JetBlue Pioneers New Customer Service Model

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You don’t need to bury your head in the WSJ every few hours to know that American airports have turned into battlefields over the past few months. From record-breaking cyber-attacks to physical altercations between customer service agents and flyers, airlines are losing the trust of their customers. In turn, they are struggling to retain their lifetime value.

We know that in the automated digital age of impatient customers, bad service can breed customer hostility, especially in the airline industry. According to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, about one-third of surveyed customer service agents said they experienced "other types of harmful actions" beyond verbal abuse, which agents said included passengers destroying property, taking videos of agents, grabbing agents' identification badges, and stalking agents after work. Many of these acts of harassment end up turning into physical altercations.

Read More: As European Airlines Struggle, Lufthansa Banks on CX, Says CEO of Intouch

After the U.S. Government Accountability Office studied the recurring incidents that are making airlines increasingly less safe, they came to a precisely astonishing conclusion that seemingly couldn’t be calculated... until now. “Airlines’ business practices, such as charging fees for checked and carry-on baggage or policies around delays and cancellations, might aggravate or surprise passengers and lead them to be aggressive toward customer service agents.” What an enlightening analysis from the GAO!

On a more serious note, the keywords here are “Airlines’ business practices.” Combine the regularly exercised unexpected fees, delays, and cancellations with impatient customers who are used to quick automated customer service interfaces, and the results are staggeringly violent.

So what is JetBlue (second-best U.S. airline according to the 2019 airline quality rating) doing to improve its customer service model, enhance brand reputation, and ultimately retain violent, yet profitable consumers? It is taking the concept of customer centricity to the next horizon… literally.

Gladly's new software

“Previously, JetBlue had five different systems that stored customer data. Since 2017, average call times have been cut by about 40%,” said Sundaram, Jet Blue’s chief digital and technology officer. Now the airline will be introducing Gladly’s software in the air, so the cabin crew can have a bird’s-eye view of information about customers onboard.

Sundaram plans to deploy Gladly’s in-flight customer service model early next year to thousands of crew members, allowing them to utilize more individualized customer data using in-flight tablets that will enable agents to see, for example, whether a specific passenger boarded the plane after a frustrating experience of missing a different flight, and then accommodate them in some way (a free drink, an upgraded seat with more legroom, etc.). The software can also prompt crew members to offer complimentary perks to frequent fliers who have problems during the flight, such as a broken TV screen.

Focusing on the loyal and unsatisfied customers

Not only is JetBlue focusing on frustrated customers, but it are also focusing on the right frustrated customers… people who have been loyal consumers to the airline and are more likely to be retained if accommodated appropriately following a negative experience.

You may or may not remember this quote in an article I wrote about different brand’s apology campaigns. “The potential lifetime value of a customer doesn’t disappear because you make a mistake or a communication blunder. It’s what you do after the mistake.” JetBlue is taking this idea to the next level by applying this concept to loyal customers in an industry known for bad customer service. Utilizing intel in application programming interfaces to pinpoint loyal frustrated customers is a great way to do that.

Data from various sources within the company are integrated with Gladly’s software using APIs to enable apps, platforms and systems to connect with each other and share data on consumers in real-time, potentially better than any other airline in the U.S.

Reflecting on the rate at which the travel industry is constantly lagging in technology-focused customer experience - “The challenge is to keep up with the pace of change. Every consumer expects you to be another Facebook, Google, Apple—not an airline,” said Sundaram.