For all the many accomplishments in the customer experience world by its dedicated and creative professionals, real life helps daily with perspectives about what truly has and had not been done for customers.
I flew out of Atlanta on its decorated hometown carrier, and they failed to load my bag onto the plane. Or any of the other flights to my destination that departed later the same evening. Upon arrival, there was no news of this, and I have the app and checked often. In the baggage office I was told my bag would be delivered to my hotel “tomorrow, before noon”. The next morning, no bag … but I did notice on the app that the claim had been closed out and my bag was now in the hands of a local delivery contractor.
Everyone makes mistakes … yes, even large corporations that invest billions in R&D, infrastructure, and I.T. … but that’s not the fail here.
The fail is, having made mistakes they clearly own, not providing an end-to-end branded experience. Can’t use the app to track my bag, can’t talk to an airline employee, no follow-up call or text once the promised deadline had passed, can’t hold them accountable in any way … it’s up to the local delivery contractor to make the airline look good … or not, depending on their performance, which is out of sight of the airline and no longer under their control. Last point … I am fairly well along to my million miler status, so lots of business through the years.
There are still big challenges out there.
