It’s my first time taking the Turkish Airlines and it began with a heart-stopping moment when we attempted to check in online.
I entered my details, clicked on check-in, and this is what I saw.
I couldn’t check in.
Did the pilot go on leave or is the plane still in the air?
To solve this mystery, I messaged the customer service and managed to get through them quickly through WhatsApp.
In less than 5 minutes after I provided my details, they called and offered to help us proceed with the check-in.
I also slipped in a request to be seated next to each other. To our delight, it got accepted FOC.
What we didn’t realize until we boarded the plane was, we also got the seats with extra leg space.
How delightful.
Later on, we learned that the food was delicious, the crew was polite, the flight was pleasant. The overall experience exceeded my expectations, and you sure bet that I’ll be sharing good things with my friends flying to Europe the next time.
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We transited at Istanbul and had 23 hours to spare, so we booked a hotel beforehand to give ourselves a chance to explore the city.
It was dinner time and as usual, we went on Google maps to search for kebabs (since that’s the only food we’re familiar with).
Within walking distance was a restaurant at 4.8 stars. Easy choice.
We went on our way and as we walked, there were kebab stalls left and right, holding out their menus inviting us in.
They had customers, a nice storefront, and friendly staff.
But we stuck to our decision and braved through these temptations. Then, Google maps told us that we’ve arrived. We looked up and saw a restaurant with muted colours, one customer, and a staff just smiling at us.
We double checked the map.
It was this place. Skeptical, we entered.
We ordered the most basic chicken skewers to share and the staff simply smiled, again.
Then dinner began. They brought us pita with yogurt and salsa dip, waited for us to finish, before bringing out our chicken skewers. The chicken skewers were juicy and tender even though they’re breast meat. And when we’re done and wanted to pay, they served baklava and Turkish tea.
We only ordered the chicken skewers but had a very satisfying 3-course meal. Totally unexpected.
Even if the cost was baked into the price of the kebabs, it still felt nice and surprising.
That’s also probably why they got such high ratings on Google. It’s these unexpectedly pleasant experiences that bring customers back and more customers through word of mouth.
Treat the extra cost as Marketing cost and the CAC will still be lower 🙂