselves on “the other side of the counter.” In other words, we should imagine walking in someone else’s shoes when we respond to customers and others in our lives–good, direct, and important counsel.
I encourage you to take the few minutes to watch the video. In a world of bad and discouraging news, this is a story you will want to share with others. Pass it on…
michael j. brennan 
Mike – still one of my all-time favorite stories of customer service. Thank you for sharing and giving hope to so many road warriors out there!!
Reblogged this on Moments of Clarity and commented:
Folks – this is worth another read and a quick view of the video. Amazing customer service that will bring back hope that companies still “get it.” Thanks to Mike Brennan for sharing.