We have a great little secret here in Sarasota/Bradenton. Well, it’s not the great secret it used to be, as people have discovered it, but its still pretty cool. It is the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, code named SRQ.
Now honestly, this is an article about customer service, not an airport. But I do love to fly out of this place, and it is relevant to the tale.
The airfield has been here many years. They conducted training for World War II pilots here. For many years it was a relatively sleepy place, but always convenient for grabbing a flight; if, that is, you could find one with a decent schedule at an acceptable price. For the longest period it suffered the similar fate of other small, regional airports, limited flights and more expensive than those available at Tampa (also a great airport), just an hour or so north of here.
Such it was that for years I schlepped up Interstate 275 to catch flights to my various business gatherings. There were not that many options available here. I should also mention that for years I was an enthusiastic Southwest Airlines customer, and when Southwest bought AirTran, they dropped SRQ. I thought it was a terrible mistake and did not know that I would one day have the opportunity to tell them that.
Several years ago, before COVID, I was volunteering at a local golf tournament for my Sertoma Club. The then CEO of SRQ, Rick Piccolo, was one of our golfers. When he got to the registration table where I was stationed, he suddenly pointed at me and started yelling, “You’re wearing the wrong hat!” It took me a moment to remember I was wearing a Southwest Airlines cap, which I had received when at their corporate offices the year before.
We chatted amicably about the airport, and how I wish they would get Southwest back. He told me they were talking, and he was hopeful that they would one day get them to provide service to the airport. I asked him to provide me the name of the person they were dealing with, and offered to send an email as a Companion Pass Holding, A-List Preferred customer who was tired of schlepping to Tampa. He obliged and emailed me the information the next day.
Finally – getting to the customer service part of the story.
I sent the company an email, establishing my company loyalty and pitching the reasons they should consider SRQ. To my surprise, the guy called me. We had a great talk, and he was optimistic that Sarasota would one day be a Southwest destination. That was it. I didn’t think much else of it until about a year later when I saw an announcement on LinkedIn that they were adding SRQ to their network.
The real surprise for me was that the day Southwest emailed Piccolo their inaugural day flight schedule. They copied me on the email. Probably a year had gone by since I had that phone conversation, and I couldn’t believe that they included me in the email. After all, I was just a schlub with an opinion I was willing to share. I played no real part in the negotiations or decision. But they remembered to note a customer’s wishes. That was attention to detail. That was true service. And I appreciated the gesture.
If we could employ that level of communication and consideration in the workers’ compensation world, we’d be a lot better off. We need to remember that it is sometimes the smallest, simplest gestures that can gain the greatest results.
So if you have a chance today, check in with that injured worker. See how they are doing. Make the simple effort today, as you may see great results from it in the future.
Today, SRQ is a bustling place. Southwest is one reason that is the case, but explosive post-pandemic growth here in the Free State of Florida didn’t hurt. Unfortunately, an activist investor at Southwest forced many changes I do not really agree with, and as I write this, I am sitting in Delta gate B4 waiting for my flight to Las Vegas. Que’ Sera Sera.
But it doesn’t change the fact that a small effort boosted years of loyalty, and what was the simplest of efforts made a true impact.
Sometimes the short game is the best. We should play it more often.