subject: Are airline contact centres having to deal with more complaints? [print this page] Are airline contact centres having to deal with more complaints?
It is understandable that people think this and therefore we have already answered the question. However, what we really want to know is what events have caused a rise in complaints? It may just be that people are gradually expecting more from their travel experiences, but you cannot rule out the impact of recent events.
One of the major issues that airlines are having to deal with at the moment is strikes by their own staff. This has lead to people getting gradually more and more frustrated with the situation and they take their anger out on the airline contact centres. What customers don't always realise is that it is the staff who are denying them of their flights by agreeing to the strikes. Airline contact centre staff have had to become more skilled and experienced in dealing with this issue and the complaints that come with it.
Another problem that airlines have had to solve lately is the cancelled flights due to volcanic ash. They have had to try to find a way to be fair to their customers without losing too much money. Airline contact centres have had to manage a larger amount of complaints because of this. Some of the airlines have made sure that their contact centre staff have been briefed on what to say in this situation. Although judging by people's comments, they seemed to be more concerned about whether or not it is actually safe to fly rather than missing their flights. The airline contact centres have probably had to deal with just as many questions and worried customers as complaints about losing money.
It is important to look at the positive side of recent events as well as the negative. I suspect that contact centre managers have seen their staff develop news skills and are now able to deal with more high pressure phone calls. Both the strikes and the volcanic ash can be viewed as a valuable learning experience for all contact centre staff. They will have developed new skills and been face with new challenges and problems to solve. The sheer volume of calls will have provided them with some really good experience.
Working in an airline contact centre can be quite a varied job and it will always keep you on your toes. If you think you are up to the challenge then you should do some further research into entry requirements and what sort of jobs are available.
