This is a story about an OC Transpo bus driver who made my week. Like, actually made my week. I’m still significantly happier and better off because of this person, and I figured I should pass on his awesomeness.
As a broke student, losing my bus pass is the worst thing that can happen. Besides my need for daily transportation, I use my plastic pass holder as a stand-in wallet.
This little red folder is everything to me–without its contents, I can’t even buy groceries. If I lose it, the best case scenario is that I’m stranded in Vanier, counting change and praying I have enough money/time to bus down to OC Transpo’s awkwardly located Lost & Found.
I assume you see where this is going.
It was Wednesday, March 12 when I lost my bus pass. It was my fault, of course; the pass had fallen out of my pocket while I was riding home, and I didn’t notice until it was too late. To make matters worse, this was particularly bad timing (an out-of-town friend was coming in that night, I had projects due at school, et cetra). I was stuck.
Then my phone rang. It was my bus driver. He had found my bus pass and, since my business card was stuffed alongside it, he was able to contact me to let me know. The heads up was incredibly kind, but what he offered next was truly above-and-beyond:
“I was just gonna bring it into work tomorrow, but I’m heading out for a bit after dinner. Did you want me to just drop it off with you?”
I was stunned. Seriously? Was this person actually willing to bring my lost bus pass right to my doorstep? Was this real life? He insisted that it wouldn’t be out of his way, and I thanked him repeatedly him over the phone.
Not even an hour later, he was on my doorstep with the little red plastic pass holder that held my life. Every card was still in place. My out-of-town friend gaped as I came back inside. We couldn’t believe it.
The driver who came to my rescue had such a cheery disposition, so willing to do something nice for someone else. There was no awkward speech about how I should watch my things, no passive aggression, no expectation that I grovel in exchange for my bus pass. Instead, this man just seemed genuinely happy to help.
This attitude and gesture left a profound mark. This past week, I have actively tried to be less naggy and more giving. If this complete stranger could forgive my absentmindedness and kindly help to minimize the damage, then surely I could be more understanding and helpful to my friends or my roommates. By going out of his way for someone, and by showing so much joy in doing so, this bus driver started a pretty great chain of kindness and positivity. He also made the City of Ottawa look really, really good to my out-of-town friend (who left with a great impression, and is now considering moving here).
I am so proud to live in a city with kind people in the driver’s seat (literally).
I’m a total fangirl for great marketing campaigns and above-and-beyond customer service.
(Yes, actually.)
So, no surprise, I was really into it when this video of WestJet’s epic Christmas miracle went viral.
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(If that made you shed a holiday tear or two, it’s cool. The internet feels the same way.)
Part of the appeal of this video was how genuine it was. This was a good company doing a good thing, and it got peoples’ attention…including mine.
But WestJet should have had our attention a long time ago. Why?Because they’re basically the Mr. Rogers of Canadian airlines. Seriously.
Here are 7 stories/facts to back that up. (Note: I have no affiliation with WestJet. Or with Mr. Rogers, for that matter. Zero. I’m just being a total fangirl here.)
1) WestJet employees helped a customer grieve the loss of his family dog.
If you’ve ever lost a pet, you can relate to the heartbreak this blogger felt when his 7 year old family dog, Hunter, passed away unexpectedly last month. He bought a ticket for the first flight he could find–a 10 am West Jet departure–and headed to the airport. When he got there at 7:55 am, he realized there was an 8:15 flight about to leave. Twenty minutes. Never gonna happen, right?
That’s when things got amazing.
One of the WestJet check-in people must have spotted me. She immediately came from behind the counter and asked if I’m OK or needed help. I told her my dog had just died and I needed to just get home as soon as possible. I remember I had tears at this point. She then did the one thing for me I needed most at this point. She gave me a big hug of support. She then told me I will be on the 8:15 flight. She called the gate and told them to hold the flight as they had a family emergency coming, rebooked me onto the flight seating me in the front row, and escorted me to the front of the security line. With a final hug she wished me well and sent me towards the flight.
