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Proactive customer service should be made top priority

By Todd Dirks

I worked for over ten years in airline customer service and during my time coined the phrase “expert syndrome.” When I
told people I worked for an airline, I heard their worst horror stories and was told that the airlines’ customer service was at
least fatally flawed, if not downright determined to provide a miserable experience. Nearly everyone thinks they have the
solution to airline challenges and their ten flights a year qualify them as experts.

Trust me, it is no fun being on the other side of the counter when a passenger and their luggage fail to reunite at their
destination, or during the dreaded “rolling delay.” In fact, I would nominate working the baggage office or the gate in bad
weather up for a spot on the television channel show “Dirty Jobs.” Travel is stressful, no doubt, and I am not saying the
airlines couldn’t do a much better job serving the customer, but travelers often forget about civility at the airport.

You’ve got to be thick-skinned in airline customer service. The complexity of the entire process is far greater than what
most passengers understand. However, customer service is a critical touchpoint and has implications for an airline’s brand
and consumer goodwill.

No airline is going to operate 100 percent on time or return a 100 percent baggage success rate. Nor do most travelers
anticipate they will. However, it is how they handle the problems that can make a difference. If you can actually help an
inconvenienced customer through their ordeal, they will continue to give you business and speak well about the brand. If
they aren’t satisfied, they will definitely switch carriers for the next trip and even post a nasty tweet or comment on
Facebook.

The airlines are running incredibly lean right now given the economy. However, the importance of delivering a quality
experience cannot be sacrificed.

One global airline thoroughly evaluated their customer service function which resulted in a plan that works well for them.
Here are just three of their action items:
 Outbound baggage communication: Call the passenger! Instead of waiting for calls to come in, putting the onus
on the traveler for follow up, the airline started proactively calling travelers with updates on routing and delivery.
 Consistently reward premium travelers: Dedicated reservations numbers, premium check in lines, fast track
security lanes, reduced/waived ancillary fees, free TV/Internet, bonus miles as compensation for poor customer
experience and many other tactics critical to retaining the most loyal customers were granted on a consistent
basis. They are very commonplace measures but when not granted proactively, passenger angst is not
alleviated.
 Leverage technology: The airline created a knowledge management tool to help the reservations desk readily
access key documents and information to minimize customer response times, managing the process end-to-end.

This airline is not immune to the industry’s economic challenges, and like all others, must tightly manage costs. However,
it wanted to continue to improve its customer experience in the face of the challenging environment.

Airlines can invest in customer experience by building an internal team or outsource the process. This airline partnered
with a leading outsourcing provider with deep travel experience to handle many of these functions. I know this is not a
popular option right now given the significant decline in airline jobs and the ramifications this has for unions. However,
consistent delivery, especially now with the industry starting to stabilize, should position the airline for growth.

Aggressive investment in improving customer service processes delivered tangible benefits. With proactive customer
service, the airline was able to push sales up by 40 percent and reduce customer complaints by a whopping 60 percent all
within the first year of production. It’s a key lesson that all other airlines must take to heart.

As airlines grapple with ever more demanding passengers, declining travel, uncertain fuel costs and the implications of
social media, it is imperative to take a proactive approach to customer service. Every single passenger is a brand
ambassador and therefore, giving him the right consideration throughout the travel experience should be an airline’s top
priority.

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