Time to get serious about passenger feedback

[thewinchester]

As someone who's entire job is spent in the online world, managing government websites, online customer feedback and engagement, social media marketing and management etc... it really grinds my gears at just how lacklustre some businesses can be when it comes to dealing with customer feedback.

Yes, you just heard right - someone who works in the public service actually cares how his customers actually think and feel about his employer, enough to do something about it and show customers they matter and we're listening to what they have to say.

When you've all picked yourselves up off the floor, the reason why I mention this is an automated email from QF after sending them some feedback about the contact centre.

Normally their staff are above reproach, are personable, polite and create a positive customer experience. This evening's contact centre agent however really left a (bad) impression on me, with his call technique being robotic, yes/no answers, and just wanting to get the customer off the phone as quickly as possible without even checking if the customer had any other needs or questions.

Anyway, one polite and well crafted email to QF via their RightNow CustHelp platform, and the usual automated response is received.

Not withstanding categories on the form which don't cover a contact centre related piece of feedback and the fact that customer-centric language for this kind of contact escapes their website (talk about bad UX/IA design), this is the line that stinks things up:

Please note that Customer Care reviews all feedback, and will endeavour to respond to you within the next 25 business days.

25 days! In this day and age, does it really take any business, let alone an airline who's profits are built on the quality of customer experience over five weeks to respond to feedback? Surely a company of QF's size has a decent enough customer care staff to provide at the very least an initial response within days, not weeks or months - even if its just a simple acknowledgement that we're still looking into your feedback or gathering additional information etc.

Anyway, that's my two cents and getting the issue off my chest. No doubt this might spark some interesting discussion, like do customers really expect too much of their airlines?

[samh004]

I emailed Jetstar about an issue in mid-August, before my flight, and got a response a week ago or so, after the flight had been completed. The issues was with my number not being on the ticket and they said they'd add it retrospectively, so they handled my gripe, but it's not just QF that take a while to answer things.

Then again, that sort of is QF in a way.

[anat0l]

25 days! In this day and age, does it really take any business, let alone an airline who's profits are built on the quality of customer experience over five weeks to respond to feedback?

In fairness, "within 25 days" hopefully means just that. It doesn't mean that you won't get a response until 25 days later. It could take 1 day. If it's a chestnut of an issue, it just might take 25 days.


But practically speaking, you are right. They might as well have said 365 days instead of 25 days and you'd end up with the same emotional outcome.


Having worked in customer service myself, there are multiple problems with providing adequate customer service. Like it or not, customer service (especially post-sales management) for companies is a cost; notwithstanding the non-measurable potential for repeat business from a well-treated customer, tangibly and thanks to our short-term mindsets that dominate business thinking today, customer service is a bean-counting liability and one that must be set to operate as best as possible at absolute minimal cost.

My experience in working with customer service is with Harvey Norman. We did fairly well - we covered a large wall of our customer service area with picture frames from several customers who have taken the time to write letters to us thanking us for our assistance in their problems. But that didn't mean we still had chestnuts.

One of the gripes some people had were our repair T&Cs (just like airline T&Cs!), for example the one that we will not be responsible for any data loss on a computer, and if you wanted your data backed up, we charged you for it (the cost of backing up data was the same as the cost of an in-house repair fee). We also had a policy of saying that after a repair was "checked-in", we would respond within 5-7 days with status. Sometimes it would be quicker, but at other times we had so many incoming repairs that a queue developed, and sometimes it would take 3+ days before a repair could even be looked at, let alone logged in for repair at an external site (which meant getting an authority to ship it to them to repair it). Of course if we had extra hands on board we could easily churn through the queue a lot quicker, but our boss thought we were doing good enough not to need more people on board.

We're one of those big fish with a reputation and an "anti-reputation", so customer service wasn't something to be taken lightly. But in the end, we were a cost sink hole (again, this isn't considering the non-measurable potential for repeat business from satisfied customers). It was only on select days that we may have had so many repairs, repacks or phone calls to be made that one staff member was taken off the sales floor to help us out. Of course that was a tough decision for our boss to make.


