In the third week of December 2013, I happened to be at the receiving end of a worst-in class kind of customer experience from Emirates Airlines – which is rated the best in world for the year!
I was in a transit in Dubai on the way from Sao Paulo, with a 2-day stay over on the way back to India. I found both my checked-in baggage missing when I arrived in Dubai on a late evening after a 14-hour long-hop flight, along with 4-5 other passengers who were in the same situation. The horrible customer experience that I had to face, was related to this incident.
So rather than looking at a customer aggravation perspective (sure, I was aggrieved!), would analyze the bad practices that were observed, from a customer service and service management perspective.
Here are some of the bad practices from the world’s best airlines that customer service organizations would want to avoid:
- Other than a mechanical apologies statement, the whole behavior of the baggage counter gave the customer as if this was business as usual. No real connect with the customer and his ‘inconvenience’ at all. A filled form, receipt and promise to deliver ‘as soon as possible’, and a (paid) call center number to call to get updates – the responsibilities of the provider ended there.
- Absolute NO update to the customer even after 24 hours delay in tracing the baggage.
- A website for status update that is never updated even once in 36 hours from the complaint.
- A paid call center phone line that indicates a 2-4 minute wait time , but not picked up even after 25 minutes hold time.
- A call center which only allows call in, promises call back with update and never bothers after that.
- Even though the baggage has reached the local airport after 24 hours, not bothering to call customer even once – even when customer is repeatedly calling the call-center to get hold of the baggage. The first call to me from the airlines with any update on the luggage was after more than 36 hours.
- Behaving as if it is customer’s fault – and show all your arrogance when customer comes over to collect the baggage. (I was told that I should have carried enough material in the cabin luggage – rather than complaining about ‘inconvenience’. Such a valuable advice!)
- Try to find a way to avoid any sort of compensation to customer. And quote company policies to kill any sort of discussion with customer on the same. (I was told initially that Airlines policy doesn’t allow any compensation for delays lesser than 24 hours. Then indicated the compensation is only $50 for every completed 24 hours of delay. Since my delay had only one cycle of completed 24 hours that was my entitlement).
- Have a twitter handle that gives NO response to customer tweets addressed to them.
- Have a customer complaint email (customer.affairs@) that just sent an almost-automated acknowledgement after few days and no response even 10 days after that.
I know many of you who are reading the above would be surprised and even think that there are points exaggerated here. I was also (unpleasantly) surprised by such a set of bad practices from such a well-known international carrier – where as I had much better handling of such situation by smaller airlines in the past. Many of my colleagues and friends also found it difficult to believe my experience, but it is true.
I hope there are some part of the Airlines organization who are still concerned about the customer satisfaction, and hope either my email or this note will reach them in some manner. I am not expecting any kind of further action/closure from the Airlines for my experience as a customer; but as a service management consultant with a special attention on customer service, it pains me to see good service providers stooping in their standards.
When you are voted as the best by the customers, your responsibility increased many fold. It is your greatest challenge to live up to the increasing expectations and provide even better experience. If you enjoy the praise and let it affect your attitude, then it is a sure recipe for doom in a very short-term!
January 28, 2014 at 12:30 pm
Generally I don’t learn article on blogs, however
I wish to say that this write-up very compelled me
to check out and do it! Your writing style has been amazed me.
Thank you, quite great post.
January 30, 2014 at 4:07 pm
Great post. Very similar experience with Emirates. Not sure who actually claims them to be “Best Airline in the World” – they are decades behind with ‘Service’ that in not on-board.
January 30, 2014 at 10:33 pm
I was on my honeymoon and had the worst four flights ever!!! The staff didn’t care one bit!
June 23, 2014 at 12:31 am
My latest American Airlines (AA) mis-experience:
I realize that in the scheme of things, I am just an insignificant statistic in the sea of AA’s patron base but I feel compelled to get this customer service nightmare off my chest.
