Customer Service

[WNMECH]

thank you, E. your contributions to this board on technical issues are valuable.As I expected, the system itself is superior to GoGo and talking with the FA or not won't change the process.

No it won't change that part if the process.

But the FA offered free drinks also.
Was that automated too?
 
That is point of sale customer service.

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

"Technical issues happen, and Southwest made a reasonable effort to make up for it by offering complimentary premium beverages in the moment....

...The takeaway for all customer experience professionals is how important proactive service recovery can be around small things. The bad WiFi was an annoyance...the thought that I would have to spend 20 minutes on the phone to get the charge reversed was a true hassle. Southwest saved me the time, effort, and frustration and that was the true customer service win!"

Read more at http://www.business2community.com/customer-experience/southwest-airlines-service-recovery-surprise-0886284#ipZHuqXuUQMrLdCU.99

 

[eolesen]

As I expected, the system itself is superior to GoGo and talking with the FA or not won't change the process.

I'd be surprised if Row44 didn't have a similar level of reporting behind their product. They must have some form of an up-time guarantee in their contract with WN, and if you can't measure it, you can't defend it when the airline starts to complain.

 

[WorldTraveler]

No it won't change that part if the process.

But the FA offered free drinks also.
Was that automated too?
 
That is point of sale customer service.

and the FA attention is exactly what I am talking about makes good customer service.

And WN does it well.

high quality frontline customer service involves correcting what you can. She/he did that.

Perhaps she/he knew that row44 monitors WiFi performance and would have processed the refund anyway.

I slight WN of nothing... but let's make sure we acknowledge what the FA did and what the vendor - under WN's control did likely as part of the contract.

 

[swamt]

do we even know that WN itself even initiated the refund or was it simply a result of the WiFi system being designed to not charge for a service that is not provided?

There shouldn't be a charge if the system doesn't work but it shouldn't be dependent on a person manually requesting that the charge not be processed.

I'd like to hear from someone at WN who understands their WiFi system and whether they actually can intervene in the charge process or whether it is automated by the system to not process charges.

Even if the system made a charge and then before the end of the flight refunded the charge automatically, credit card refunds usually take far longer to process than the original charge.

doesn't change that WN is a customer focused airline just that I'm not sure this story fully portrays that culture at work.

BTW, in the most recent DOT survey, WN came in as #3 among US airlines behind those two that are duking it out up in SEA.

And you still try and work soooooo hard to talk down SWA.  Even in their record service of customer service.  Get a clue WT. And move on away from trying to discredit SWA in order to make Delta look better.  You are f#cking amazing,  wow!!!...

 

[WorldTraveler]

go get help, mister. It must be terrible to carry this sense of inferiority around and then feel you have to last out in revenge.



No one put WN down.

 

[eolesen]

Actually, you kinda did..

BTW, in the most recent DOT survey, WN came in as #3 among US airlines behind those two that are duking it out up in SEA.

Maybe you meant it as a compliment, but by pointing out who #1 and #2 are, you've made it all about DL. Again.

 

[swamt]

As he always, ALWAYS does...

 

[Ms Tree]

do we even know that WN itself even initiated the refund or was it simply a result of the WiFi system being designed to not charge for a service that is not provided?

There shouldn't be a charge if the system doesn't work but it shouldn't be dependent on a person manually requesting that the charge not be processed.

I'd like to hear from someone at WN who understands their WiFi system and whether they actually can intervene in the charge process or whether it is automated by the system to not process charges.

Even if the system made a charge and then before the end of the flight refunded the charge automatically, credit card refunds usually take far longer to process than the original charge.

doesn't change that WN is a customer focused airline just that I'm not sure this story fully portrays that culture at work.

BTW, in the most recent DOT survey, WN came in as #3 among US airlines behind those two that are duking it out up in SEA.

Good grief.

 

[Ms Tree]

Lighten up, Francis.

nobody is denigrating anything.

I said clearly that the system shouldn't charge if the service wasn't delivered.

Do you honestly think that I would say that it is ok for DL to charge for a non-working system but WN shouldn't?

It is highly possible that WN set as one of the requirements to the vendor - who makes the charge in WN's name - that if a charge is made and no data is transmitted or if the data stops after a certain period of time that there is no charge.

It is also possible that WN set up systems to automatically send out a customer email (by the vendor but in WN's name) if the system fails or charges and not delivers.

it isn't rocket science and other companies absolutely have automated service recovery tools.

No one at all denigrated WN because they might have automated a process that should have happened anyway.

I just doubt - and I would be happy to hear a WN FA tell me that they really do or don't have a process to report a malfunctioning WiFi system.

If they don't - and with the number of flights WN operates, if there isn't a specific process in place, then the chances are very high it is automated.

It speaks highly of WN that they developed processes that work, not that it is automated vs. an FA.

Yea, you are.
 
Yea, I do.

 

[Ms Tree]

again, I am not at all saying anything condescending about WN or their customer service.

I simply asked if WN has an automated process in place to deal with WiFi system failures.

If it truly was a completely manual process and happened as you said, then it is a truly amazing process of follow thru that involved not just WN but also Row 44.

Of course companies can hold their contractors thru to their standards of customer service but inflight WiFi failures aren't really uncommon at all in the industry.

Again, I have my doubts that the process truly was manual as you noted. But WN doesn't use the same system (GoGo) that most of the rest of the industry uses so it is entirely possible that either the automation is different or WN built in very strong manual processes to ensure customers really do get what they pay for and nothing less.

Feel free to twist what I said any way you want. That is not what I said. I still doubt that on a systematic basis WN relies on FA comments to essentially trigger a credit card refund for poorly delivered WiFi service. It doesn't mean that WN couldn't do that but that the chances that a process that is as complex as you describe working exactly as it should on a continuous basis is slim.

That is not a negative comment about or its people or its customer service.

That is an assessment of the level of complexity involved in ensuring a quality WiFi product.

again, I would like to hear from someone at WN who is actually knowledgeable with the system to confirm whether there is automation involved or whether it is really a totally manual process.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Geez, put down the shovel already.  You are half way to China.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Actually, you kinda did..


Maybe you meant it as a compliment, but by pointing out who #1 and #2 are, you've made it all about DL. Again.

no, it wasn't a put down.

It is a fact. Far too many people here connect anything negative that is said about any of their fan airlines as a personal affront.

It is a fact that WN has not been the #1 airline in the DOT customer complaint survey.

But more specific to this discussion, I did not say that WN was any less customer focused because the refund portion of the WiFI complaint was automated.

I also acknowledge that the free drink and engaged compassion of the WN FA was what won the customer over. The money was insignificant to him.

Again, congrats to WN for taking care of their customer. I for one learned a little about the WiFi process as a result of some of what E has posted.

 

[does this plane go to paris]

Good grief.

Ms. Tree, that's what we've been thinking for some time now. 

 

[swamt]

no, it wasn't a put down.

It is a fact. Far too many people here connect anything negative that is said about any of their fan airlines as a personal affront.

It is a fact that WN has not been the #1 airline in the DOT customer complaint survey.

But more specific to this discussion, I did not say that WN was any less customer focused because the refund portion of the WiFI complaint was automated.

I also acknowledge that the free drink and engaged compassion of the WN FA was what won the customer over. The money was insignificant to him.

Again, congrats to WN for taking care of their customer. I for one learned a little about the WiFi process as a result of some of what E has posted.

And he still doesn't get it, comprehension 101...

 

[700UW]

http://www.iamdl142.org/Bulletins/2014/SouthwestNegotiationsUpdate%20080914.pdf