She doesn’t look happy. Some frequent flyers aren’t happy either.
CREDIT: Getty Images
Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.
Sometimes, you can read through a research report and remain none the wiser about life.
It’s a little like going to most business meetings.
On occasion, however, some research results do make you stop and wonder.
I’ve just been given exclusive access to some research — performed by in-app customer experience company Helpshift — that asked airline customers about the way they go about being airline customers.
These 2,000 humans, supposedly representing the whole of America, offered some answers that were predictable.
A fulsome 74 percent insisted that the Trump administration is making flying more difficult. They cited increased chaos and uncertainty at airports, as well as the administration’s laptop ban.
Some even expressed fears that if they traveled abroad, they would be treated poorly just because they’re American.
Delving deeper, however, I discovered that frequent flyers are an interesting bunch.
42 percent of the ones in this research said they use airline apps. 95 percent of them think these apps improve their flying experience.
Naturally, they offered some rational answers as to why. You don’t have to print your boarding pass, for example.
Then there was this: 29 percent of airline loyalty members say they prefer apps because it’s easier to make a complaint through them than attempt to talk to a human being.
These are the most valuable customers an airline has. And, for a considerable number of them, one of the best uses of technology is that they can more easily complain?
It’s as if they’re expecting their experience to be less than good in advance. It’s like going to a restaurant knowing that some of the dishes might make you feel unwell, but you’re not quite sure which ones.
There was another number that froze my eyes. 19 percent of airline loyalty members declared that they used apps because the apps were smarter than airline employees.
The mere fact that they could conjure such an idea is depressing. Have airline-customer relations sunk to this?
Perhaps it says something about the loyalty members, rather than the employees. Indeed, I found this little number buried in the research: 17 percent of airline loyalty members said they used apps simply because they don’t like interacting with people.
Abinash Tripathy, founder and CEO of Helpshift, told me: “There is a marked shift occurring in consumer expectations around how they interact with brands. People want to interact with brands the way they interact with friends — through messages and apps.”
Did I mention he runs a company that thinks it can improve in-app experiences?
Still, my own experience shows just how difficult the situation is now for those who work for airlines.
Recently, I was forced by British Airways to use a bag drop machine, rather than drop my bag with a human being. It was awful. The machine had clearly been designed by Franz Kafka Enterprises.
Yet it seems that many frequent fliers have already given up on the humans who work for airlines and happily choose the machines. They don’t believe humans can be helpful. Some even question their intelligence.
Of course, this will only encourage airlines to continue to replace humans with machines.
But at what point does that entirely depersonalize something that used to be about customer service?
Oh, what am I saying? Running an airline isn’t about customer service. It’s about generating profits.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.