A Practical Guide to Airline Customer Service. Colin C. Law
effects of communication barriers.
At the check-in counter, the supervisor has informed a check-in service agent that “The flight to LAX is delayed for four hours, please give out a refreshment voucher to all passengers.” This message is passed along the check-in counters and by the time it reached the last counter, the final message became “The flight to LAS is delayed for 14 hours, give out a one-night complimentary hotel stay.”
Prejudging
Prejudging occurs when the receiver judges someone or something without going through all the facts. Airline service agents may assume that they already understand the customers’ problem without any clarification, hence leading to inappropriate answers or decisions being made.
Two customers approach the check-in counter.
| Customer: | We would like to check-in. |
| Service agent: | May I have your daughter and your passport, please? |
| Customer: | Hey, who told you she was my daughter? She is my girlfriend. |
The check-in service agent has prejudged the relationship of the customers according to their age and the customer was offended.
Cultural prejudices
This occurs when someone is judged according to their racial, cultural and religious group based on personal preference and experience. McLeod has defined prejudice an unjustified or incorrect attitude (usually negative) towards an individual based solely on the individual’s membership of a social group.3 For example, there is a stereotype that all African Americans are good at basketball and all Asians practices Kung Fu.
A Western customer is served by an Asian ground agent at the check-in counter.
| Customer: | Can you please help me to get someone who speak English? |
The customer assumes that all Asians do not speak English.
Effective Communication
Even though modern technology has replaced many of the traditional communication channels, face-to-face communication is still the basis of servicing customers. Every day, airline service agents interact with customers at the airports and on aircrafts on a direct level. Face-to-face communication is not just limited to verbal conversation, it also includes non-verbal elements such as the tone of one’s voice and body gestures. These three elements work together to ensure the message is delivered and that the level of customer service is maintained. On many occasions, customers prefer to talk to someone rather than communicate with a machine. The airline service agent can offer a much more personalized service, an aspect that machines are unable to replace. Effective communications include the effectiveness of how the message is delivered and received.
An effective message delivery
The objective of the sender is to ensure that the message is being understood. To confirm whether the message is delivered effectively, the sender should use appropriate wording, and the tone of voice and gestures help to facilitate the message delivery process.
Words
Face-to face-communication includes the use of words to deliver a message. The chosen words have a direct impact on the effectiveness of the communication. Using simple unambiguous words that are understood by the receiver is important. Avoid using jargons or slangs with the customers to avoid causing any confusion.
Message with jargons and slangs:
The flight is confronting severe turbulence; all passengers are expected to reappear to their allocated seats and have their seat belts secured.
Message that is worded in a simple manner:
We are now going through strong turbulence; all passengers are asked to return to your seats and have your seat belts fastened.
Tone of voice
One’s tone also plays an important role in the message delivery process and affects how customers interpret a message. The tone of voice includes rate of speech and volume. If a service agent is speaking too fast, misunderstanding may occur as the customer may miss out some words and not receive the complete message. However, on the other hand, if the message is delivered at too slow a pace, it makes customers feel bored and disinterested in the conversation. The volume also impacts the content and delivery of the message as customers tend to perceive loud oral communication as impolite, whilst soft verbal communication may point to a service agent’s lack of confidence and some information may be missed out.
Body gestures
Body language also impacts the effectiveness of the message being delivered. Body gestures that customers often notice include: facial expressions, whether the service agent is standing or sitting, eye contact and arm posture.
Smiling while delivering a message demonstrates happiness and customers will be more highly to accept the information. One’s posture also forms a part of the message delivery process. Sitting up straight indicates that one is focused and paying attention to the conversation. Eye contact between service agents and the customers also indicates that one is paying attention. Looking at customers straight in the eye when they are speaking indicates that the service agent is giving them their undivided attention.4 On the other hand, talking with one’s arm crossed gives off an impression of negativity. It may indicate nervousness, which is either driven by a lack of trust in the other person or a general sense of discomfort.5
Words are sometimes not enough to convey a message as customers take other communication elements into consideration. According to Albert Mehrabia, professor emeritus of psychology, UCLA, research on communication has shown that:6
7% of meaning are in the words that are spoken
38% of meaning in words are paralinguistic (the way that the words are said)
55% of meaning in words are in facial expression.
Effective listening
Listening is one of the most important skills that all airlines’ frontline service agent need to have as this is one attribute that not only affects their job effectiveness but also their relationship with other colleagues. Effective listening skills are a prerequisite in understanding customers’ needs and demands, and resolve any issues that crop up.
Once they have interpreted the message, they then need to internalize and process the content before coming up with an appropriate response. Joseph DeVito (2000) explained that active listening consists of the following elements: receiving, understanding, remembering, evaluating, and responding.7
Receiving
Receiving refers to the intention of hearing one’s message. The receiver’s task is to filter out the unnecessary communication barriers such as noise and pick up the crux of the message. The receiver also needs to pay attention to the sender’s facial expression and tone of voice when interpreting the message.
Understanding
The receiver then attempts to identify and “decode” the message. Due to various language barriers and cultural differences, the original meaning of the message may be perceived differently by the receiver. Based on this information, the receiver will process the information based on earlier related experiences.