Here's What to Expect From Delta's New Customer Service Initiative
Of all the things that'll turn passengers off from ever flying an airline again, a disastrous encounter with a customer service representative is pretty high on the list. On the very same day that United published an open letter to customers promising to ramp up its care and concern about you, the everyday flyer, Delta is making a push of its own.
The company is hiring 500 Customer Experience Specialists in 2019, with the goal of bolstering its ability to more quickly field calls from passengers who need to rebook, want to inquire about an upgrade or who want to spend a few hours playing with dates in hopes of applying a Global Upgrade Certificate to Delta's longest flight.
The jobs are being made available in Cincinnati; Dallas; Hibbing, MN; Iron Range, MN; Minneapolis; Salt Lake City; Singapore and Tampa. Singapore is notable because when weather takes a turn for the worse or an airline experiences an IT meltdown, the Singapore call centers tend to have shorter wait times and are staffed by agents who speak English.
Delta has made strides in recent years to make itself more available on more platforms. Delta's Digital Customer Engagement Center specialists deliver service 24/7 to customers via social platforms, and I've had mostly positive experiences solving issues via Twitter.
Delta informed TPG that 150 full-time employees in five locations including Atlanta, Tampa, Augusta and Singapore are now responding to service-related messages from customers through Twitter and Facebook as well as regional platforms. In addition to focusing on customer service requests, Delta has a specific team that handles sensitive and urgent issues and prioritizes elite SkyMiles members. With the goal of facilitating two-way feedback to Delta's global operation, specialists work with customers in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese.
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