7 ms·

Not having enough human capacity for a random event is reasonable enough, but between their app and their website there should be a smooth, automated, and easy

Not having enough human capacity for a random event is reasonable enough, but between their app and their website there should be a smooth, automated, and easy way for customers to rebook or get their money back to book with another airline. That shouldn't require going through a person, especially if there are not enough people available.

ksdale 5y ago
How long should that take, for every single person doing business with a company to change their plans?
- makerofspoons 5y ago
  If you give users the right self-service options, they'll resolve it for themselves between the start of the outage and when they expected to fly. They'll rebook or take their money and go.
  - sjm-lbm 5y ago
    I'd assume a nontrivial number of customers are calling because automated methods to reschedule aren't giving them the options that they want, and they assume (probably incorrectly) that they will do better when talking to a human. I don't know with Southwest, but I know more than one airline has a system that sends automatic "choose one of these options" emails when flights are cancelled. When all of your customers need new flights, though, the issue isn't how the rescheduling is done, it's the fact that almost nobody is going to be able to choose an option they like.
    - MattGaiser 5y ago
      > they assume (probably incorrectly) that they will do better when talking to a human. Anecdotally, it has worked enough times for me to call/talk to an agent vs dealing with the automated suggestion system. Just don't be a jerk. One automated system gave me a next flight of the following day. Spoke to an agent and was rerouted through another hub and only delayed by two hours overall. In another case, a delayed flight caused me to miss my connection. Was officially told that I was out of luck and would have to wait (as were the jerks who asked) for the morning. I went and got a seat on the plane out that night.
    - nradov 5y ago
      In my experience if you complain enough the human agent will occasionally agree to rebook you on another airline even when the online system doesn't show that as an option.
    - zenta 5y ago
      Of the two other responses to this thread, one recommends "don't be a jerk" and the other recommends "complain enough". I wonder if there just isn't a negative feedback loop here (everybody gets helped) so people just assume their way is the most effective.
      - gwoplock 5y ago
        > one recommends "don't be a jerk" and the other recommends "complain enough" Those aren't mutually exclusive. You can complain a lot but not be a jerk. You just have to understand and acknowledge the situation the customer service rep is in but still be firm on what you want.
    - ksdale 5y ago
      Exactly this, I feel like the "all of your customers" thing is important and what bothered me about the GP comment. I know it's tremendously inconvenient for people who are trying to travel, but it seems like a triumph of technology to be able to sort something like this out in less than a whole day? And to expect literally every customer to be able to jump on an app and get a refund or reschedule in the same hour strikes me as... possible, but not necessarily a thing we should expect?
ihsw 5y ago
Have you flown with them? They have an absurd priority queue system at the in-person flight check-in desk that always bumps the normal queue, eg: if there is a constant stream of people in the priority queue then the normal queue will be in a stand-still until the priority queue is drained. It's completely asinine, especially since there are some services that cannot be done except at their in-person flight check-in desk. Poor planning is one thing but piss-poor customer service is rule rather than the exception. Not only that but this level of service extends all the way up the chain at Southwest Airlines -- walk right up to the line of bare minimum and piss all over it. It is no surprise that their system is poorly orchestrated and I am sure the decision-making parties will be happy to shove large sacks of cash in the direction of Accenture and Cognizant rather than employ competent teams.
corobo 5y ago
Would these be working during the giant computer outage?
tyingq 5y ago
That's called an automated re-accommodation system. They do have one. People call anyway.
- contriban 5y ago
  Yes but who knows about that? Flight got cancelled? Send me a text, email, whatever. They have all of my information. Text me a link. The reality is that they don't do that because they'd lose money this way. It's best to underprovide so people who don't want to wait just go elsewhere. When covid hit last year I had to spend literally hours on the phone trying to cancel/rebook because Alitalia did not allow this online. The low-cost EasyJet instead *sent me an email* with a link to get a refund. It's easy. Nobody had to wait for disaster to hit to think of a solution. These are just (anti-user) choices that companies make to save money. Some users will still call, but much fewer.
  - yupper32 5y ago
    > Flight got cancelled? Send me a text, email, whatever. They have all of my information. Text me a link. Airlines always do it for me. Well, at least in the last handful of years I've been flying.
  - tyingq 5y ago
    It sends a text to affected passengers with a link to the reaccom page. I don't know about Alitalia. Not all airlines have these systems.

