What Can Lawyers Learn From JetBlue’s Recent Troubles?
JetBlue has been in the news a lot in New York lately. The winter storm here on Valentine’s Day caused more than the usual delays and cancelations. Passengers were stranded for hours at New York’s JFK Airport Nearly a week after the storm, almost a quarter of JetBlue’s flights were reportedly canceled on Monday the 19th. According to news reports, JetBlue appeared to be overwhelmed by customer questions and complaints, and flight crews were stranded where they weren’t needed.
Did JetBlue do anything right in this situation? The company CEO, David Neeleman, spoke to the media personally and apologized for the problems, saying that he didn’t blame passengers for being upset. He explained the reasons for the problems without making excuses. He indicated that refunds and free flights for affected passengers may be offered.
One of the ways our clients judge us the most is the way that we respond to crises. As lawyers, a lot of what we do on a daily basis is handle emergencies and last minute proglems. It’s imperative that our clients be comfortable with the way that we handle the problemss that affect them and their businesses.
News reports indicated that part of JetBlue’s problem was their failure to have a system in place which would allow pilots and flight crews to call in and be re-routed to their next assignments, which would have allowed flights to get back on track earlier.
CEO Neeleman confirmed that part of the reason why JetBlue’s recent problems lasted so long and were so wide-reaching was due to a failure to have good management and good systems in place. The airline grew rapidly, but its systems didn’t keep up with the growth. There wasn’t a good system for pilots and flight crews to communicate with the company. Emergency control personnel weren’t properly trained. Management was weak, and, according to Neeleman, “lacking in depth.” People were out of position and there was no good way to find them and redirect them to where they were needed.
Another JetBlue systems failure was the reservations system. It was difficult to get a human reservations agent to check on flights. JetBlue seemed to have sufficient staff as long as there were no emergencies, but when weather conditions required cancellation of flights, re-routing of crews and additional personnel to handle requests, baggage issues and re-booking, the ‘regular’ staff load was insufficient.
What does any of this have to do with running a law firm? A lot. Here are some quick lessons from the above:
1. When you make a mistake, apologize. Make sure the apology comes from the top, acknowledges the mistakes that were made, and that it addresses ways you intend to make amends. (To read more about business apologies, see my posts: Is It Time to Issue an Apology and More on Apologies)
2. Ensure that you have systems in place that can function in a crisis. JetBlue didn’t have appropriate systems for reservations or for communication with flight crews and pilots. Are your systems up to snuff? Do your office systems function in such a way that if a crisis arises, everyone already knows what to do, how to do it, and when to do it?
3. Hire and train personnel appropriately. You may have enough staff for your ‘regular’ operations, but do you have sufficient staff to deal with a big new client if they should walk in the door and want to hire you tomorrow? Do you have enough staff to handle emergencies if they arise? If you have sufficient staff, are they properly trained? Do they know what to do when problems arise?
Your office may run smoothly when everything is going well, but what will happen in your firm if there’s an emergency? What would happen if one or more key personnel left the firm or were suddenly unavailable? Are you prepared for a crisis? Don’t let JetBlue happen to you.
If you’re interested in learning how to market your practice and focus on your clients’ needs, check out my upcoming teleseminar series beginning on February 27: “How to Grow Your Law Practice on a Shoestring Budget.”