Customer Service Strategy of British Airways Essay

British Airways is unmatchable of the worlds leaders airlines with a network that provides rider and commitment go to 149 destinations in 72 countries. Its airline network is centered on the United Kingdom where 85% of its 47,500 workforce is based. The mission of the comp both is to deliver services that matter for people and how to fly. In order to achieve or realize this mission British Airways recognizes the importance of working in weakennership with its stakeholders. This has significantly influenced its approach to corporal social responsibility.The main reason why the company has decided to suck up CR is to help it achieve its long-term strategic goals in providing ripening opportunities around the health airportToday approximately companies argon redesigning their operations and management style in order to increase clients satisfaction and productivity. With the foot of the new-fashioned engineering science, a fold of changes attain been brought in the busin ess environments. contrasting companies be attack up with various types of new information and technology in order to improve their businesses.This paper because utilizes the various tools of writing a explore proposal to investigate how the new technology has do British airways company to improve the way it serves its customers what should be noned is that the conquest of any organization impart depend on the quality of customer service skills employees pick up. The company has not been left out in coming up with new method s of satisfying its customers.Communication much efficientlyIf we consider the number of immigrants (passengers) visiting United Kingdom from eastmost and central Europe, it can be said that the company has realized a lot of benefits. However the company take to do a lot in order to imbibe to a greater extent passengers and tourists into the region.To date many tourists atomic number 18 raising questions closely security measures and long lines do when booking for leakages movements from playing field cities to the air ports has to a fault not been possible. This query proposal has therefore been develop to investigate the efforts the company has put forward to improve customer satisfaction which covers the area of booking, becomeing to the Airport in order to catch up with time and finally security measures that have been taken. This is beca habituate terrorism and drug trafficking has been mentioned as universe enemy number one in the region. Passengers or tourists would not like to risk their lives when cases of terrorism are high. This means that the company needs to address the unveils of tight security to gibe that its customers are protected. In any research proposal there must be an area transaction with significant of study that is the rationale of the study (Gill and Johnson, 1997). The company to make some(a) adjustment in order to improve their services and attract more than customers leave alone us e the information on the study. The government leave alone to a fault use the information to address areas that needs provision of services such(prenominal) as upgrading populace pack system, security and provision of social amenities. query question The research question in this study lead concentrate on on the way the British airways company has improved its services to attract more customers and serve its customers better (Veal, 1997) .The following research questions will be used to assist in acquireing the study in this stipulation area. The questions are as follows.Are there changes in the way passengers are served at airports? 2) What measures should be taken to ensure that security and safety of passengers are provided by British Airways?3) Is there any link between public channel and airports to improve passengers satisfaction in order to slim down over-crowding?4) What should British airways do in order to grab the biggest share of this exploitation market?Object ives of the study This research proposal is on investigating how British Airways has tried to improve the service to passengers. According to Clark (1998) the objectives of any study should be specific, smart, realistic and time bound. The specific objectives on the study will beTo evaluate the safety and security measures taken by airports and airlines security incision to ensure passenger are protected.To buzz off out the measures taken to crusade easy movement of passengers. (3) To investigate how the company has tried to address the issue of customer satisfaction especially passengers.Hypothesis of the study Hypothesis actual in this paper will be used to provide a general answer to the problems being searched on. However these hypotheses are subjected to clarification where by they will be tested to confirm whether they are true or not (Johns and lee-ross,1998). The following alternative hypotheses therefore have been constructed to achieve objectives verbalise above.H2 Online booking of tickets has been developed to improve services offered to passengers.H3 humanity exaltation has been open up to help in easy movement of passengers from and to the airports.H4 trade protection has been increased to ensure that passengers are protected from any threats.Literature canvassLiterature followup is one of the most key aspects of a research proposal (Hart, 1998). It involves reviewing the animated literature in order to a void wasteful duplicate of work other researchers had previously done. It is divided into three atoms whereby the first section deals with online booking, second section deals with modification on transport and last one on security measures.Online ticketing The effects of the new technology have been seen in the air transport sector. To date it can be said that online obtain has become a feature of modern life. Passengers who are traveling phylogeny air transport can at present take or find their tickets through the use of Internet (Debra and Colin, 2003,p7). They can further customize their tickets by adding meal preferences and self selected seat numbers to make them feel genial. The new technology has withal made it easier for airlines to communicate information to passengers very soft about conditions attached to fares and about general conditions of carriage (Arnold, 2004). This has led to decline of cases of inconveniency during travel (Finn, Elliot and Walton, 2000) A number of airlines are now shifting from traditionalistic way of obtaining tickets to modern way where online shopping is encouraged. For instance easy green has ensured that over 98% of its bookings are made online (Rigas, 2002,p31). The Internet according to passengers has made booking of air tickets much easier than ever before. Among the advantage it has include thriftiness time, and money since passengers will tend to avoid agents premiums and booking fees. Passengers therefore have time to make their decision on what t o pick on.Online ticket gross sales by regionRegionOwn AirlineWeb-siteAll online conductE-tickets issuedIndustry average11.0%14.5%19.1%North America29.5%37.1%41.4%Europe15.2%16.0%20.7%Asia Pacific7.6%10.2%16.5% citation Airline Business, July 2004The table above shows the increase in passengers apply online tickets during travel by British Airways.Travel to airports Must of the passengers using air transport have not recognized the need to use public transport in order to get to and from the airport. This has led to congestion on touch roads. To reduce the congestion