On time performance? My foot!!!

Image via WikipediaHave to fly out again and my colleague Jiji mails me various options from and to Bangalore. As I scan the options, my eyes fall on a Kingfisher flight and instantly my last experience comes alive. It was an IT 111 from Mumbai to Bangalore. All went well and as we taxied to our parking bay, the hostess mentioned that we'd arrived on time and that the airline is proud of its on-time performance. I felt relieved that 'air-traffic control' who's invariably 'delays' all flights, had let us go scot-free this time. Excitedly, I bounced all the way to the conveyor belt and that's where my joy got fused. I waited and waited and waited for almost 30 minutes after which the baggage came streaming through. And not a single soul from Kingfisher who could have helped me and a few others keep their shirts on.

Cut to the present and I'm thinking - when I travel from one point to another, shouldn't the airline guarantee me that I'll be out of the airport in XX minutes? Shouldn't the 'on time performance' include baggage delivery as well? After all, I'm considered checked-in only after my baggage has been taken. Right?

Cut to work and I'm wondering. At work, do I feel good about the fact that what I offer is world-class? Do I know what my customers experience at every touch-point? Do I implicitly associate higher value to certain components of my work? Uncomfortable questions that need some solid answers. After all, as consumers and customers, it's the quality of the total experience that matters, not just a part right?

What about you? Are you focusing on your offerings across the consumer touch points or are you proud of your 'on time performance'?