Here we go…I am booked on the 10:20am AA flight 1664 (on Friday the 13th of June) from Los Angeles to Miami. I dutifully and timely arrive at the airport at about 9:45am, found my gate and noticed that the aircraft was absent. I am thinking, this a bit odd but whatever… I find a comfortable seat with the gate in sight. 10:00am, no aircraft…I am beginning to get a little concerned. At about 10:05 a male agent announce in most ill-understandable terms something like they could not reach Operations to get a status update. That, of course, caused me a little more concern but, whatever…..
At about 10:15am the same agent announced something like…we will get a status update at 11:00am. Several apparently frustrated patrons audibly wondered what he just said. I checked the schedule display and noticed that the flight was re scheduled to depart at 11:00am…no announcement, no communication. By about 10:30am an aircraft arrived at the gate, passengers deplaned..still no communication. The display above the gate change from Miami to Nashville…still no communication. The Miami flight disappears from the schedule display…still no communication. I walked up to an AA staff and asked if she knew the status of flight 1664 to Miami. She kindly directed me to customer service at Gate 42A. On my way to gate 42 I noticed this long line and yes, it was the frustrated passengers from the mysteriously disappeared Miami flight. I am thinking there must be a better way. So I drew on the coping skills my mom taught us. At about 11:30am I found a smart male crew member behind a counter typing away. He was quite helpful in delivering the bad news…flight 1664 was cancelled…wiped from the schedule. He then very feverishly started typing away, looking for a solution to my problem. Nothing available today! He then kindly advised me to find an agent at a recently-departed flight counter and ask for help. I did just that and found a male agent very feverishly wrapping up from the last flight. He saw the frustration on my face and started searching the system for a solution. Several minutes later the solution emerged…take the 6:30p flight to Miami. It is now 12:30pm. Two shuttle vouchers later I am heading back to my hotel. He was helpful and genuinely willing to help. He also advised me to lodge a complaint both via the Internet and hand-written (similar to calling your representative). The shuttle was not workable in terms of time so I ended up taking a taxi.
At about 5:10pm I dutifully and timely arrived at the gate (thanks to “TSA precheck”). Thankfully the flight was properly scheduled and there was an aircraft at the gate… a good beginning…. Boarding began at about 6:00pm and proceeded quite well. Everyone got on seemingly without incident, the door closes and we are still at the gate… 6:45pm the captain casually announces in a somewhat “I-am –not-sure-what-is-happening” tone that he was showing a cargo door open and he was trying to reach Operations to get a status update ( the same Operations from earlier)….7:00pm….no movement, communication or action… 7:15pm….no movement, communication or action… at about 7:30pm….the aircraft lazily (consistent with the general AA cadence) started slowly pushing back from the gate and the standard procedures engaged.
The aircraft was manned by an all-female crew of three delightful but seemingly inexperienced flight attendants. The equipment was ancient with the in-ceiling monitors, one of which the enthusiastic but I-cannot-believe-this flight attendants had to manually push back up in the clouds. I asked if there was a movie..yes, was the answer from the delightful young flight attendant, but we have to manually start the tape…the tape from a century ago…
Then the movie came on… big sideburns and obviously from decades ago…I could not bring myself to watch. The vegetarian food was good and the service was also quite good in first class (which is not what it used to be)… I finally arrived later than scheduled in Miami, tired and disappointed with AA.
In fairness, I must thank the AA staff who went out of their way to help me, in spite of the “system”.
Based on my recent bad customer service experiences with Dell computers, Microsoft, et al, I am troubled that this is the new normal. With the consolidation in the various service industries where is this going to finally settle before the pendulum swings back to customer-focused service?
As an Operations manager with responsibilities for customer service, I am even more committed to hire staff that understand the value of customer service that exceeds expectations – to establish and maintain a corporate culture that values the customer, not just for business purposes but for the sake of common courtesy that our parents taught us.
What was your most recent customer service mis-experience?
December 23, 2014 at 4:25 pm
Hi Vinod,
I must compliment you first of all to put aside your psychological frustration and focus on the service delivery points in such a rational manner. I thank you for posting all the shortcomings on the service delivery as far as the baggage mishandling case is concerned. I was amazed to learn your views and very much relate them with mine especially when I am looking for best practices around this area. I would like to keep in touch with you for professional networking. I am posting this comment and quoting my email address for your perusal. Thanks once again !!
Urvil Khakhar