ksdale 5y ago

How long should that take, for every single person doing business with a company to change their plans?

makerofspoons 5y ago
If you give users the right self-service options, they'll resolve it for themselves between the start of the outage and when they expected to fly. They'll rebook or take their money and go.
- sjm-lbm 5y ago
  I'd assume a nontrivial number of customers are calling because automated methods to reschedule aren't giving them the options that they want, and they assume (probably incorrectly) that they will do better when talking to a human. I don't know with Southwest, but I know more than one airline has a system that sends automatic "choose one of these options" emails when flights are cancelled. When all of your customers need new flights, though, the issue isn't how the rescheduling is done, it's the fact that almost nobody is going to be able to choose an option they like.
  - MattGaiser 5y ago
    > they assume (probably incorrectly) that they will do better when talking to a human. Anecdotally, it has worked enough times for me to call/talk to an agent vs dealing with the automated suggestion system. Just don't be a jerk. One automated system gave me a next flight of the following day. Spoke to an agent and was rerouted through another hub and only delayed by two hours overall. In another case, a delayed flight caused me to miss my connection. Was officially told that I was out of luck and would have to wait (as were the jerks who asked) for the morning. I went and got a seat on the plane out that night.
  - nradov 5y ago
    In my experience if you complain enough the human agent will occasionally agree to rebook you on another airline even when the online system doesn't show that as an option.
  - zenta 5y ago
    Of the two other responses to this thread, one recommends "don't be a jerk" and the other recommends "complain enough". I wonder if there just isn't a negative feedback loop here (everybody gets helped) so people just assume their way is the most effective.
    - gwoplock 5y ago
      > one recommends "don't be a jerk" and the other recommends "complain enough" Those aren't mutually exclusive. You can complain a lot but not be a jerk. You just have to understand and acknowledge the situation the customer service rep is in but still be firm on what you want.
  - ksdale 5y ago
    Exactly this, I feel like the "all of your customers" thing is important and what bothered me about the GP comment. I know it's tremendously inconvenient for people who are trying to travel, but it seems like a triumph of technology to be able to sort something like this out in less than a whole day? And to expect literally every customer to be able to jump on an app and get a refund or reschedule in the same hour strikes me as... possible, but not necessarily a thing we should expect?

ihsw 5y ago

Have you flown with them? They have an absurd priority queue system at the in-person flight check-in desk that always bumps the normal queue, eg: if there is a constant stream of people in the priority queue then the normal queue will be in a stand-still until the priority queue is drained. It's completely asinine, especially since there are some services that cannot be done except at their in-person flight check-in desk. Poor planning is one thing but piss-poor customer service is rule rather than the exception. Not only that but this level of service extends all the way up the chain at Southwest Airlines -- walk right up to the line of bare minimum and piss all over it. It is no surprise that their system is poorly orchestrated and I am sure the decision-making parties will be happy to shove large sacks of cash in the direction of Accenture and Cognizant rather than employ competent teams.

corobo 5y ago

Would these be working during the giant computer outage?

tyingq 5y ago

That's called an automated re-accommodation system. They do have one. People call anyway.

contriban 5y ago
Yes but who knows about that? Flight got cancelled? Send me a text, email, whatever. They have all of my information. Text me a link. The reality is that they don't do that because they'd lose money this way. It's best to underprovide so people who don't want to wait just go elsewhere. When covid hit last year I had to spend literally hours on the phone trying to cancel/rebook because Alitalia did not allow this online. The low-cost EasyJet instead *sent me an email* with a link to get a refund. It's easy. Nobody had to wait for disaster to hit to think of a solution. These are just (anti-user) choices that companies make to save money. Some users will still call, but much fewer.
- yupper32 5y ago
  > Flight got cancelled? Send me a text, email, whatever. They have all of my information. Text me a link. Airlines always do it for me. Well, at least in the last handful of years I've been flying.
- tyingq 5y ago
  It sends a text to affected passengers with a link to the reaccom page. I don't know about Alitalia. Not all airlines have these systems.