Airport Experience® News - Customer Service Issue 2023

Perfecting the traveler experience has become a pinnacle goal for airports and their concessionaire partners, an ambition that goes far beyond simply providing a safe and seamless journey through the airport to the plane. Any opportunity to ease stress, eliminate or reduce friction and provide extraordinary service to passengers who are dining or shopping is a win for the airport and its concessionaire partners. In fact, according to customer experience consulting firm CXE ’s 2023 Airport Customer and Employee Experience Survey, customer experience in the airport is overwhelmingly of the highest importance to survey responders, which included airport officials, airport food and beverage operators, airport services providers and more. Additionally, nearly 80 percent of these responders currently have customer experience identified in their strategic plans. “We’re noticing that brand experience has become paramount to airports,” notes Lise D’Andrea, president and CEO of CXE. “And we also see concessions teams adopting a mindset of this brand experience across their entire program in an airport, which is really exciting.” This could be a holdover from the height of the pandemic, when public safety and satisfaction were top of mind for operators as customers started returning to travel and dining, but it doesn’t seem to be changing even as pandemic worries are largely behind us. “I think more so than ever customer service is the differentiator for hospitality providers,” says Kim Condon, guest services manager for Areas USA . “Yes, good quality food and beverage are important, but if the service was terrible, you have lost a customer.” Coupled with this focus on customer service is a greater concern for employee experience, especially considering how difficult it has become to attract and retain talent since the pandemic hit, plus the fact that good service ultimately depends on the employees providing it. From surveys and audits to training and incentives, concessionaires are using various tactics and strategies to ensure that the synergistic relationship between employee and customer is in a positive balance. Analyzing The Data Virtually all airport concessionaires have ways to collect data on how or whether they are meeting guest expectations.

Paradies Lagardère, for example, uses “a variety of methods and tools to monitor customer service and our efforts are ever evolving as technology continually offers new options,” says Nikki Tinsley Harland, chief operations officer. One way – common among concessionaires – is simply providing a customer survey link on the bottom of receipts that allows travelers to share feedback on their experiences. “These are monitored daily and results are shared directly with the appropriate operation or department,” Tinsley Harland says. Areas USA’s main tool for measuring customer service and satisfaction is Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveying, as well as comments received through its guest email box. “We have QR codes on receipts and on tables, and some of our concepts print larger signs to encourage guests to complete the survey,” says Michele Garcia, director of learning and development. “In addition, some of our branded concepts, such as Wendy’s , survey our guests, so we also take that information into account.” Delaware North has a “Voice of Guest” survey that is available at each of its airport locations. “The survey has a closed-loop feedback system and notifies team members by email and a mobile app,” notes Kathleen Batten, director of customer insights. “Its capabilities help guide the program and manage guest contact to both resolve service failures and celebrate service excellence.”

Above: The best customer service often begins with proper training. In August Areas USA launched its “Brilliant at the Basics” guest experience program, which focuses on four key service standards.

Michael Svagdis, CEO of SSP America , identifies three main tools that the company leverages to measure customer service and satisfaction. The first is called the “EatontheMove” program, which collects data through 1-800 and web-based comments. “This information is then tabulated and reported to our COO and regional vice presidents, who are required to respond within 24 hours and address any challenges, celebrate success and provide training when needed,” he says. “I love to post particularly positive remarks on my social media feed.” The second tool is an Online Reputation Management (ORM) platform that aggregates passenger feedback on business review sites, and the third tool is SSP

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AX NEWS CUSTOMER SERVICE ISSUE 2023