Computer Says No!

So often in the Definition Phase of systems design and product development the team devote their entire focus to the Happy Path. Why not, the Happy Path is neat. It is a well-oiled process of integrations and service handholding where the organisation is in sync with the customer and is able to help them complete their journey, providing a stepping stone at each juncture.

Worst Case Scenario?

What happens when it doesn’t go right? What happens when the system doesn’t work? Stop for a moment, forget the technical ramifications of your services. Or whether you have a 24-hour support team on call. How do you act in the moment and treat the people whose lives are disrupted? It is this human level that is often the missing link. The empathy of owning the situation and having a plan can be a gap for many organisations.

I am going to hold my hands up and admit this article is part-rant, part-insight. Things don’t always go to plan, shit happens! However, you do have the ability to own the situation and take charge. After all, you as the provider are the curator of the experience.

I am currently stuck in my own customer experience nightmare. Overseas travel. Overseas is an extremely stressful experience even without the family. You stress about your seat, your fellow passengers, luggage turning up… it is endless if you let it consume you. 

What happens when the plane is cancelled?

This was the situation myself and 400 hundred other passengers faced yesterday evening as we were about to embark on our journey. I had meticulously planned out an itinerary where I had managed to sneak a trip to my beloved football team without interrupting the purpose of the trip. 

After a 2-hour delay, the airline staff nervously announced at 1120pm that our flight had been cancelled and instructed the weary departure lounge to get their luggage then return to the check-in desk for help. Obediently everyone did as told.

What followed was utter chaos!

The product strategist in me mentally mapped the service experience out, putting the sticky notes where things went sideways and the said airline carrier had the opportunity to step up to the situation, but missed the beat.

Opportunity missed #1

For 2 hours the crew stood around huddled together. Shrugging off questions with blank expressions from passengers.

During this time the crew had the opportunity to break the emergency glass for the Worse Case Scenario plan. For example, calling HQ to instruct the backroom team to go through customer data, eg, Families, people with connecting flights, people that are returning home etc. Leveraging their partnerships with other airlines and looking to provide potential avenues of opportunity on standby, just in case.

Opportunity missed #2

After instructing people to go and collect their luggage then return to the service desk they disappeared leaving many people confused and distressed.

Again this was a perfect opportunity to start consultation and prepare passengers for next steps. Instead, they used it an opportunity to buy time to figure out a best course action. Already losing a grip on the situation.

Opportunity missed #3

With a queue of people filling the check-in area of the airport, they used the service desks like shields, leaving people to wait for their turn to speak to a company representative.

Then once reaching the service desk people had to wait a long time to be told that there was no plan as they can’t do anything on the computer. The computer literally said "NO!" The only thing they could do was to hand out cab charges and/or hotels stays.

If the systems aren’t working, take the initiative, engage directly with your customers.

The passenger list is a known, with it is contextual data. This is an easy win. Be proactive as people are highly emotional and tired. 

Names were taken with the promise of a call first thing in the morning. I hasten to add this didn’t happen. Some passengers were emailed a new itinerary with no telephone warning with little time to prepare. Others like me had to call and motivate staff into action.

There was literally no plan. When pressed staff could be seen holding up their hands and admitting they didn’t know what to do. Let me stress, I don’t blame the staff. This stems back to a bigger cultural problem of encouraging staff to act autonomously by demonstrating initiative and being decisive in their actions.

So, here I am at Perth airport. With the excitement of 2 connecting flights ahead, an uncertainty over my seat position and the knowledge that as I step out of Heathrow the game will begin at Wembley and it will be an opportunity missed. 

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We may not have experience in aviation, but we know how to define and design good user experiences. At More Space For Light we work globally with some of the biggest and boldest organisations. These companies are striving to understand their customer's pains of today, but also the future. We help them prepare.

Get in touch for a chat, we may be able to help you to identify some of the low-hanging fruit and give you the opportunity to act early - [email protected].