Latest survey results showed on Tuesday, that Southwest Airlines Co again has topped rivals in customer service while premium-paying business travelers are the least satisfied with U.S. carriers.

Airlines maintained their low overall standing among a variety of industries included in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, which is compiled by the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.

There's been a bubbling discontent for airlines for some time but the situation has worsened slightly from a year ago, said ACSI managing director David VanAmburg, a Reuters report said.

Southwest continues to outperform rivals with consumers, according to the survey of 2,000 consumers and heavily promotes its policy of not charging for bags.

Southwest Airlines offering a three-day sale with airfares as low as $40 has created lots of Internet buzz, and, presumably, lots of ticket sales. Here are a 5 important lessons that your business should learn from Southwest Airlines, according to a report in Businessnewsdaily.

  • Be first but do clever marketing - You don't necessarily need to the cheapest, but it definitely is a good strategy to get a jump on the competition when it comes to clever marketing. If you're in a business where the competition is tight and competitors are more of copycats, make sure your plans are secretive. Get in and get out before your competitors know what happened.
  • Focus on customer service- When your customers are fully satisfied with your services, you are going nowhere. Make sure you've got the goods and the service to back up whatever big promises you make. Otherwise, your efforts will be of no use.
  • Know rivals' price- When it comes to grabbing the headlines, no one can beat Southwest. You don't hasten media maelstrom with a 10 percent off sale.
  • Offer more value- A sale with no demand isn't really much of a sale. Southwest's sale gives the customers what they want. A cheap ticket practically anywhere. If you're going to offer a deal, make sure it's a good one.
  • Improve brand value - It's extremely important to establish a good brand identity and understanding among your customers. Even before deploying a giant marketing initiative, be sure your brand is understood. Whether your business is local or a national, it's important that customers understand the foundation for a good campaign.
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