service recovery Tag Archive

Service Recovery Insights From My Single Cebu Pacific Flight Cancellation And Rerouting (Part II)

(How a well known company missed an opportunity to recover a tarnished reputation. The backstory for this insight can be found here.)

First, this is from my experience and I make no sweeping generalisations. Second, I do acknowledge the company’s good intentions in venturing low cost flights to and from our notorious place. I’ve praise them for the good service  in the past. Third, I don’t make personal comments to the individual staff as I believe this is an organisational response protocol. Service recovery is an organisational effort. Fourth, I wrote this as a learning opportunity based on my experience alone. Fifth, I am in a service sector and I cannot help but learn the kind of service recovery implementation offered especially when “shit happens” in a company. 

So what did I learn?

1. TRANSPARENCY; TAKE CONTROL OF THE SITUATION ASAP.
Not one of the team introduced themselves properly and how they are related to the company. Except for their ID and uniform, there’s no other way to know who are we talking to. There’s no central person in charge of the service recovery efforts. The shuffling of tentative questions between members of the team and the frequently changing instructions revealed this. One more thing, what exactly does the phrase “due to late arrival of your turnaround plane” mean?

2. TIMELINESS; RECOVER RAPPORT, FAST!
I don’t feel the sincerity and helpfulness of the service recovery team. No one made an effort to smile or look the complaining passengers in the eye while talking to them. One asked me bluntly “Are you taking videos sir?” with a stern look. I almost replied mean to burn her brains out but, I said “no my boarding pass is in my phone, please view it now, my phones battery will be gone soon”. She gave me an idea and I almost jumped at it, but we’re all humans. So, screw that video taping.

3. CONSISTENCY; LINES OF COMMUNICATION IS KEY
Please don’t “shout” announcements when weary customers are lined up to rebook. Its not a concentration camp right? The least you can do is approach and talk to them personally, not them going up to your desk. Customers are the one inconvenienced and your job is to re convenient them! The handouts helped but not if you can’t read or understand it. Some of us got their transportation reimbursement but others, like me, weren’t able to.

4. RESOURCES; READY SERVICE RECOVERY LOGISTICS
I can’t believe it a big brand company have to hastily set up a “whatever” desk (frankly I don’t know). Someone was looking for a laptop, then a wifi connection. Someone announced at the top of his voice that we should look at our updated booking status online using our cellphones. Not all have internet connections mind you and many passengers particularly the more senior ones, are not internet savvy. Helplessness is the last thing you want for your customer to feel.

Bottomline, these scenarios weren’t well thought out before thus the response were hilariously frustrating.

Overall, I’m not satisfied with their service recovery efforts. Cebu Pac did re route and gave an extra free flight coupon. I paid for the former with my old ticket and the latter in my opinion is a poor attempt to hide a dismal service recovery efforts. I have other poor experience flying this company but I leave those as a learning instance for me.

Of course, until there’s a better airline flying our routes on those time slots, I have no choice but to fly a Cebu Pac. Again, this is not an attack on their staff because I personally knew many who are good and well intentioned.

This call is for their leaders, I’m sure they all knew these insights I mentioned. You failed your people for not training them well for this. You failed your company’s good name the moment you left service recovery in the backseat of your business strategy. More importantly, you failed your clients the moment your SR team implemented a lousy SR protocol.

Lastly, i don’t expect this company’s leaders will even read this. But I thank you nonetheless for giving me an opportunity to experience a bad SR implementation. Clearly, I learned something new today- that’s how not to run a service recovery protocol.

Indeed, the best companies are those who shine best, “when shit happens”..

By • October 9, 2018

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How to fly with Cebu Pacific and not get angry at cancellations: You don’t (Part I)

(This is a two part post, the first one recounting my experience and the second, an insight into the Service Recovery protocol of the company)

Backstory:

I arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 on October 7, 2018,  2 hours 30 minutes early for my 2PM Manila- General Santos City Cebu Pacific flight 5J 997.  I only have a backpack and a hand carried bag with me. I checked in online the day prior. After the pre departure protocol checks, I went directly to boarding gate 120 and fell asleep at the bench waiting for the plane . I heard the paging system announcing  our flight will be delayed “due to the delayed arrival of our turn around flight”.  Cebu Pacific flight 5J 997  arrived ~ 2:30- 2:45PM . Passengers boarded the plane between 3- 4pm.  After around 15 minutes inside the plane, I saw the cabin doors shut and heard the pre-departure announcements on the loudspeakers. The plane backed up,  getting ready to taxi into the runway. Once I felt the plane moving, I immediately fell asleep. I woke up 30 mins thinking we were flying already.  Looking out through the plane’s window I saw our plane still lining up for the runway. When it was our plane’s turn to take off, the control tower advised our planes pilot to go back because our plane will not make it to Gensan airport’s “sunset” limitations. Our plane proceeded to the arrival area as instructed. The flight pilot and crew gave the standard arrival welcome routine. It felt really awkward though knowing we weren’t even an inch off the ground. The pilot instructed us to proceed to the customers desk at the arrival area for rebooking, rerouting and in my mind,  whatever we  can salvage from this debacle. Personally, I think the flight crew handled this flight cancellation per protocol nicely although I still would want an explanation why their arrival was delayed. I frankly don’t know what  “due to the delayed arrival of our turn around flight” mean.

Events turned for the worst at the arrival area’s customer’s desk. The permanent customer’s desk is busy with some other transactions and we were told a temporary customer desk for 5J 997 passengers will be set up immediately.

I am first in line in front of this temporary customers desk. A team of Cebu Pac ground staff gathered behind the desk doing something I don’t understand. First, they were looking for a laptop connected to their network, probably to book us again. Second, they were also looking for WIFI connection (???). Both laptop and wifi dongle arrived late. Third, no one seem to have definite answers or protocol to follow. There’s someone constantly talking to a phone, another holding typing on an ipad probably for their network while others are holding brochures and flyers. Nobody introduced themselves and I don’t know who is the person in charge. Someone or some two maybe three people started announcing and talking  to the passengers. It’s quite obvious some staff aren’t sure of their answers or what to do based on the  tentative answers and announcements we got.

They gave us one free domestic flight voucher as their way of apologising for this flight cancellation, really a mess for most of us. Our tickets were automatically rebooked for the next day gensan flight and was told free hotel accommodations (or 500PHP for those who won’t stay there) for the night. Those who want to rebook or reroute  elsewhere or another time, well we were advised to wait till they finish setting up their transfer desk.

Not wanting to stay overnight and wait for next day flight, I opted for the 6PM flight to Davao. They booked me alright, I was first in line but they refused to give me my 500Php transportation allowance. I did not insist anymore since I only had 30 mins window to boarding for that davao flight. So I ran to the departure area, went through the same boarding protocol and arrive at the gate 15 minutes earlier than the boarding time.

I barely warmed my butt waiting, someone on the paging system announced our davao flight will be delayed also due to, guess what “late arrival of your return flight”. So here I am, waiting for a plane to arrive and writing my thoughts here. I hope I’ll end up in Davao tonight. Let’s see what happens.

Update: 9:30 PM 10-7-18
I finally arrived in Davao. Hope to find a place to stay, as I left my keys to my sister’s place in the car back in Gensan. Needing a massage and coffee too. Then will write on my thoughts on this experience. A chance to learn, so to speak.

By • October 9, 2018

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