You guys. You guys. I’m melting right now. How sweet is that?
Oh, and this wasn’t just one nice lady. It gets better.
During the flight I was trying to hold myself together as I had a bit of travel to do as yet. One of the flight attendants noticed my tears, offered me some kleenex and asked if it was allergies. Again I explained my dog had just died. Immediately he stopped what he was doing and spent the next 10 minutes with me (it was only a 40 minute flight so that’s a lot of time!) The flight attendant and I shared stories and pictures. It was nice to be able to talk about Hunter with someone.
He goes on to say that it only took him only 3 hours to get from that first Ottawa airport encounter to his doorstep in Kitchener. I live in Ottawa, and my family (including our dog, Ella) lives in Kitchener, so I know how fast that kind of travel time is. It’s fast.
I can only imagine how devestating and “I NEED TO GET HOME NOW NOW NOW” it would be if Ella passed away suddenly. I’m sure that compassion and solid service meant the world to this guy.
2) WestJet found a customer’s lost cat…then took her to a vet and flew her home for free.
When WestJet employees found Willow, a customer’s missing cat, her grieving owner had already left the airport with a heavy heart. The WestJet response? Totally spot on.
1) They contacted the owner, and gave her updates every step of the way.
2) They brought the cat to a vet immediately to make sure she was okay.
3) They flew the cat home free of charge.
4) When the story got press, they made sure to send out a tweet acknowledging an Air Canada agent who helped to coax the cat out.
The lost cat was not WestJet’s fault. The kennel was not properly secured, and two cats escaped “after ground handlers picked up their kennel and the bottom fell out of it.” They had no obligation here, not really. But they did everything they could anyways. Why? Because they’re awesome.
3) Not a cat person? Don’t worry. WestJet helps find missing kids, too.
WestJet has a partnership with the Missing Children Society of Canada. That means they cover the flights of investigators traveling to find lost kids. It means they reunite families free of charge. It means they help with fundraising events.
And, it means that (like many MCSC partners) they have their employees out in the field looking for missing children. WestJet employees are active users of the CodeSearch app:
[Codesearch] allows MCSC the ability, with the help of local law enforcement, to send out geo-targeted alerts to individuals in the area where a child has gone missing or is expected to be located. Along with notifications, CodeSearch participants can also provide local expertise and resources.
Since abductors are likely to come to airports after taking a child, this kind of front line action is a big deal. They even had a month long campaign in 2011 called Give hope. Take action. where they “invited guests to write messages of hope to families of missing children.” Gold star, WestJet, gold star.
4) WestJet has a partnership with Disney Vacations. That means they have a freakin’ Mickey Mouse plane. Yeah.
As an Ottawa tour guide, my bosses constantly reference Disney Vacations for its f’amazing customer service and general attitude…so the fact they’re trusting the airline to deliver the magic of Disney is serious business. WestJet even had a Mickey Mouse themed unvieling for staff, which is about the coolest internal marketing event I’ve seen ever.
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Also, they serve Disney-shaped cookies on board, so you’re welcome.
5) WestJet provides free flights for sick kids and families in need.
From donating flights to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, to providing the David Foster Foundation with transportation to offsite medical care, WestJet is there for sick families and kids.
To me, this is not just solid corporate philanthropy–it’s also knowing and understanding customer values. In Canada, where we so value our universal healthcare, it’s amazing to see a company like this stepping in and doing their part to make sure that a sick kid never, ever means unecessary family expenses.
6) What, an airline with an environmental commitment? Really?
They invest in technology and procedures that enable us to maximize operating efficiency and safety.
They invest in infrastructure to mitigate the environmental footprint of their ground operations.
They work in good faith with government agencies and regulators to develop rules and policies that further drive our operating efficiency and our ability to grow sustainably.