Being on both sides of the fence, are businesses being totally unreasonable? Are they disregarding customer service? Perhaps they are. Maybe they should divert some profits to improve customer service - put more staff on, etc. But given the profit levels we have now, shareholders to answer to and even more profit that must be made, that's probably not going to happen. Why do you think Indian call centres are getting awfully popular?

Do customers expect to much? In a sizeable number of cases, yes. But that is not to say that there are cases where customers are being doing a genuine disservice with no or inadequate recovery.


For what it's worth on my books, I have not had a problem with QF call centres before bar only twice, when the ones I was talking to were very bland. But since it wasn't a big thing I was trying to resolve over the phone I didn't really care much. Now that I talk a lot to QF Premium, I have always been very well looked after.

I've had to email QFF a couple of times and in each case I've been acknowledged within 36 hours and responded to within 3 business days. Not a bad record on my books; perhaps my expectations were inherently low.

[sampson]

I use www.1300record.com.au these days for calls to csrs in, for example, the farcically handled Amex promo or chasing Jetstar for cash compensation. You get an emailed recording to forward onto FOS or the ACCC etc. I'll do the same with airlines.

[drron]

Of course there may have been a perfectly rational explanation as to why the call centre person was robotic last evening.In view of the dust storm he may very well have been a tad stressed.
I would just like to record the exact opposite with a QF call centre fellow mrsdrron dealt with last night after having been let down by JQ.Earlier in the day fantastic service from one JQ call centre agent but last night the JQ woman suggested to my wife that her and her 92 yr old mother if they really wanted to get to Sydney hire a car and drive down tonight.
Trying to find an alternative mrsdrron turned to QF.Now it was not really a problem that the QF call centre had any responsibility for but the agent found an extra flight that was being organised BNE-SYD at 9am today.She had to promise to be at ticketing at BNE early as they expected large crowds.
So 5am i drove them to BNE.Arrived at 6am.When i rang at midday i asked what the QP was like-we didnt get there.Now being a QF basher I immediately thought what are QF doing these days but no.She said she was standing in the ticketing queues when at 6.30am a call goes out-"Is there a mrsdrron in line"Puts her hand up and taken to front of the queue-agent says you must know someone-we have been told to do what we can-we have you on the 7.05 flight so I will issue your tickets and take you over to checkin-so had no time to visit QP.
That was way above any reasonable standard of customer service.Certainly was very important to a 92 year old who was then able to see her son one more time.Thanks QF.

[medhead]

Personally, I don't want a response from customer feedback. I give customer feedback and they act or it, or not. I don't care what they do with my feedback. What I do care about are my complaints. And it is that simple for me - I give feedback on good service, I complain when they stuff me around and cost me money.

[serfty]

... practically speaking, you are right. They might as well have said 365 days instead of 25 days and you'd end up with the same emotional outcome. ...

Note that it's "Business Days", so it's really indicating up to 5 weeks.

(hmm... 365 business days would be 73 weeks )

[oz_mark]

Note that it's "Business Days", so it's really indicating up to 5 weeks.

(hmm... 365 business days would be 73 weeks )

75+ if you exclude public holidays as business days

[Amberlower]

Last july had a really poor experience with Qantas on a Sydney/London flight and I sent a complaint via feedback formonline. I received a prompt email saying that it was far too serious an issue to handle by email and being Platinum our issue would be handled more personally and a rep would be calling soon.
2 months later still no call. Another email arrived, similar to the first, which makes me think it is all computer-generated - but still no call. I guess they haven't figured out how to teach comoputers to make phone calls yet.

[straitman]

Last july had a really poor experience with Qantas on a Sydney/London flight and I sent a complaint via feedback formonline. I received a prompt email saying that it was far too serious an issue to handle by email and being Platinum our issue would be handled more personally and a rep would be calling soon.
2 months later still no call. Another email arrived, similar to the first, which makes me think it is all computer-generated - but still no call. I guess they haven't figured out how to teach comoputers to make phone calls yet.

Amberlower,

I am not defending QF here just making a comment. I have been in a similar situation on several occasions with QF but on each occasion the followup call has eventuated within a few days. Personally I would email them again after a resonable period of time as I believe that your issue has either slipped through the cracks or is still being looked at.