ASH UPDATE – Passengers erupt over poor service – but it doesn’t have to be that way
Tuesday, 22 Apr, 2010
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TravelMole guest comment by Marlon Bowser, CEO at HTK, provider of hosted solutions for interactive multi-channel marketing
With up to 50% of flights cancelled, initial estimates by the International Air Transport Association have stated that the airline industry could easily have lost upwards of $200m per day as a result of volcanic ash related disruptions. Larger carriers like BA and Lufthansa may have lost around $15m a day each.
It’s clearly an unprecedented situation, but could it have been handled any better?
From a passenger’s perspective, the answer will almost certainly be a resounding ‘yes’. Airports are hardly the most comfortable place to be at the best of times, but when you’re stuck there day after day with little information about when you may be able to travel, anxiety and anger can quickly set in.
Has my flight been delayed or cancelled? When is the next flight likely to be? Do I need to make alternative accommodation arrangements? What options do I have to keep me and my family comfortable? Who do I go to for the latest news and advice? Passengers, not unreasonably, expect their airline or travel operator to provide answers to these questions.
Customers don’t want to huddle around small departure boards, constantly track down airport or airline officials or hang on the phone for hours simply to get the latest news about their flight. What they want is to be valued and looked after, with regular updates that are relevant to them and the route they’re travelling.
With most travellers having a mobile phone, outbound SMS text messaging services and personalised information hotlines can go a long way towards keeping passengers well informed. And yet, everyone I’ve spoken to over the past few days has told me that customer communication has been a massive problem.
Wouldn’t it make sense for the departure boards and web sites to advertise the message: “text your flight number to 66101 for the latest news and information”? The airline, airport, travel operator and other stake-holders in the customer experience would all then be able to communicate with their customers as needed; and in direct response to the request from their customers for more information.
‘BA 123’
“Flight BA 123 is scheduled for 19 Apr at 7:30am, terminal 2. Your seat is reserved. We will text you the gate number and the latest updates as available. For more information, call free on 66101”
The voice information line would automatically look-up the mobile phone number for each caller to discover their flight number registered with the service. The information played back would be personalised, removing the frustration usually associated with touch-tone menus. Customers may not be pleased with the news of further delays, but they would certainly be pleased and less frustrated with the airline for providing such a useful and timely service.
Every customer experience, whether good, bad or indifferent, has an impact on loyalty. Loyal customers spend more, and more importantly, recommend to others. Loyalty creates profit.
Research has shown that the airline industry can benefit more than any other from positive word-of-mouth referrals and recommendations. In normal operations that’s an important consideration, but when things are not running so smoothly, the way that an airline treats its customers can swing the balance from advocacy to opposition.
Airlines cannot control what their customers say, but they can influence the experience they have. And when the chips are down amidst chaos and confusion, frustration and anger, great customer service can serve as a differentiator that people will remember for years to come.
And after the chaos, when the dust has settled, the airline and other stakeholders in the customer experience would be able to send personalised follow-up messages, to apologise for the disruption and to make amends, helping to retain their loyalty and encourage positive word-of-mouth.
An organisation’s ability to deliver an experience that sets it apart in the eyes of its customers, serves to increase spend with the organisation and, optimally, to inspire loyalty to its brand. Loyalty, it has been said, is now driven primarily by an organisation’s interaction with its customers, and how well it delivers on their wants and needs. And oh-boy, did those customers have needs and want communication.
When other airlines are neglecting their customers in the drive to cut costs, a mobile communication strategy can pay dividends. We call it “intelligent customer contact”.
Phil Davies
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