Southwest Airlines Applies MIS to Customer Service
Perhaps one of the most frustrating parts of long distance travel is
dealing with unexpected flight delays, which can be caused by
weather, aircraft mechanical problems, overbooked flights, or
other unexpected circumstances. Delays strand travelers away
from their destinations for hours or sometimes even for days.
Some airlines make attempts to notify passengers about flight
delays as soon as they become evident in hopes of saving the
passenger needless waiting. Southwest Airlines has been doing
this for years. Southwest prides itself on clever, unique approaches
to customer service that it calls “The Southwest Way.” The airline
makes special efforts to satisfy customers that have been
inconvenienced. Fred Taylor is Southwest’s Senior Manager of
Proactive Customer Service Communications. The New York
Times has nicknamed Fred Southwest’s “Chief Apology Officer.”
It’s Fred’s job to make sure customers who experience difficulties
are left with options that leave them feeling satisfied. When Fred
found out that Southwest was given a low score for its flight
notification service in a Wall Street Journal poll, he took action.