We have all experienced our share of “bad service” in our air travels. This might include waiting a long time in a crowded and stuffy passenger queue line, losing a bag, or having to wait it out through a delayed flight. The latter is what happened to me, in the days before passengers could easily rebook a flight on their cell phones or receive text updates.
Our regional flight was delayed due to mechanical failure. That was fine, but the airline staff only gave us two updates during the 3-hour long wait. They also disappeared entirely from our gate because there was a shift change. I was with about 14 other passengers, and we all started talking to each other, upset at the lack of attention and uncertainty in what was going on. I felt “hangry”. I wanted to leave the gate to get something to satiate my hunger but was afraid the flight would take off and I would have no way of knowing. After about a 10-minute discussion, all 15 of us decided to leave the gate as a group and we headed down the other end of the concourse to the customer service counter to demand a status update or flight reassignment. That seemed to get their attention. I must admit, I have never seen an entire flight march down to a customer service station. It must have been shocking for the staff there to see and deal with. Well, we finally made it on the plane after another hour, but it might have been a few more hours if we had not complained. The airline apologized, but overall, I just did not feel like they really cared about our plight. The whole experience just left a bad taste in my mouth. That single bad experience made me not fly with that airline for 10 more years.
Service design is what differentiates a good airline from a bad airline. If that airline had thought about service design, which includes knowing the passenger’s behaviors and pain points, and identifying the relevant touchpoints with staff (for the main airline as well as regional partner airline involved) where it was possible to address those pain points, they could have better planned to handle these maintenance issues. Service design makes it possible to see visibly and tangibly, through the journey maps and service blueprints that are created, where there could be breakdowns to resolve.
One of the problem areas that led to our bad experience was that during shift change, the main airline and regional airline did not communicate well or at all. That resulted in a gap in service. Service design allows you to look at the touchpoints involved and tighten up those areas so you can provide value to the customer, and most importantly, understand why it is important to do so. In my example, the airline could have ensured we had a dedicated staff member to update and aid us throughout the entire ordeal. That would make us feel assured someone was taking care of us, and we had some freedom to leave the gate to get some food. Or the airline could have provided us water and snacks. Service design allows for a holistic way of seeing existing and potential problems through with empathy, understanding the whys of what customers value and what motivates them, and then addressing customer needs that ultimately lead to, in our case, happy passengers who would continue to use the airline. That leads to future business opportunities and revenue for the airline.
Service design is the application of an iterative and agile design thinking approach catered to user experiences to solve problems. It is a creative design process that focuses on developing deep understanding of the users of a product / service / system / space through empathy, and then applying those insights to co-create innovative ideas that are then tested or prototyped prior to implementation.
Questions asked in service design where design thinking is applied might include:
- Who are all the stakeholders involved in the system?
- What are the customers’ pain points or gain points in their service journey?
- What are the potential touchpoints where an airline can maximize value provided to the customer, or emphasize unique areas that can differentiate them from other airlines?
- What technological innovations are emerging that will require a deeper understanding of user behaviors and preferences to make the most impact?
- How might I quickly test an uncertain area within my product / service to validate my assumptions? What can I learn from that test to improve the product / service?
- How might meeting customer values translate into business value for all involved in the system? What innovative solutions might be used to achieve this? What is the return on investment?
Service design, which includes an iterative process of empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test, and implement, has been used to determine and implement business strategy, improve the customer experience, and elevate the business. Service design is to me, the future way we as aviation professionals need to be thinking to stay ahead and be innovative, deal with the increase in technology in our lives, and collaborate better.
I will wrap up this blog by presenting two instances where service design has been used within aviation to make the overall air travel experience more enjoyable for passengers. In addition to these instances, many airports and airlines, such as San Diego International Airport, Dallas Forth Worth International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Delta Airlines, and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, among a few, recently started their own in-house innovation teams. We are in the age of service design!
