Tag Archives for customer service.
I’ve heard recently some several readers that customer service calls have gone much more smoothly in recent months, and I’ve seen discussion of this on Reddit as well, so I asked what changes they’ve made. Vincett put me on the phone with Luis Coreas, their Chief Operating Officer, who walked me through the changes they’ve made and those that they have in process.
There’s a pendulum that swings where loose policies are deemed costly, control gets centralized but proves unworkable, and flexibility is returned – only for the cycle to repeat.
Nonetheless, you should assume that there’s some flexibility available when dealing with airline agents because it’s low cost to do so with high upside.
At what point does fighting over $11 stop being worth it? I’m going to spend more than $11 worth of my time getting this addressed. Yet it will bother me more than $11’s worth for Marriott to keep the $11.
Soon customer service agents will be displaced en masse by chatbots, but not the kind you’re used to. AI-powered customer service agents will handle the bulk of requests.
Some businesses, including airlines, will promote human customer service as a premium experience (although eventually, perhaps, AI will be better – but at least initially this will be seen as a premium). And perhaps we’ll see airlines offering live human telephone service as an elite benefit.
Three years ago United Airlines launched ‘agent on demand’ where customers would reach local agents, rather than a call center, when contacting customer service via their mobile device – scan a QR code at a hub, and chat by voice or video to deal with rebooking and other issues. This is a great feature, especially for the average passenger. It helps get real help faster, and utilizes agents efficiently.
It isn’t great for everyone, though.
American Airlines is laying off about 8% of customer relations staff, the team that tries to win back unhappy customers, as well as lost baggage staff, and AAdvantage customer service agents. The layoffs, effective March 30.
American has a special phone number for use by passengers during weather events and similar breakdowns. This is part of the Reservations Irregular Ops Customer Assistance Program and gates have “RICAP cards.”
Have you ever tried to get your cable fixed by calling Comcast? Or have you ever tried to get advice from the IRS 800 number? Most large organizations become sclerotic. The people hired to field calls may be judged not on whether they help customers, but how quickly they get rid of customers (average time per call). At the very least, they probably aren’t evaluated on whether or not they solve a customer’s problem.
Southwest Airlines denied a baggage claim even though there was video evidence, a police report, and an arrest showing the bags were stolen. Their reason? “A discrepancy.” And Southwest is hardly the Comcast of aviation.
Delta Air Lines will be sharing the names of flight crew with passengers a day in advance of travel. Passengers will be able to recognize crew for their service. Even though it’s only first names, crew can opt out, and only positive comments will be passed along, a union trying to organize flight attendants at the airline is blasting the program.
The customer thinks they’re dealing with the airline. They’re told they have no other options but to pay. And travelers, desperate for help, clearly agree to be charged.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
