Late on July 4th a 55-second video set to “DO YOUR JOB” by Gator now&later was posted to TikTok with the caption “When you at the customer-service counter and the agent is shopping Southwest Airlines.”
A passenger is filmed at an airline podium while an agent in a red blazer is scrolling an online shopping site. Zoomed-in you can make out handbags and block-heel sandals. She shops as she talks through rebooking the customer.
@triceyb2
You can see pretty generic concourse furniture and natural light, with no gate placard or airport code visible, so it’s not totally clear to me where this happened (though perhaps some of you will recognize the airport). But TikTok’s peanut gallery is surprisingly sympathetic:
- “Just wait until you find out what WFH agents are doing.” There are benefits to working from home! Although increasingly companies that do allow this monitor the employee during work time.
- “The Nordstrom sale is happening—I don’t blame her.” Missing out on the Anniversary Sale would be the real customer service crime?
- “God forbid the agent know how to multitask.” – In fairness, Southwest’s agig tech leaves chunks of unavoidable “dead time.”
Some folks are critical, but mostly about the optics (that it “looks unprofessional”) rather than service quality.
Yet it runs contrary to Southwest’s traditional culture halo – the carrier has long traded on its friendliness and customer orientation. In fact, it’s fair to say that and the companion pass are really all it has left, as it dismantles the rest of its differentiated value proposition.
However, Southwest’s employee manuals reportedly don’t explicitly ban personal web browsing at the counter, though internal “Rules of Engagement” circulated to agents emphasize “customers must feel they have your undivided attention.” Translation: this is acceptable until someone films you. So expect a reminder memo here, not a termination.
Although anyone who appears non-busy may be at risk of termination as the carrier goes through cost-cutting, with a bias towards staff costs. However they can’t eliminate gate agents entirely!
(HT: Paddle Your Own Kanoo)
More important did they find a nice new pair of shoes?
They know not to help passengers as their airline is soon to be toast with the stupidity of their new policies
No surprise here. So many employees “only work here” and take little pride in a job well-done. And we wonder why people hate customer service reps.
Not a license to ignore the customer but I wonder why morale might be suffering at Southwest?
I believe the current lingo in-support of this behavior would be: “Yass queen, slay!” You know, as long as the customer is still helped in the end, why not. Sometimes DSW got deals, too!
At least the passenger wasn’t flying British Airways, where it would have been an unreliable, frequently crashing AI programmed to ignore all customer needs and minimise costs for BA… Or a 2-5hjr queue (line) to be told there’s nothing the agent can do and please refer to the website…
BA – premium marketing, premium fares and unreliable, budget service!
Literally worse than South West when anything goes wrong
Oh Gary you’re wrong.
The agent at the podium is a Customer Service Agent represented by the IAM 142. The Ops Agent who is at the boarding door is represented by TWU 555 (the ramp). If you’re gonna union-bash, at least name the right one!
Maya Leibman served as the president of the American Airlines AAdvantage® loyalty program from July 2010 to December 2011. Known for her exceptional multitasking skills, Maya was able to create a video message for American Airlines AAdvantage® elite status members while jokingly daydreaming about buying shoes—much like a Southwest Airlines agent caught on camera casually shopping for shoes while a stranded passenger struggled with flight rebooking. You can view the video featuring Maya here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhy6GbA1K_A
It appears in the video that the Agent and the Customer were interacting and having a conversation. It did not look like the Customer needed assistance as the had gestures suggested just passing the time. As for the busy body who chose to invade the privacy of both parties, maybe they need to get a life and mind their own business.
If you are goofing off at work just don’t be in a situation where someone can see what you are doing and film it.
Fake
Fire her ass or at least give her some unpaid time off
@NedsKids – of course, TWU represents the Operations, Ramp, Provisioning, and Freight Agents
And there was no union bashing – I was saying this employee’s job isn’t at risk for reasons OTHER THAN union protections
@Gary: I notice you removed the reference to the union in the article. Though TWU had absolutely nothing to do with the employee in the photo/TikTok. They are not represented by TWU, cannot perform any jobs represented by TWU, and likewise a TWU represented Operations Agent (at WN that’s a very very specific position) cannot rebook passengers… in fact by contract they cannot even have access to the system that does so.
Southwest was great back in the day, the envy of customer service. Now that the ruthless investment firm Elliot Management has sunk their teeth into SW that are becoming like Frontier and Spirit. And SW is expensive too, and there constantly late
“However they can’t eliminate gate agents entirely!”
I expect that they are working on that challenge. Perhaps some combination of remotely located customer service and broadening ramp agent training and responsibilities will be initial steps.
Where’s white Ben Crump when you need him. Memories of those two Frontier agents giving whitey the attitude in RDU a couple of months ago ago.
Has it occurred to any of you that the dedicated Southwest agent was simply trying to help the customer shop for a new pair of shoes because the customer couldn’t get a strong mobile signal at that particular gate? Sheesh, people—lighten up!
I’m done with Southwest. I’ve been flying with them for years but the brand is stripped bare. Not even an also ran.
Remember the leveraged buyouts in the 80s? Where they sold off book value and bankrupted the target? Well. This is no better. There’s no more reason for flying with this bankrupt airline.
Sad.
I suppose the agent could be shopping for a present for a colleague who is retiring. At least she seems to be doing her job even if she is shopping.
@NedsKid – yes, I spaced when I mentioned TWU and you can see in my comment above that I corrected myself with respect to which groups TWU 555 represents
Last weekend in Atlanta, when over 300 flights were canceled Friday night/ early Saturday morning the Delta agents ( two that I saw) were shopping on Amazon. I do not think this is out of the norm.
I read these and never reply, not sure if you even get a notification that anyone ever replies. But long story short all airlines suck. I became loyal to AA when they took over Midway in Raleigh NC, pre 9/11. For years I chased status, 500 mile upgrade certificates, I know that was a while ago. Now I fly anything that gets me there at a reasonable price and at good times. No longer do I take a 4 hour layover with crappy times for loyalty.. I still have a $450 AA card for their lounge access and a $500 Amex for Delta acess and the Centurian lounge, but in the last month I flew RDU to Nashville on South West, booked a flight to Chicago on AA and a flight Las Vegas flight on Delta, and Manila on United. When I became a me first I realized all these airlines mostly suck. Occasionally AA has some outstanding flight attendants but they invested on new planes without inflight entertainment, but in general they all have a bad attitude, Delta usually has slightly better flight attendants but older aircraft without the newer overhead bins, and I didn’t even get started on the whole carry on policy. SW decided they were going to quit with thunder dome even though you could pay the $30 plus to get an extra weapon. United has my least experience but they have given up on trying to fight for domestic travel and are a US airline that is focused on hubs and getting to international destination with mediocre service. Best thing any of us can do is reward good service and expect mediocrity at best.
I bet the customer thought the gate agent was looking at the computer for a solution to her problem. Reality is the agent didn’t give a rats behind about it. Pitiful.
Did the customer have a problem with the service, or is this a manufactured problem?