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Customer services is the act of taking care of the customer's needs. In airlines, customer service means providing and delivering safe, professional, helpful, high-quality service. And assistance to airline passengers. Customer service is delivered to passengers before, during, and after a flight.
We can say that the contact with
the passenger starts from the time he makes inquiries, bookings, his ticket,
checked in, and while boarding aircraft. Once he is on board aircraft, he
spends much more time on board than all the other services put together.
Flight attendants must adopt more professional and dedicated attitudes from the moment the customer boards the flight until he disembarks.
Customer services skill is mandatory for airline's customer service agents, such as Ticket Reservation Staff, Check-in Agents, and Flight Attendants.
In this article, I will write about the best customer services tips. This article will help new flight attendants improve their customer services skills. Mastering customer services skills can lead to happier customers, better travel experiences, and high service ratings of their airlines.
Note :
Customer = Passenger = PAX
Importance of Customer Services for Airlines
As competition in the airline, the sector has become very intense. Airlines are giving more and more importance to customer services "care" as they are the main key element towards raising airlines' competitive position in the market.
Why is Customer Services Skill important for Flight Attendants?
The airline is looking for an energetic, enthusiastic, and ambitious flight attendant. It's written in the flight attendant job description that the responsibility is to work for the safety and comfort of the airline's passengers. The flight attendant should practice excellent customer services that lead to customer satisfaction.
The flight attendant should hold excellent customer services skills that help them to meet passengers' needs. For example, " speaking clearly, listening attentively, and interacting comfortably with airline's passengers and other airline crew.
Is Customer Always Right?
I had a long debate with one of my colleagues about this subject. She usually says airline customer is always right and this is what she learned. She is working as a reservation agent for a long time. Through my experience working as a flight attendant, I met many passengers with disruptive behavior on board aircraft during my previous job [ cabin crew member]. I brought that debate to an end by realizing that " if the airline's passenger is always right, the Tokyo Convention will not give the pilot-in-command the right to restrain him if his behavior endangers the safety of passengers and crew.
Best Customer Service Tips for Flight Attendants
The following is the best
customer services tips that help flight attendants improve their customer
services skills:
1- Excellent Appearance
Due to the importance of personal
appearance, the first customer services tip is that flight attendants should
have an excellent appearance. Personal appearance helps the airline make a good
impression on its customers. That is why each airline has its dress code.
Flight attendants should have a
professional appearance that shows a good image of the airline. It represents
it internationally.
Most airline forbids flight
attendants from wearing excessive jewelry while they are in uniform.
2- Good Job knowledge
The fact Is that some airline customers (such as frequent flyers) evaluate flight attendant job knowledge (skills and understanding of the work). For this reason, flight attendants must show that they are professional by following safety regulations and enforcing these regulations in the cabin. Also, doing the same when dealing with customers ( passengers) while serving them.
Flight attendants must balance between safety requirements and customers' comfort in a flexible way.
I will give you an example. Based on my travel experience onboard a 5-star airline ( DXB-SIN in 2014). The flight attendants served us well. While landing in Singapore, one of them was sleeping on her jump seat. The question is, do you think that I was satisfied with their in-flight services? For sure, no, because that flight attendant who was sleeping down ranked my evaluation. I gave him zero marks in safety.
The problem with 5-stars airlines is that they give more attention to the quality of services and do not measure the workload. Most thing passengers may notice is how flight attendants do their job. Also, how they act towards customers' needs.
3- Creating A Good First Impression
During passengers boarding, it is the time to set the tone of excellent customer service by greeting passengers warmly and pleasantly with a friendly smile. Don't forget the hidden security screening. The fact is, a pleasant facial expression makes the customer (pax) sense that both flight attendants as individuals and their airline have an interest in him.
The customer services fact " passengers expect to be greeted with a pleasant, sincere, warm welcome and cared for as individual. Good customer services delivery means flight attendants are " selling" the airline to passengers.
4- Keeping Communication Clear
Flight attendants should know how
to communicate effectively with customers (PAXS). The following guidelines will
help them keep communication clear:
Being a Great Listener Listening intently and truly
showing flight attendant professionalism in providing the best customer
services for passengers ( customers). Listening to passengers makes them feel
good because good listening is care.
In addition, flight attendants need to know when to listen and when to speak to make communication clear.
A- Using a good body language
Body language communicates much more than the actual words we say. For that reason, flight attendants should use open and positive body language such as eye contact, smiley faces to keep communication clear and add to the customer's (pax) feeling of value and importance.
B- Using Positive Verbal Language
The first is using language which is understandable by customers (PAXS). In some cases, flight attendants should have the ability to make a minor change in the form of expression rather than its content. For example, when they say " No Smoking" while standing on the aisle, they should say it without letting the passenger feel they attack him personally.
C- Evaluating the Message Not the Passenger (Customer)
A flight attendant must be careful not to use his basis, personal likes or dislikes, influence his judgment about the information the customer ( passenger) give him.
D- Test Understanding
Flight attendants should attempt to establish whether or not something said or done by the customer ( passenger)
E- Showing good prescriptive behavior when:
- Disagreeing
- Defend
- Giving information
- Giving
advice
- Admitting
to mistakes
- Correcting information.
F- Give Customer (PAX) Full Attention
A flight attendant must be careful not to give the passenger the impression that his presence is interrupting something else.
G- Being Aware of Culture Differences
The flight attendant should learn
and understand the cultural differences between nations.
H- Being able to close the conversation
The flight attendant should have
the ability to end the conversation politely with confirmed satisfaction and
with the passenger feel that everything has been taken care of ( or will
be).
5- Being Accessible to Customers (PAXS)
One Flight attendant must be accessible to customers (PAXS) during the long flight. He must walk through the cabin frequently to help passengers with their needs. The fact is, not all passengers prefer to make flight attendant call.
6- Showing Good Stress Management
The flight attendant should have the ability to perform their safety and customer services duties efficiently under emergency or adverse conditions.
7- Being Strict While Dealing with Unruly Customer (Passenger)
The flight attendant should follow the security guidelines regarding disruptive behavior on board in the early stage. Unruly customer (Unruly Passenger) is the only customer that is not always right.
8- Response to the Customer (Passenger) Complaints
Flight attendants should show initiative in acting on suggestions or complaints from the passenger. And should endeavor, insofar as possible, to resolve any actual or imagined irregularities or service deficiencies to which passengers may call attention.
9- Showing Positive Attitude
Flight attendants should have a positive attitude while dealing with customers( passengers) face to face. They should :
10 - Willingness to learn
Flight attendants should learn
from their mistakes. And seeking to improve their customer services skills by a
continuance of learning habits.
Summary
Airlines provide their customers
with a good quality service, but at the same time, flight attendants may fail
to give attention "care" to the airline's customers (passengers).
Flight attendants should deal with the customer with the best customer services
tips.
Please do not hesitate to write
your comments down and share your valuable customer services experience with
us.
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welcomes you again and again.
