There are literally thousands of airports across the world that require careful management and region-specific planning in order to excel in treating their customers with dignity and respect. Flying from place to place has never been more popular, and airports across the world are helping to transport thousands of visitors a day to different destinations. Whether you’re involved in high-level airport management or you’re simply interested in how excellent customer service is achieved in these locations, read on for a complete guide to airport management in 2020 and beyond.
Exceeding Expectations
Airports have one goal in mind: to exceed your expectations. In general, traveling between locations is seen as dull, uncomfortable and not-so-glamorous: you’re asked to sit and wait in various areas for hours before you finally reach your destination. It’s been the job of airports for years to make the time you spend in a terminal as comfortable as possible, and that often means exceeding your expectations for the trip. This is usually achieved by the inclusion of several stores and facilities to cater towards all kinds of travelers: from the business class worker to the economy class backpacker.
Planning Facilities
There are a certain number of facilities that an airport must maintain, just like all large public spaces. For instance, you’ll need toilets, wash rooms, lounges, seating areas and some food and refreshment stores. But once again, an airport wants to exceed expectations, which is why some have region-specific souvenir stores. Laden with goods you can take home with you after visiting a country, these are a smart addition to an airport. The same can be said for a large bookshop with a generous selection of books, newspapers, magazines and puzzle books. They’re there to keep customers contented and happy during their time in the airport, and for their journey beyond.
Measuring Satisfaction
There are several contact points with customers in airports – and all of them can result in dissatisfaction and annoyance on the part of the customer. There can be long check-in lines, waits at security, difficult queues in stores, uncomfortable seating and flight delays. It’s an airport’s job to find the most painful and friction-full points in the customer’s journey through the airport, in order to make things better for future travelers. One of the most elegant offerings in this area are simple buttoned machines that allow customers to rate their experience – either ‘happy’, ‘sad’ or a place in between. You can read why these machines are so successful at happy-or-not.com, where reviews and data analysis are offered.
Making Memories
There is no reason whatsoever that an airport shouldn’t be somewhere enjoyable and exciting for customers. Many of the world’s leading airports, such as Singapore’s main international airport, are entirely set-out to impress. With light displays, public art exhibitions, region-specific food stalls and an architectural style, this airport has wowed customers since its grand unveiling. Using examples such as these to emulate, there’s plenty of work that can be done to make your customer’s airport experience memorable.
These four elements are key to curating the ideal airport experience, and helping travelers enjoy their time in terminals.
