Lost in the Shuffle: Navigating Airline Ticketing Chaos
We talk about customer service day in, day out – it’s what we do and what we love. But we all know that not every customer service experience is a dream come true. While all brands strive to provide their clients and their customers with the best possible experience, it’s no secret that some businesses sometimes miss the mark.
We decided to gather some real-life stories from our team about less-than-stellar customer service experiences. To our surprise, we ended up with quite a few tales to tell.
From this collection, we bring you ‘Customer Service Nightmares’, where we share examples of not-so-awsome customer service and offer our thoughts on how we would handle things differently.
A story of navigating airline ticketing chaos from our amazing HR manager, Sophie.
"When planning a trip with my family, including a young child, we found out our seats were assigned separately, which just wouldn't work. Plus, they charged us extra for our child under two years old.
So, I called the airline and was put on hold for 27 minutes, enduring this repetitive and honestly, annoying music. Finally, Ashley picked up. I explained everything, and she listened but then said she had to transfer me.
Back on hold again with the same music. After several more frustrating minutes, David answered. He understood the situation but told me the flight was full and suggested sorting out the seating issue with the staff at check-in. As for the extra charges, he explained that our baby had been booked as a child, so there was nothing he could do. He offered to cancel the ticket, but I declined because we needed to travel with our child and thought that would cause even more problems at check-in.
David suggested keeping the booking as it was and resolving the issues at check-in. Then, the call ended abruptly, leaving everything unresolved and my frustration through the roof. It felt like they just didn’t care about our predicament or create a good customer experience. If I'm being totally, honest, it really put me off the airline and I try not to travel with them now. Knowing that customer service is unlikely to help if I run into issues again."
How could technology enhance this experience?
We spoke to our Chief Growth Officer, Jim Mitchell, here is what he had to say.
A real-time integrated autopilot solution could significantly benefit this airline. Traditional chatbots have been limited in their utility, often just directing users to FAQs or providing generic responses. However, the advent of generative AI technology has transformed chatbots, enabling them to fully integrate with back-end systems and assist customers in ways that previously required a human representative.
With this advanced functionality, the airline could provide a seamless experience for customers. For instance, the system could proactively alert a passenger when check-in becomes available, allowing them to log in and select seats to ensure their family sits together. This empowers the consumer with greater control over their travel arrangements, accessible from any device, leading to a vastly improved customer experience.
Want to learn more about how AI can transform traveler experiences?
Check out this fantastic case study from our partner, Netomi. They helped WestJet provide immediate responses to customers via WhatsApp.