Philip Michell, one of Vertex's Consulting Directors gives his comment on the recent ash cloud disruptions and what customer service lessons can be learnt.
If anyone in the travel sector thought their job was easy before (and not many did), the events of last month have demonstrated what it’s like to work in one of the most dynamic and unpredictable sectors in the UK.
One volcano in Iceland has brought the complexities of the travel industry into stark relief. It demonstrated in one week that "good" service is just the day job. When the extraordinary happens customers expect, demand and require exceptional levels of service.
Unfortunately the events of the past few weeks have highlighted the differences in how airlines and travel agents meet this need. The customer experience ranged from the good (bmibaby’s repeated tweets and email updates to travellers), the bad (contact centres drowning) and the ugly (the closing down of all non face-to-face engagement points).
Why does the sector struggle to manage after-sales service when things go wrong, falling back on recorded answer machine messages that cost money to access or on-the-ground reps using word of mouth to communicate with already stressed passengers?
Other sectors have shown how existing technologies and channels can improve the customer experience – from the rescheduling of home deliveries through to real-time updates when telecom networks go offline. Furthermore, it is ironic that these examples can be delivered through automated channels with little to no increase in operational cost.
In fact other organisations successfully tapped into these new engagement channels during the travel disruption – an example being the National Trust offering customers stranded in the UK free access to their properties using low cost digital channels (twitter and web) to reach the widest possible audience.
It isn’t as though the travel sector has a choice. For years passengers have been encouraged and empowered to use cost-saving self-service channels when booking holidays. They now expect the industry to return the compliment – services to be provided rather than having to demand it. The days of holding on phone lines for hours to listen to a recorded message are over.
This doesn’t have to mean re-engineering the entire booking and customer service engine – it can be as simple as calling customers who have dropped out of the online booking process and offering support to complete the transaction.
When executed effectively, this approach not only generates significant customer loyalty and advocacy (with the associated long term financial rewards), but also the potential to generate revenue through additional sales.
To achieve these benefits will require organisations to discard the approaches of the past and look at their operations and processes from the customer’s perspective. With the ash cloud clear of UK shores and flights having resumed, the travel industry now has the opportunity to re-think its service model and accept that they are part of a travel chain, which if managed effectively can provide a memorable experience for customers, creating incremental revenue.
Perhaps it’s time to clear the air and embrace a new relationship with our customers?
This comment was originally posted on the TTG website.