Customer satisfaction is very important, especially in a very competitive industry like the airline. Passengers want convenience in all aspects of their airline experience including staff’s friendly attitude, efficient luggage handling, safety, good quality meals, and everything else that would compensate them for the value of their money invested in air transport. But how can airline executives validly check whether their staff are really rendering services that are at par with existing quality standards?
One of the most effective tools to acquire efficient evaluation of customer services is the use of airline mystery shoppers. These are hired people who are trained to assess airline services by posing as passengers and at the same time secret evaluators. They perform what regular customers do from booking to boarding to baggage retrieval while remaining anonymous.
The objective of this mystery management airline mystery shoppers is to evaluate the airline experience from a customer’s point of view and their feedback will be used to enhance customer service.
From the booking process, they will determine how accessible and easy to use the airline’s website and how transparent their prices are. Posing as actual passengers, they evaluate the efficiency of the check-in process and how organized and timely is the boarding procedures. They can test how courteous and helpful the staff are at different stages of the passenger’s journey. They also accomplished checking the cleanliness of the cabin, the comfort the seats could offer, and how other amenities meet expectations. They will observe if meals are served fresh and on time and if cabin crew are doing what is expected of them. Finally, they will also gauge baggage handling.
As the airline mystery shopper performs these tasks, they will be able to:
Uncover Blind Spots
There may be issues that the airline is not aware of because regular passengers may not report minor inconveniences, however, mystery shoppers will definitely take note of these. For example, flight attendants are friendly but can still be more responsive to passengers’ needs by being proactive, or clearer instructions may lead to a smooth boarding process.
Ensure Consistency in Service
Reliability is achieved by being consistent in the kind of service the airline offers. The secret evaluators will determine whether the company’s excellent policies are implemented and whether the training programs affect their performance in the delivery of service across different touchpoints. So, with this, customer satisfaction is warranted on every flight, no matter where the route will be or whoever is the assigned crew.
Provide Actionable Feedback
Airlines receive detailed reports that may include the scores, observations, and even suggestions for improvements from the mystery shopper after their evaluation. These actionable insights will enable airlines to address specific issues with targeted training and improved facilities.
Benchmarking Against Competitors
Since these transport spies handle evaluation for other airlines too, they can provide companies with competitive benchmarking. So, an airline can see how they stack up in critical areas like pricing, customer service, and in-flight comfort. They will also be able to identify their competitive advantages and areas where they need to catch up.
Nowadays, passengers have many options when it comes to their travel. So, it is necessary for airlines to deliver the best service consistently to ensure loyalty from clients. The use of airline mystery shoppers will help companies enhance customer experience to stay competitive and successful in the industry.