Toronto Pearson International Airport
IDEO worked with staff at Toronto Pearson International Airport to transform the airport experience by putting passengers first. The goal was to help Toronto Pearson, Canada’s largest airport, become a world-class hub that can achieve traveler satisfaction and ensure safety in times of crisis and calm. The work effort was started in 2015 when IDEO was approached by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) to think differently about employee engagement, operations, and customer service and offer a world-class passenger experience. At that time, the team identified four key opportunities for further action.
- Creating a more pleasant and efficient security screening process
- Optimizing baggage services
- Empowering employees to deliver exceptional service, and
- Improving wayfinding and the border clearance experience.
IDEO’s efforts continued through the pandemic in 2020. The team worked to bring together all stakeholders including airport staff, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), passengers, and airline staff to gain a deeper understanding of the security screening and other issues to improve the overall passenger experience. They worked together to address competing agendas, airline differences, technology, regulations, the airport floor plan, and traveler desires.
The outcome was an improved security, baggage, and border clearance process, and an internal movement that united over 50,000 employees around a shared purpose of service.
An innovation developed during the process included installing signs to give passengers an estimate of how long it took to complete passenger screening in response passengers feeling “out of control”. The signs included welcoming phrases such as, “Keeping you safe is what matters most to us”. The space was also redesigned to allow passengers more room to organize their belongings post-security.
To address baggage handling, IDEO and the airport noticed baggage handlers did not feel like their voice was being heard, so they worked to provide baggage handlers better working conditions, and involving them in creating a solution. This resulted in testing ideas that could make the baggage process more seamless and improve baggage flows. They also created color-coded signage for baggage handlers with consistency and clarity in mind to allow handlers to place baggage in the correct positions. These changes resulted in a dramatic reduction in baggage incident reports.
The entire experience was transformative. Through their interviews and observations, the team discovered that with 50,000 employees across 400 companies, there was a need to bridge the gap between the discrete silos and mindsets among employees that was resulting in a disjointed passenger experience. A culture change was needed, and that led to the creation of an airport-wide internal movement called “I am Toronto Pearson” to empower their employees to think outside the box and to build pride. The movement was effective in breaking down barriers.
Finally, the airport improved the airport international arrivals experience with intuitive signage and color-coded wayfinding that minimized confusion and expedited the flow of passengers. They also discovered passengers oftentimes would ask immigration and customs questions to airport staff and airport questions like where to pick up a taxi to immigration and customs staff. This was caused by where staff was placed. The team engaged in rethinking and redesigning the space and use of the space to maximize touchpoints between passengers and staff. They tested six prototypes, of which two were permanently implemented. During the pandemic, refinements were made to reduce terminal congestion and high-touch interactions.
Toronto Pearson was recognized in 2018 and 2019 as the “Best Large Airport in North America” for airports serving more than 40 million passengers annually according to the Airport Service Quality survey conducted by Airports Council International. Toronto also was named one of the “Most Improved Airport in North America” in 2019.
Southwest Airlines
In 2017, staff from Southwest Airlines’ innovation, operations, and data science teams and EPAM Continuum, a global innovation design firm, worked together to improve the in-airport customer experience. They wanted passengers to be able to get to their destination confidently and spend less time worrying about the journey. EPAM conducted interviews with customers, employees, and operations personnel to understand the customer journey, needs, and areas for improvement.
The team discovered a need to provide accurate information about flight status, departure gates and times. The information being received occurred in many different forms and was oftentimes inconsistent. Resolving this inconsistency was necessary to build trust. Building trust prevented passengers from crowding around the gate area. A new digital wayfinding system was developed to guide customers through the airport to provide consistent information. This system was user tested at Dallas Love Field Airport with a low-fidelity mockup using foam-core and projectors, as well as virtual reality, to simulate the digital wayfinding system, which in turn helped build buy-in within the organization. The signs implemented also included natural language to bring personality and reflect the Southwest brand. In the test, 96% of passengers said the new signs made it easier to navigate the airport. Passengers rated the usefulness of the new system a 4.77 on a 5-point scale. Southwest employees also noticed a reduced number of repetitive customer questions.
Photo Credits: Pexels, Toronto Pearson International Airport, IDEO, EPAM Continuum