If you’ve ever been a passenger on a boat in choppy waters, and the captain has taken a turn a bit too sharp, and the side of the boat that you’re sitting on lurches slowly toward the water, threatening to tip over…that was the circumstance facing me and 177 other passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight from Dallas to BWI a couple of weeks ago.

As the plane trundled down the runway, picking up speed for takeoff, suddenly the wings dipped, right to left, and you could feel one side of the plane tipping precariously close to the ground.

Then, suddenly, the plane righted itself, slamming down, leveling the wings, with the pilots working to gain control. It was nearing 10:00 at night. It was dark. There was not much trepidation from passengers because no one could really see what had happened. The plane jolted to a stop. We were in the grass, off the runway. Of course, now, all the passengers were wondering what the heck just happened.

In a short amount of time, the lights came on in the cabin, and the captain came on the speakers to tell everyone that the plane was heading back to the terminal because of a mechanical malfunction. Deep breath. Exhale. Thank you for guardian angels.

We didn’t make the news because we didn’t crash, and no one was injured.

From a practical standpoint, this really sucked. The flight had already taken off an hour later than the scheduled departure. Now that everyone had their wits about them, no one was injured, or even shaken from their seat, the realization sank in that we were going to be REALLY late getting home. Did I mention that I’m thankful for guardian angels?

Once back at the terminal, Southwest Airlines acted quickly to identify an alternative plane home. Once all passengers had retrieved their carry-ons and personal items and departed the wounded bird, we were quickly directed to another gate for another flight. Yes, we had to wait a while. Yes, by now all internal functions at the airport were closed. So, my daughter couldn’t get anything to eat, and I couldn’t sip on bourbon. The vending machines, on the other hand, might’ve burned out after more than a hundred passengers utilized the only available opportunity for hydration. No, there was no bourbon in the vending machine.

We changed gates, waited for a while, maybe an hour to 90 minutes. They didn’t serve free bourbon on the second flight, which I thought would’ve been only fair given our harrowing experience and the significant delay in our junket.

By the time we crawled into bed, at home, it was 6 hours past the time we should’ve been home. But we were safe. I was sleeping in my own bed. The sun would soon signal a new day.

My youngest daughter was on the flight with me, and when she woke up the next morning, her brain was processing faster than mine, and she said, “You know, they could’ve done something to acknowledge our unfortunate circumstances last night.”

And then… they hit.

Back-to-back emails.

The first email was an apology for the delay in our travel plans, citing the mechanical issue. Stating appreciation for our patronage. Confirming their dedication to safe and reliable travel, etc., etc. Then she said she was sending, in a separate email, a voucher that could be used as payment on a future flight. She closed with the expected pleasantries.

The second email indicated I received a LUV voucher, which is good for $100 toward a future flight. The voucher is good for a year. The individual signing those two messages had the title of Proactive Customer Communications. I’ve already used the voucher for an upcoming trip, which made my round-trip fee a bit lighter on my wallet.

Perhaps you offer a great product. Maybe you offer a service that is second to none. That’s important. But is a great product or service going to gain the loyalty and trust of your customers?

In its Consumer Experience Trends Report 2026, Qualtrics research shows the importance of customer service and customer experience.

“Value won’t be enough to secure customer loyalty in 2026. Invest in the experience…to build lasting relationships with customers. Value for the money is the number one driver of consumer choice in 2026. Consumers will spend if they think it’s worth it. But while value for money primarily drives a consumer’s decision to choose a business, experience, a mix between a great product and customer service, is the most correlated with loyalty, with consumers showing greater satisfaction and trust.

Investing in experience long term – building trust and confidence that organizations will deliver quality and look after customers when things go wrong – creates customers who value the relationship beyond just price, making them more resistant to competitive offers.”

-Qualtrics Consumer Experience Trends Report 2026

In an accompanying chart to demonstrate its findings on this subject, the Report indicated that Customer Service matters to nearly 30% of customers. Additionally, when there is good customer service, it registers a 92% Satisfaction rate with customers, while good customer service also registers an 89% Trust rate.

Imagine how your business would thrive if you had a 92% customer satisfaction rate and an 89% customer trust rate?

In an article from the Family Travel Association (“Why Handling Mistakes Well is a Key to Amazing Customer Service”), when a customer’s complaint or issue is resolved in such a way that it grabs the customer’s attention, it’s one of the primary reasons that good customer service gets noticed. The customer is pleasantly surprised at how well it was handled, and the customer eventually realizes this is normal for that company. Everyone at the company does their best to create a good experience, and if there’s a problem, they fix it.

I’ve talked about the importance of creating Trust before and about customer loyalty.

If you’re a small business owner, you need to understand that, in today’s marketplace, offering a unique product or service won’t make your cash register ring consistently. One of the mantras of Wizard partners is that we want customers to know you, like you, and trust you. None of those three has anything to do with the product or service you offer. We’ve been reciting that phrase to prospective clients for decades. There’s a reason. Customer loyalty and trust are built not on your product or service but on how your customers feel you treat them, how you value them, how you respond to their concerns, and what you do when things go wrong.

If you truly want to build a marketing campaign that will inspire your prospective customers to have your phones ringing non-stop, give me a shout. I’d love to help you accomplish that.

Latest posts by Dave Salter (see all)