Why most employees don't provide good customer service

I just saw something amazing. My Midwest Airlines from Milwaukee to Atlanta was delayed due to mechanical difficulties.

As a veteran of many such delays I sighed, sent off a text message saying that I would be late for my meeting, then took a seat for the duration.

That's when the amazing thing happened. A uniformed Midwest pilot got up out of his chair, went to the desk to find out more information, then walked through the waiting area talking to the passengers. He told each small group what was going on, gave his best guess on what would happen and how long it would take, and helped address missed flight concerns.
As it turned out, he was actually "off the clock" having just flown in from Los Angeles and was deadheading on this flight back home to Atlanta. So he not only didn't have to do that, he wasn't being paid for doing it either.

That's the way customer service is supposed to work!

This is yet one more manifestation of the culture of this great little Milwaukee-based airline (if you haven't flown it, you should, I'm currently sitting in a first class-sized leather seat, awaiting the freshly-baked chocolate chip cookie they serve as part of their cabin service, all at coach prices. You can find them at www.MidwestAirlines.com) The essence of their culture is their motto: "the best care in the air" and they generally do a good job of living by that motto.
Ironically, the amazing part of this story was that it was that it was so unusual to see such a thing happen. Employees do what they get paid to do, what they are required to do, and nothing more, right? The key question here is what causes employees who are off the clock to dispense with their precious book-reading, cell-phone chatting, or television-watching time to help their customers (the people who pay their paycheck) feel cared about and served.

Clearly culture plays a role in this, plus a sense of pride, of ownership, and caring for people generally. But how do we create that in our employees? Can it be taught, or do we have to hire people who fit that mold?

Have a thought? An experience? Something that you've found that works? Share it with us by leaving a comment below!

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Why most employees don't provide good customer service