On a recent business trip to Florida I was sitting next to a nice older couple, Charlie and Lucille. They were excited to go visit their children and grandchildren. After the flight attendant had passed through the cabin with our beverage service, Charlie seemed to loose interest in our conversation, so Lucille and I continued to enjoy each other’s stories.

A few minutes later, I realized Charlie wasn’t feeling well. Lucille became concerned. To comfort her, I pressed the call light to seek the opinion of the flight attendant. Charlie was having a heart attack and needed immediate medical attention. Luckily there was a nurse and a doctor traveling on board whom both came rushing to his side.

Lucille became distraught, so I moved aside with her and tried to comfort her as Charlie was being evaluated. After a short time, the flight attendant announced that we were planning an emergency landing in Nashville.

After we landed, I watched the paramedics rush onboard to tend to Charlie. Lucille appeared overwhelmed with the questions being asked about his medication, contact information, etc. I could only hope that both were taken care of and that Charlie made it through.

As our flight took off to complete the rest of our itinerary and the adrenaline rush calmed downed, I was amazed to think that none of the passengers on board complained about the inconvenience or delay in their schedule our stop just caused them.

If a major airline is willing to alter its travel plans to assist a customer with medical needs, what can a you do on a regular basis to make such a favorable impression on their customers, family and friends?

In a training program I’ve designed to help my clients enhance their level of customer service and raise their satisfaction scores, I teach employees to provide “Service with a S.M.I.L.E.”