I’ve always believed that service to others is a critical part of a happy and fulfilling life. Everyone should spend some time working in a service oriented job; be that waiting tables, pouring drinks or the returns desk at some retailer - it teaches you some essential life skills including how to handle a range of situations & people. Those skills will serve you well in later jobs.

Ironically most recently the place I’ve experienced the poorest levels of service have been in the service industry. On a recent visit to Australia I had a string of negative service experiences which made me think: do people who work in service jobs share my beliefs around service to others? Surely if you don’t want to serve others you don’t take on a service role, right?? If you don’t like serving people then don’t work with them or is the labour market so tight people will do any job and tarnish their employers brand & goodwill in the process? Is customer service dead?

My flight home got delayed due to adverse weather - which is fair enough - but the way Air New Zealand representatives handled the situation was, in my humble opinion, unacceptable. I’d also add that this is only the latest in a string of negative experiences with Air NZ. I remember when Air NZ took pride in doing whatever it took to ensure their customers had a positive experience - those days are gone, irrespective of what your cutesy safety videos suggest.

A few hours before I was due to fly home I got a text message - which I didn’t see until a while later when I checked my phone - simply saying the flight had been cancelled and people were working on rebooking me onto some other flight the next day. This was all after having already checked in online. That meant finding accomodation in Melbourne on short notice on Melbourne Cup weekend - surely the weather conditions didn’t just develop in a few mins. Would a ‘heads up’ text not been a good idea - or better yet a phone call? I’m a Gold Status member with Air NZ and have spent countless dollars with them in my personal and professional life over the years, but apparently that doesn’t afford you the courtesy of a phone call.

After paying a premium for short notice accomodation - which of course Air NZ won’t compensate you for - and settling in for a night of uncertainty I finally got a text saying I’d been rebooked onto a Qantas flight early the next morning. A quick check showed that Qantas was in fact still flying to NZ at the time. If I’d wanted to fly Qantas I would have booked Qantas so I’m not quite sure what the logic behind dumping me onto another carrier was other than encouraging me to experience someone else’s services. By the way, the service from Qantas was excellent - maybe they deserve my business (and the business of my personal and professional network) more than the entrenched monopoly provider who doesn’t seem to care about its customers. It certainly doesn’t care about customer feedback.

I made several attempts to call Air NZ and was on hold for 20 mins+ in each case. I’m a Gold Status customer and was ‘recognised by the mobile number I’m calling from’ - imagine what service the average traveller got? Did Air NZ go around their house and kick their dog for good measure?? I tried the social media channels and all I got was ‘we can’t help you’ and ‘call our support team’. Um, do you see how that doesn’t work for customers or do you need me to do come in and do some customer journey mapping with you? I’d do it for free if I thought it would help even one bit. Also, why should I have to waste my time and money contacting you about a flight you cancelled? You know you get paid to fly people places right? Maybe more engine fixy fixy and less safety video cutesy cutesy.

Oh and don’t even get me started on that chatbot thing - Oscar; you are the weakest link, goodbye. I can only surmise they Air NZ will do anything they can to avoid actually talking to their customers.

Fast forward to the next morning and showing up at the check in desk I was told I had to re-check in and that the Qantas counter was ‘over the other side of the terminal’ (great directions) in a condescending voice. When will people figure out that you don’t have to be middle-aged, pale and male to be a ‘valued’ customer? When I asked why I had to move from row 1 in the Air NZ plane to row 25 in the Qantas flight I was told I should be glad to be rebooked onto the Qantas flight because - and I quote - “it’s a better flight anyway”. Someone from Air NZ actually said that! Quick Qantas - turn that into a cutesy advert.

The Qantas desk couldn’t have been more helpful. Air NZ didn’t transfer any of my baggage allowance information (of course) etc. but nothing was a problem for Qantas staff. Friendly, chatty and just the right amount of trans-Tasman rivalry banter you’d expect from Aussies. For the first time in this whole debacle I was made to feel like a valued customer. For that, thank you Qantas.

The only saving grace for Air NZ was a lovely lady named Anu at the Air NZ lounge. I was expecting to be met by a million reasons I couldn’t use the lounge because I had a qantas boarding pass but instead she was welcoming and apologetic - she couldn’t have done your brand prouder. If Air NZ had any nous they’d put her in charge of ground operations immediately.

I took the time to provide Air NZ with feedback - and to write this blog post - but I doubt it will make a difference. Air NZ, from the perspective of a long time customer your culture is f#cked and I’m sure you’ll spend more time explaining this incident away than actually owning it and putting it right. The customer care and service focus left when Rob Fyfe left Air NZ and it’s just been in a death spiral since.

I did learn one valuable lesson in all of this : brand loyalty to Air NZ feels like a waste of time. From now on I’m booking the cheapest fares whenever I travel and will encourage everyone I know to do the same. If that happens to be Air NZ then so be it but no more paying a premium to be loyal. I’m happy with the safety card, don’t need the cutesy videos.

What about your organisation? How do your front line staff treat your customers and more importantly how are your products & services experienced by your customers? Do you go and see those interactions often enough for yourself and do you have mechanisms in place to hear the customer stories - both the good and the bad? And most importantly how do you ensure people working in your customer service roles embody service to others?

Oh and Air NZ, next time (and let’s be honest it’s a matter of time) call me maybe?