Guest Editorial: Boost Revenue Through Empathy


Guest Editorial by Jay Sorensen, President, IdeaWorksCompany

Michael O’Leary, the CEO of Ryanair, recently admitted “If I had known being nicer to our customers was going to work so well, I would have done it years ago.” As notable as O’Leary’s epiphany is to the airline industry, it’s worth pointing out that the proven value of empathy, competency, and kindness precedes his recent directives to be nice to customers. The Latest Report from IdeaWorksCompany explores how airline management teams can work together for the greater good of their customers, employees, and investors.

Call it a back-to-basics mantra, but sometimes in a technology riddled world, we all can benefit from a few therapeutic reminders to reset our moral compasses. By using the inherently human qualities of empathy, competence, and kindness, the report offers advice to airline management teams to boost ancillary revenue:

• Understand the perspective of other departments before adding a la carte services.
• Front line employees provide a vital source of intelligence; talk to them before adding anything.
• Empathy is a crucial tool of diplomacy, and ancillary revenue leadership requires diplomatic skills.
• Enlightened airlines should have employees book and buy tickets like their clients.
• Competence has a natural enemy, and that’s complexity; improve existing a la carte items.
• Don’t invite regulators to become involved in your business by failing to fix systemic problems.
• Untangle consumer confusion by dedicating corporate resources to simplifying self-service.

Boosting Ancillary Revenue will also be on the agendas of the Mega Event Asia-Pacific (01 & 02 September 2015, Singapore) and the global Mega Event (04 & 05 November 2015, San Diego.) You will find details and registration for these events at: www.AiConnects.us

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