AirAsia addresses widespread customer service complaints
Budget carrier AirAsia has responded to a barrage of criticism from frustrated consumers over customer service standards.
The airline scrapped most local call centres in favour of its chatbot ‘AVA’ but that has led to an avalanche of complaints on social media due to the bot’s inflexibility and delays.
"We understand your concerns and frustration with the delay in our customer service and in your experience with our Virtual Allstar AVA, as you navigate your options in light of the global Covid-19 health situation. We know delays like this can be very unsettling, especially at these trying times, and we appreciate that you have shared your concerns with us," AirAsia said in a statement addressed to impacted customers.
It says AVA and the customer service team are handling about 10 times the normal volume of inquiries due to the complete grounding of flight operations.
"We are in the process of simplifying the steps for you to follow on AVA to submit your request. We have also provided our guests with a step-by-step guide on interacting with AVA on our social media channels, in hopes of delivering a better communication experience."
"We’ve also mobilised additional support to our customer service team, including staff from other functions, who have rolled up their sleeves and volunteered to help.
Aside from overworked AVA, customers can use LiveChat, Facebook Messenger, Twitter and WeChat for refunds and flight rebooking.
"We’d like to very much thank our guests for their incredible patience and understanding during these unprecedented times," said AirAsia’s chief customer happiness officer Adam Geneave.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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