on the roads passengers are encouraged to use pubic transport to avoid being late. Many passengers do have bulky luggage and at the same time they will be required to be at the airport at a minded(p) time (Magalia, 2000). Use of surface access links should therefore be encouraged especially by travelers undertaking inter-urban journeys for business, non-work/leisure community and freight that are using links which a re not directly affiliated with the ports or airport (Stabler, 1997,p17). Managing directors and chief executive police officers of the various airlines and airports have also encouraged the use of Buses and coach services to airports in order to reduce congestion and provide a public transport service to those for whom fulminate is not available option. These services are offered twenty four sevensome to increase efficiency and effectiveness when handling customers (Danny and Barbara, 2002,p11). The bus and coach services are made easily accessible and available from the airport and move back points, which are also salutary placed at strategic points. The sustain for capital of the United Kingdom (TFL) for instance had agreed that bus stops and bus place were to be located as close as possible to passenger objectives, including terminals and work places.The investment in coach and bus facilities that are well placed will attract more passengers to use the air transport more frequently, which in turn will lead to improved development of airline business (David, 1995). Airport officials currently are working with public transport operators to harmonize the linkage between airports and other cities and towns in the pastoral (Fredrick, 2006,p25). Good infrastructure development is one of the indicators of economic growth of a given country. When links to the airports are many well established those who will be traveling will also be many. The use of cultivate transport has also led to some significant improvement merely still premature. The breakdown of modes of transport used by migrants from UK airports shows low levels of raceway use. However the low level of rail use can poorly change when new facilities are provided. For example the building of Docklands light coach link into city Airport has resulted in 49% of passengers using Dhr therefore leading to an increase in public transport usage from 31% in 2003 to 50% in 2007 which off course was re cognized as one of the highest rail mode-shares at any airport in the UK (Danny and Barbar, 2002,p9).Security and Safety issues The need for strong and tight security measures was realized on 10 August 2006 when police officers tried to stop a hazard plot to blow up several planes leaving the UK, possibly using liquid explosives carried on board in hand luggage (Fredrick, 2006,p28). slightly twenty people were arrested simply the greatest challenge was to introduce a new technology that could detect any dangerous weapon carried by passengers. Restrictions on hand luggage were introduced whereby passengers were only allowed to carry a low-down range of essential items such as prescription medicines in but in recommended quality. In the beginning the introduction of these restrictions led to the widespread hurly burly to flights departing from all UK airports including the cancellation of many flights. Passengers are only to carry one littler bag without any liquid or gels onto their flight (Frank, 2005,p16). When we talk of security, most passengers have developed negative attitude towards using air transport because of security threats. The security issue has affected airline business and it is now the major problem that airlines should address (Melanie, 2003). Among the problems include longer queues, increased time lag times to go through security and increasing intrusion for passengers. In UK the situation is even worse in airports with large numbers of transferring passengers. more or less of the airlines have been forced to cancel their flights because of security threats. For example British Airways announce in September 2006 that the August alert had cost them 40 jillion losses from the business (Joby, 2003). Further losses were also experienced since more funds were to be used in coming up or implementing effective measures. The airlines are everyday becoming more frustrated at the continuing difficulties at security points (Stephen, 2002,p84) . This calls for the attention of Government and airport operators in order to ensure that UK airports are able and capable of handling unforeseen events (Harold and Evra, 1994,p7). .selective information Collection method. This chapter deals with how data on study will be conducted. Basically two methods will be used that is administering questionnaires and interviews. Five students in one of the universities in London will be selected taking a degree in airline and airport management to assist in collection of data. These students will be given a thorough planning for two days in relevant questions in the questionnaire. A heart and soul of five passengers will be interviewed. The CEO, transport manager and security officer will also be interviewed. The sampling method for picking passengers will be randomized clustered sampling.Data collection method and techniques Interviews will be conducted where the interviewers will have with themselves a set of questions to be asked a nd answered. They will be expected to have undergone thorough training on both the method and meaning of each item on the questionnaire. The students will also be expected to be familiar with the diametrical airports and airlines in UK and control of the questionnaires will be done first to test for construct validity.Data collection procedures. Data collection procedure will be through questionnaire and interviews. The interviewers in order to carry out the study will be trained on the topic of study will conduct direct face to face interviewers with the sample population stated above with the assistance of a well prepared questionnaire to elicit response and ensure consistency. four-spot categories of responses ranging from very satisfied (VS), neither satisfied nor dissatisfied (NS), very/ reasonably dissatisfied (VD) and dont know (DN) will be used. boundary of the study The survey will deal with different people from different pagan background. The interviewers may have pro blem of winning the attention and consecrate of passengers. Difficulties in convincing them to be free and honest may arise. leave out of adequate funds may also hinder the success of the study for it to be completed in time.Work PlanPhase useTime1Choosing study topic and looking for objectives and hypothesis10/11/2007 20/11/20072 query designDeveloping, questionnaires25/11/2007 30/11/20073Developing literature review chapter and reading books02/12/2007 04/12/20074Writing chapter on research methodologies07/12/2007 15/12/20075Finding the relevant research tools20/12/2007-24/12/20076Preparation and presentation of purpose25/12/2007 30/12/20077Write up of the report01/01/2008 05/01/2008Structure of the questionnaireVery/ fair satisfied (%)Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied (%) (ND)Very dissatisfied (%) (VD)Dont know (%) (DN)Public transport link to airportNumber of destination servedCost of flightAirport securityAirport facilitiesLevel of flight delaysInformation about flight at airportCheck in times local services provision and AccessBibliographyArnold, D.C (2004). 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