Southwest Airlines are the most successful domestic airline in the US: why is this, and how do they stay profitable in such a competitive and turbulent marketplace?

Here are a few ideas:

If you make a complaint or have a question about any Southwest policy or flight delay on Twitter, chances are high that you’re going to get a quick Tweet back from a Southwest customer service person with an answer or an apology.

Likewise, you won’t get any bag charge or a fuel surcharge from Southwest, and you can always call a live, friendly person on the phone and get a flight for the same price as making the reservation online.

If you don’t have a coupon for a free drink, they’ll probably give you a free drink anyway…just because. A delightful surprise. Can you surprise your customers in some great customer service way? Can you reduce delivery costs for an order once in a while… just because?

The point here is that Southwest is still providing extra-inch customer service, despite fuel prices going crazy and competition from all sides.

In the current cut-throat market, are you going to cut your little extras to compensate? Do you even have any little extras? Free or low cost training? Can your sales people still buy their customers lunch once in a while? Will they always be able to?

Do you call or email your customers to find out what they think of you regularly? Or are you so afraid of complaints or problems that you’d rather let sleeping dogs lie?

Here’s a useful exercise: List every free customer service that you provide now, add up the man hours, and ask your team, how can we make this even better? Faster? Easier? Can you make customers even more impressed with how you care about them that they want to talk to their friends and co-workers about that extra inch service?

Inches cost very little but deliver so very much!