Customer Service in the aviation industry P3

Plan for today Time Topic 9.30-10.00 Recap of P1 and P2 Learning outcomes today 10.00-10.45 P3 Meeting customer needs 10.45-11.00 Break 11.00-12.30 P3 continued importance of meeting customer needs 12.30-1.30 Lunch

Module Overview P1 P1 and P2 P3 P4, P5, P6, M1 D1 Presentations P7 P8 Week No Week commencing Topic 1 12 Sept P1 2 19 Sep 3 26 Sep P1 and P2 4 3 Oct P3 5 10 Oct P4, P5, P6, M1 D1 6 17 Oct 7 24 Oct Presentations Half term 8 7 Nov P7 9 16 Nov P8 10 23 Nov P9 M2, M3, D2 11 30 Nov Role-plays 12 5 Dec 13 12 Dec Christmas Holidays

Recap of P1 and P2 Ryanair will deliver their perceived customer service of cheap seats, safe, secure and on-time flights but anything else the passenger may require will be offered at a cost. In comparison, British Airways would be expected to deliver a high standard of customer service at various degrees throughout their different classes.

Task 3 (provides evidence for P3) Explain the importance of meeting aviation customer needs   You should explain the importance of meeting customer needs to both the organisation and the customer. You must include information for the three customer types listed below, their needs and the levels of customer service. You must include examples from aviation organisations. Three types of customer (demographic, cultural, special)

Learning outcomes for today Identify the needs of specific customers Explain the importance of meeting aviation customer’s needs

Introduction to P3 Why is it important to meet customer needs in aviation? To ensure repeat business increase customer loyalty Ensure the organisation has a good public image To ensure that the organisation has an edge over the competition Increase sales, profit, provide jobs

Introduction to the importance of meeting customer’s needs Customers are the centre of our business Without them we could not survive Effective customer service is essential Keeping new and existing customers happy is absolutely vital to our business

Different types of customer Task (10 mins) In small groups discuss the different types of customers listed below and explain what products and services are provided to meet their individual needs Demographic Cultural Special requirements Consider different levels of service that are provided

Individual needs of passengers Task (5 mins) By class Frequent flyers Vips Cips Medical conditions Unmins Families with young children Disabilities Nervous pax Special diets Special requirements Standby pax Non English speaking Elderly passengers Business passengers Leisure passengers Wheelchair passenger Look at the list and decide which of the three passenger types (demographic, cultural and special requirements) they would be described as Explain at least two reasons why and how an aviation organisation could meet the needs of these passengers

Explain the importance of meeting customer needs and level of service for the two examples Frequent Flyers Disabled Passengers

Cultural Awareness Research cultural awareness by looking at different behaviours in different cultures e.g greetings, foods eaten main religions

Disability Etiquette quiz Research disability etiquette at http://www.uni.edu/equity/DisabilityEtiquette.shtml And think of a question to ask the other members of your group

Very Important Passengers

Commercially important passengers Executives of corporate firms who use one specific airline for all their business. One who contributes the most revenue for an airline eg – Barclays use British Airways

Medical conditions Airlines can accommodate passengers with certain medical conditions such as Those requiring oxygen Those with broken limbs

Unaccompanied Minors

Families with young children Extension seatbelts Bulkhead seats Bassinets Bottle warming

Passengers with disabilities

Nervous passengers Choice of seat ie- window or aisle Crew to talk over take-off and landing, noise levels, turbulence, etc Reassurance

Special diets Airlines can meet the needs of those customers with dietary requirements VGML VLML KSML MOML DBML

Special requirements Religious More legroom Extension seatbelts for larger passengers

Airline Employee Standby Pax

Meeting customer’s needs -demographic Families Business passengers

Cultural Ensuring that you are not causing offence to anyone through not knowing certain behaviours are part of their culture e.g. not eating certain food or clothing

Special requirements Foods e.g. nut allergies – ensure no items containing nuts are served on the plane Visually impaired passengers - Introduce to cabin crew count rows to emergency exit Seats with extra leg room for PRM’s if not by an emergency exit. Tall people may also request extra leg room.

Products and services Flights Food and beverages Car parking Children’s services Disabled facilities Frequent flyer clubs Range of ticket types Special cargo services Medical services

Explain the importance of meeting customer needs based on expectations, e.g perceived needs

Explain the importance of meeting customer needs To the organisation Customer loyalty Promotes positive image Attracts new customers Gains competitive advantage Improves staff morale Keeping existing customers satisfied Increasing customers’ loyalty Ensuring repeat business Enhancing an organisation’s image Providing an edge over the competition Increasing sales and usage by attracting new customers The consequences of poor customer service for the customer, the staff and the organisation

Importance to the employee A happier working environment Job satisfaction Higher self esteem Possibility of promotion Good team spirit Clear guidelines Incentives & possibility of promotion Praise & thanks

Safe, Secure & Happy Working Environment If the Airline is run efficiently, the customers are happy ….. If the customers are happy – the staff are too …. Your workforce is the heart of your business Front-line staff are the window of your company Unhappy staff reflect an unhealthy business

Explain the importance of meeting customer needs To the customer Satisfaction Loyalty Inform others Meeting individual customers’ needs Exceeding customers expectations Safe and secure environment for internal and external customers

Customer Loyalty Customer Satisfaction leads to customer loyalty… It costs 3 times more to gain a new customer as it does to keep an existing one. It makes sense to keep your customer happy….

Customer Loyalty ……. Means repeat business ……………. Repeat business means Airline organisations can make a profit and be sustainable

Airline profitability Leads to re-investment and improved standards of customer service It also means airlines can be innovative in a highly volatile and competitive aviation market

Recap of P3 – Quiz Q1: Name two facilities offered for families with young children Q2: Name two ways of meeting the needs of a nervous passenger Q3: Name two reasons why it is important to meet customers needs Q4: How much more does it cost to gain new customers than keep existing ones? Q5: Name three reasons meeting customer needs is important to employees?