I'm a big believer in the fact that if you ask the right questions, you'll get incredibly insightful answers. (Whether you actually do something with the insight is a completely different topic...). This morning, I stopped by one of the many Starbuck's Coffee locations in Seattle to grab a quick espresso and scone. While waiting for my drink, a nice guys standing there asked me, "Sir - Starbucks cares about what our customers think and I am asking then about their experiences. Would you be willing to spend 3-5 minutes answering some questions? In exchange, we'll give you a free $5 coffee gift card for your help."

I took him up on the offer. He asked about specific products, as well as my feelings about the barista's expertise and service, as well as other products I use and how often. I was honest - and - in some places, quite candid (I don't particularly care for Starbuck's drip coffee nor do I buy the products for use at home). Afterwards, I thought to myself: "wow - this huge, world dominating coffee company, with over 2,700 stores in 34 countries, cares about what me and my three dollars thinks of them. Amazing." As a consumer, it made me feel great.

It also brought other questions to mind: if Starbuck's cares enough to do this for a $3 customer, why don't charter companies take the time to do this (or more!) for customers usually spending at least 1000x that amount?

The last time I spent thousands of dollars on a relatively exotic vacation with a global charter company, they asked me to fill out a feedback card which was reviewed by one of the dock boys working at the charter base. In fairness, he was sincerely interested in my experience. But, do you think the important details ever got back to corporate? Do you think that the concerns I expressed were ever reported to the someone focused on correlating trends indicating areas where service could be improved? I doubt it. How does that make me feel? Well, a little underappreciated.

Hopefully this is something that the charter companies will embrace. Ask the customer - we'll tell you what is good and bad, what we like and dislike, and even how you can make things better. For charterers out there - when asked for feedback, take the 5 minutes to give it. It will ultimately help you and others experience the absolute best charter vacation.