Customer Experience (CX) has become the holy grail. We’ve all heard the underpinnings: customer expectations are increasing, basic service is no longer adequate, and customers will actively seek out organizations that provide the experiences they crave.

That’s true for airports as well, which is why our industry has been working so tirelessly to improve the end-to-end journey — a passenger’s experience from home to curbside to gate.

Technology has played a leading role in transforming the customer experience journey from end to end, with a vast array of options designed to improve the efficiency of service delivery — automating parts of the customer journey and providing customers with greater autonomy. So far, this investment by airports, airlines and their service partners seems to be paying off: a record $50 billion was spent on IT in 2018, and passenger satisfaction levels surged up to 20 percent in 2019, according to information technology company SITA.

And yet, we cannot focus solely on technology in the ongoing pursuit of next-level CX. As Apple founder Steve Jobs himself noted, "Technology alone is not enough." And the secret ingredient to taking passenger satisfaction to the next level just might surprise you: emotions.

Allison Johnson, Trainer/Consultant (CXE), conducts Emotional Intelligence training for TSA at SFO.

Transactional Tech Is the New Normal

Recent advances in technology have truly transformed the end-to-end journey, but we cannot become complacent. Innovations quickly become old news, or the new baseline. More and more customers are checking into flights via their cell phones, using apps for food delivery, using self-order on iPads at concessions, and more. Increased deployment of other technologies, from biometrics to robots to in-airport GPS for wayfinding, will continue to make things even easier for customers.

As with other technologies throughout history — the car, the wireless phone, the computer — these things will become (if they haven’t already) expected. People quickly lose the feeling of awe and simply weave the technology into the fabric of their lives. Then, they only notice when there’s an issue: when the computer won’t load, or when the remote start on the car fails. The technology itself no longer elicits that same emotional response and, ironically, emotions are where extraordinary experiences begin. Emotions drive people’s decisions and their perceptions of experiences. And that’s where Steve Jobs’ insight comes into play. Technology is important. Can we, however, truly tap into these emotions without investing in human connection with our customers?

Neuroscience confirms that humans are hard-wired to connect with others, beyond likes, tweets and emails — beyond technology. We seek interpersonal interactions, and we thrive on them. Unfortunately, as Victor Milligan of Forrester Research notes, "Companies are struggling to create human connections that matter." But these are the connections that help create positive emotions and offset negative ones, which means these are the connections that nurture strong customer experiences.

Emotionally Investing in Our Customers

Whether or not we actively consider the emotions of our customers, they are one of the most important facets of the airport landscape. Airports must tackle congested security lines, ongoing delays, missed flights, mechanical issues, long taxi lines, technology glitches, and the emotions that passengers and employees bring with them every day.

We’ve all seen the passenger nervous about missing her flight and then having her bag set aside for additional screening. The TSA agent is distracted, speaking to someone else and, after what feels like an eternity to the passenger, waves her over with only a hand gesture and begins the examination process. While the agent was perhaps talking to someone else about a security situation, the customer does not know or perceive it that way. She feels anxious and annoyed.

One can see the building frustration in the customer as the agent roughly processes the belongings and, after haphazardly restoring them, hands them to the passenger without a smile or meaningful interaction. The customer huffs off.

Even if situations like these are an aberration, they leave a lasting impression on customers and observers. We can overcome such negative situations through reading passenger cues and making human and empathetic connections. Our individual and collective ability to make such connections and create strong, positive emotions greatly affects how we view each other and the airport experience. These connections are built on exceptional awareness and emotional skills — Emotional Intelligence (EI). And they’re an investment we can’t afford not to make.

Emotional Intelligence (EI): Can it be improved?

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to sense, understand and react to our own emotions (self-awareness) and others’ emotions (social awareness). While we all come into the world with emotions, we do not all have, or have not all honed, the ability to intelligently deal with emotions. The good news is: Like other life and work skills, we can improve our EI. Employers are beginning to understand the extraordinary value that having emotionally intelligent employees brings to the table. In fact, the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report found that EI is considered one of the top 10 job skills for 2020 (in as high demand as technical skills). Meanwhile, TalentSmart notes that EI is the strongest predictor of employee performance. By helping our employees maximize their Emotional Intelligence skills, we not only can lay the groundwork for improved CX, but we also can improve the employee’s experiences and performance.

Implementing a comprehensive strategy to address emotional intelligence is key. These can include self-study, webinars or onsite training through organizations that are experts in developing emotional intelligence in employees to deliver great CX. Airports like Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco brought in CXE (Customer Service Experts) to successfully provide targeted Emotional Intelligence development to employees. Participants learned and practiced specific EI strategies like reading and responding to body language, asking the right questions to demonstrate empathy in difficult situations and looking ahead to find solutions (along with the other best practices outlined in the adjacent table).

Participants’ feedback underscored the valuable takeaways from such sessions by learning:

•   "new ways to help me through difficult situations at the checkpoint"

•   "to breathe and don’t give into my emotions"

•   "about my triggers"

•   "tips to de-escalate situations"

•   "to think about what the passenger has gone through before getting to me"

Consider the previous scenario of the anxious traveler whose bag was subject to additional screening. Imagine how different the scenario would have been if the agent had reacted differently. What if the agent had reflected on his own emotions and knew how to manage them? What if he then acknowledged the passenger’s feelings, smiled and thanked her for her patience, showed care and caring in handling her belongings, and offered a kind parting message before sending her to the next point in her journey?

That’s how we leverage emotional connections with passengers to enhance the customer journey. That’s how we complement the foundation of efficiency that technology provides. And that’s how we build extraordinary, memorable customer experiences. Bottom line: there’s no app for that, which is why we need both technology and touch.

Written by:

Lise D'Andrea, President and CEO, CXE, inc.

Patty Thompson, Vice President, CX Strategy and Learning and Development

*Original article was included in the February/March 2020 Issue of Airport Magazine. The complete publication can be found here:

https://www.airportmagazine-digital.com/airportmagazine/february_march_2020/MobilePagedReplica.action?