If that sounds vague, check out the technlogy they’re rocking: a lithium polymer-powered baggage tug, blended winglets, and one of the continent’s youngest and most fuel-efficient fleets. Their Corporate offices in Calgary are even designed with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System in mind. If you want to fly green(er), this is probably your best bet.
7) They treat their employees right.
As this Toronto Star article details, WestJet’s great customer treatment can be traced back to great employee treatment. Some highlights?
They call their employees “Westjetters.” Their HR department is referred to as “People.” (You know who else talks to/about their workers that way? Google. And who doesn’t want to work for Google?)
Employees are also called “owners,” thanks to WestJet’s generous profit-sharing program. Over 85% of employees own shares in the company, and WestJet matches employee stock one for one.
Front liners are given the freedom and trust to go the extra mile (according to one employee: “If there’s a guest coming in on a flight, and I see that we have an earlier flight going through, I can use my empowerment to see if I can find them something earlier.”)
Also…I mentioned the Mickey Mouse plane launch party, right? #swag
For the sake of optimism, I will call this borrowed-from-the-library laptop “vintage.” Vintage, as in it took a whole timed minute to open up Microsoft Word. Vintage, as in it had a full-out meltdown when Facebook dared notify me of something. And yes, vintage, as in NOT the ideal machine to be working with. Not when there are four major projects coming up in my calendar…or at least there would be, if I had access to my calendar.
Guess whose hard drive crashed a week ago?
It crashed in the middle of class. Frozen on the boot-up screen; No response from my F2 key, no life in the mouse, and (thanks, lack of forethought) no back up. Crashed and burned. I should point out to you that this is a two month old laptop which really shouldn’t be acting out. I should also point out to you, since EVERYONE on the tech support side asked: Yes, captain obvious, I DID try to reboot my machine. If only it were so easy.
They came by and replaced the motherboard. This did nothing. So, they came by and replaced the hard drive. This worked for a single day. Then, while working on some important correspondence (okay, checking my email) in the library yesterday, my cursor froze. I called Dell again.
“Well, did you restart your computer? How about the Fn key + F3?” Only about five times. Thanks, though.
I feel sorry for the people on the other end of those phone calls. Malfunctioning technology seems to bring out the worst in me. That loving, caring person that sent you a Christmas card last year? She peaces out when the laptop breaks down.
I may need to write a card to Dell’s tech support central: “Sorry I’m such an entitled-sounding 20-something, but also, I don’t want to fail out of University. ”
(Did that still make me sound like an entitled 20-something? Yikes. In my defense: Come on…a two month old machine? Really?)
I present to you my current studying/researching method. Kickin’ it old school. Last night’s hot date was with Religious Studies:
Not too shabby, right? The reason I write this isn’t to grumble at you about my first world problems. Hard drives fail. Shit happens. Outsourced tech support from a 1-800 number can only be so helpful, and after three strikes Dell has agreed to send me a new laptop (sup, extended warranty?)
What I DO want to say is that when my technology started sucking, I started becoming more and more amazed at how great people can be. I mean, my laptop bust wasn’t anyone else’s fault. And sometimes, it wasn’t even their problem. As for the people whose job it was to fix it, they certainly didn’t have to be so freakin’ nice about it. But they were. They were so, so nice.
My profs have been legendarily helpful. The tech support ladies and gents (yes, the ones at that damned 1-800 number) were lovely, even when I pulled out my entitled 20-something “With all due respect…” lines. There was that sweet hardware-fixing guy, Rick, the one who showed up EXACTLY when he said he would. And we can’t forget my parents, who were expert in helping me stay chill…even though that is no longer their job. Because, you know, I am an adult. Hear me roar.
…Right, mommy?
Specifically, I’m an adult who gets more than a little overwhelmed muddling through a laptop mess. But as with most messes, this one has shown me that people care. Even when it’s something small and technical and it was me who messed up by not making a backup—even when it really, really is not their problem—people care.
Thank you, people. I’ll continue liking you more than technology.
Shaunanagins 