1Read Case Study, "The Reservation Nightmare” on page 41 and 42.
H. James Harrington, a noted quality consultant, related the following story to Quality Digest Magazine:
• I called to make a flight reservation just an hour ago. The telephone rang five times before a recorded voice answered, “Thank you for calling ABC Travel Services,” it said, “To ensure the highest level of customer service, this call may be recorded for future analysis.” Next, I was asked to select from one of the following three choices: “If the trip is related to company business, press 1. Personal business, press 2. Group travel, press 3.” I pressed 1.
• I was then asked to select from the following four choices: “If this trip is within the United States, press 1. International, press 2. Scheduled training, press 3. Related to a conference, press 4.” Because I was going to Canada, I pressed 2.
• Now two minutes into my telephone call, I was instructed to be sure that I had my customer identification card available. A few seconds passed and a very sweet voice came on, saying, “All international operators are busy, but please hold because you are a very important customer.” The voice was then replaced by music. About two minutes later, another recorded message said, “Our operators are still busy, but please hold and the first available operator will take care of you.” More music. Then yet another message, “Our operators are still busy, but please hold. Your business is important to us.” More bad music. Finally the sweet voice returned saying, “To speed up your service, enter your 19-digit customer service number.” I frantically searched for their card, hoping I could find it before I was cut off. I was lucky; I found it and entered the number on time. The same sweet voice came back to me, saying, “To confirm your customer service number, enter the last four digits of your social security number.” I pushed the four numbers on the keypad.
• The voice said, “Thank you. An operator will be with you shortly. If your call is an emergency, you can call 1-800-CAL-HELP, or push all of the buttons on your phone at the same time. Otherwise, please hold, as you are a very important customer.” This time, in place of music, I heard a commercial about the service that the company provides.
•At last, a real person answered the phone and asked, “Can I help you?” I replied, “Yes, oh yes.” He answered, Please give me your 19-digit customer service number, followed by the last four digits of your social security number so I can verify who you are.” (I thought I gave these numbers in the first place top speed up service. Why did I have to rattle them off again?)
• I was now convinced that he would call me Mr. 5523-3675-0714-1313-040. But, to my surprise, he said: “Yes, Mr. Harrington. Where do you want to go and when?” I explained that I wanted to go to Montreal the following Monday morning. He replied: “I only handle domestic reservations. Our international desk has a new number: 1-800-1WE-GOTU. I’ll transfer you.” A few clicks later, a message came on, saying, “All of our international operators are busy. Please call and your call will be answered in the order it was received. Do not hang-up or re-dial. As it will only delay our response to your call. Please continue to hold, as you business is important to us.”
1. Summarize the service failures associated with this service.
2. What might the travel agency done to guarantee a better service experience for Mr. Harrington?
3. How do your suggestions relate to the TQ Principles