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... as Air Asia tries DIY
TRAVELCONSUMERDAILY.COM AIR ASIA is attempting to resolve bottlenecks in its customer service system that are causing delays in attending to customer problems by trying to persuade punters to accept pre-recorded "self-help" messages to shift them off logjammed live phone lines. The airline has also introduced a web chat service where people can use their home computer keyboard to interact with airline customer service representatives for up to nine hours a day. "We get an average of 6000 calls a day, and we had to find a solution for easing traffic," says Air Asia chief operating officer Bo Lingam. "Thus the comprehensive upgrade of our call centre services that now include much faster responses and better self-help facilities. "Our increased focus on service improvement is in line with our efforts to position AirAsia as a low-fare airline with products and services at par with those of the best legacy carriers. "While we offer low fares, we also offer premium quality. The upgrades are there to give our guests a pleasant experience starting from their first point of contact with AirAsia." AirAsia’s free 24-hour self-help option provides automated responses to the most common enquiries, such as those on flight schedules, booking status, flight status, refund status and baggage tracking. The self-help option employs interactive voice response technology and is available for calls made to +603 2171 9333. Alongside this, AirAsia has introduced a free web chat facility at airasia.com for all guests registered online with AirAsia. The airline has assigned more service agents for the efficient handling of concurrent chats. The web chat service is available daily from 9am to 6pm (Kuala Lumpur time). "Also in a huge step up, the airline is halving its turnaround time for email responses to pre-flight inquiries from 24 hours to within 12 hours," the airline says. Customers can email AirAsia at malaysia-support@airasia.com for pre-flight inquiries. For post-flight inquiries, customers can fill in the online feedback form on airasia.com. AirAsia is also rolling out a full-service phone line for guests who wanta "personalised premium services". AirAsia’s Premium Customer Service Line, which aims to connect callers within 20 seconds, is available at 600 85 9999 from 7am to 7pm daily (KL time). Calls to this line "enjoy a wide range of fast high-quality services for bookings, changes to booking, payments and many more". Calls to the Premium Customer Service Line are charged RM 1.95 (about $US60 cents) per minute. The Premium Customer Service Line is available only to guests calling within Malaysia and using local landline and mobile phone numbers. Guests calling from Malaysia may also dial +603 2171 9333 for regular phone service from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. "AirAsia does not charge for calls to this line, albeit the calls are handled on a first come, first served basis," the airline says. Guests calling from other countries may contact AirAsia through the regular service phone numbers listed on airasia.com. The Premium Customer Service Line and free 12-hour email turnaround service for pre-flight inquiries will be available starting March 8. Do you trust Air Asia on customer service? Have your experiences with AA been good, bad or indifferent? Drop us an email at letters@travelconsumerdaily.com. Comment on this article |
