Address

The art of grovelling

Speaker: Stephen Rushmore, President and Founder, HVS Hospitality Services

As their businesses grow to augment its scope, the pressure of various kinds forces them to backtrack. Customer demands go high and not meeting those expectations can actually turn out to be fatal for a business enterprise. Sometimes there are reasons that cannot be controlled but grovelling is what one can use effectively to counter any backlash from the business target groups. Talking about this interesting aspect of business communication, Steve Rushmore, President and Founder, HVS gave a presentation that enthralled the audience.

On a power point presentation, Rushmore talked the audience through an incident that took place on February 12, 2007. On that fateful day, he explained, jetBlue Airways Corporation's flight were cancelled due to bad weather owing to heavy snowfall. Flights were stuck at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, jetBlue's hub. The media reports bombarded the reputation of the aviation company as many passengers were to suffer long hour waits and difficulty. Flights full of passengers were stranded at the airport for as long as 10 hours.

Rushmore, then, extending the story commended David Neeleman, founder and CEO of jetBlue for taking a proactive action called grovelling. Rushmore explained that grovelling effectively means to behave in a servile or demeaning manner; cringe. Also, it means, to lie or creep in a prostrate position, as in subservience or humility.

He showed the audience a letter (as an apology) printed as advertisement in its website signed by Neeleman himself that talked about their apologetic feeling to live up to the expectation of the passengers. The advt also promised that customers who suffered would be allowed to rebook without paying the usual fees, or exchange tickets for credit toward future travel. Last but not the least, the result of grovelling, Rushmore said, goes invariably in the favour of the company. According to him, it is vital to take PR or corrective action at the very moment and compensate customers' right then not looking at the origin of faults and by whom because reputation can still be regained. "In a survey later customers of jetBlue, who wanted to boycott the service of the flight after what they went through, were ready to fly again with them. So, when things are not right, just grovel; it is an essential tool in business," concluded Rushmore.