Customer experience has become a catch-phrase over the last few years, in every industry from hotel management to airport operations. It can be defined in many different ways, and understanding what it refers to can be challenging at times. However, a recurring thread in all industries is this: companies that manage to increase the positive interactions (i.e. experiences) between their customers and their product can expect better results.
As such, gaining insights into what passengers are thinking and feeling as they pass through an airport can help the latter develop a clear roadmap toward enhancing their customer experience initiatives. However, this is just one side of the story. Employee engagement is an integral part of any organization’s success, positively impacting its performance objectives in four key areas: profitability, customer loyalty, productivity and employee retention.
Engaging airport employees is the first step in rolling out an exceptional customer experience. According to Aon Hewitt, employee engagement is a key performance metric to measure the resilience and sustainability of an organization. Their Employee Engagement Model advocates that engaged employees:
- SAY: They advocate for the organization.
- STAY: They have a desire to remain with the organization.
- STRIVE:They take the extra time needed to go above and beyond expectation, contributing to your success.
All this translates into more satisfied customers. Airports Council International (ACI) World has developed an internal diagnostic tool for all airport staff, customer-facing as well back office. By measuring employee engagement though a series of pre-selected questions, the Employee survey for Customer Experience (ECE) helps airports determine their readiness in providing a more positive and unforgettable customer experience. Airports can use this benchmarking online tool, year after year, to measure their performance and engage their employees to strive higher. What’s more, the ECE is the ideal complementary tool for existing ASQ Airport Members.
The ECE is designed to help airports prioritize areas of improvement to work on an action plan toward the enhancement of the overall customer experience. Furthermore, it can help understand if there is a need to increase the commitment of airport staff to achieve the common goal of improving customer experience. The benefits of implementing such a tool are many, key among them improved productivity and employee retention, enhanced performance and revenue growth.
Taking the next step in the passenger service journey should therefore include a review of the factors that motivate employees to strive higher and contribute to the overall success of the airport.
To see how the ECE can help your airport further enhance customer experience through its employees and stakeholders in 2018, please contact ACI World for more information or to arrange a meeting, at aciasq@aci.aero.
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