Independence Air. How I help can you?
September 23rd, 2005
Robbin, Geno, Greg and I are heading up to NYC next week for the WOMMA’s WOM vs. Advertising summit on Wednesday and we’re traveling on Independence Air. But due to recently scheduled meetings, etc., I had to call today to rearrange our flight times.
I’ve flown Independence Air several times for business. And while I’ve never had a remarkable experience, I’ve never had a bad one, either. Certainly I like Independence better than those mean ‘ol big boys, but I’m not quick to recommend them, either.
After I dialed the number and heard that nifty hold music with intermittent sales pitches, I talked to a real person and quickly realized through that conversation and the background noise, that Independence Air appears to have outsourced their reservations center to another country. And for some reason, that surprised me. The people I dealt with (I had to get info straight on my side and call back) were friendly, but didn’t have a great grasp on the English language and I had to ask for them to repeat themselves several times. I think it’s ironic that a company called Independence Air, which is based in our nation’s capital, is doing this.
Is this a corner that’s worth cutting? Or is it one of the most important opportunities for a brand identity to Fascinate, Inspire, Reward and Engage customers? Maybe it’s time to weigh the cost of what you’re saving by outsourcing against what you can gain through this often forgotten and taken for granted touch point.
Other posts by Spike.
Jake says:
Spike, I’m going to be in NYC that same time for the Forrester conference. Ping me on email and we can talk about trying to get together if you have time.
February 20th, 2006 at 2:58 pmOlivier Blanchard says:
And talking with your hands doesn’t help.
February 20th, 2006 at 2:58 pmGammo says:
maybe it was someone IN the U.S. Maybe just a bad accent, but still local?
February 20th, 2006 at 2:59 pm