When Segmentation Goes Awry

This week, while waiting to board a flight to return home, I witnessed possibly the worst segmentation of all time. See if you can follow me through this…boarding was called for (in order):

First Class;
Premier Access Members;
(Another layer of) Premier Access Members;
Group 1 (group numbers were indicated by a number on the boarding pass); … (keep reading…it gets worse!)
Customers who checked bags and have nothing to put in overhead bins;
Customers who only have one bag and that bag fits underneath the seat in front of them; (really?  Are they going to have us solve math problems to see who goes next?!)
Group 2;
Group 3;
Group 4;
Group 5 (*phew*, it’s over).

Call me crazy, but, regardless of the perceived benefit this ordering may have created (making some group(s) feel special?) this was segmentation gone awry.  There was confusion throughout the boarding area and folks who thought they were valued by the airline (Groups 1 and 2) waited (impatiently, I might add) for 3 or more groups to board ahead of them.  And, the boarding agents themselves appeared confused, too, chirping at each other about who boarded too early and who was next in the queue.

How did something as simple as boarding an airplane become such a convoluted mess? My sense is that the airline couldn’t decide on a single goal (i.e., rewarding customer value) to drive their segmentation strategy, but instead allowed multiple goals and the respective customers attached to those goals (i.e., value AND efficiency of boarding passengers with no luggage) to compete…and the winner? No one. Everyone in the boarding area (airline employees included) looked confused, bewildered, and upset!   Segmentation makes sense, but when is it too much?

And that’s my question for you, loyal reader: segmentation can be good, but it can also muddy the water too much.  What’s your segmentation strategy?

Simple and straightforward?
Muddy waters?
Segmentation? No way…we don’t differentiate at all!

CEB Sales Members, visit our topic center to see how the best companies segment their customers.

(This is a guest post by Pete Slease of the CEB Customer Contact Leadership Council, our sister program for call center and customer service functions.)