What does excellent customer service look like?

If you are working in a customer facing role and recognise the importance of delivering outstanding customer service then a career as cabin crew may be for you.
Every airline looks for the right people who can excel in ‘winning customers’ and most importantly, contribute to keeping them.
Ask yourself the question, what makes a good flight for you? It’s not just the in-flight movie and perhaps good food, it is the face of the airline, the cabin crew. All crew are employed as ambassadors to the airline, they represent what the airline values, its missions and its goals. As an ex BA cabin crew manager myself I would strive to engage with customers, go that ‘extra mile’ and I expected my crew to do the same.
Imagine you are cabin crew and you are on a long flight. An elderly lady travelling alone has just left her grown up son in Australia and will not be seeing him again for another year. She is widowed and very emotional. What could you do to make her journey a little easier for her? If you struggle to come up with ideas to this question then maybe you need to ask yourself- “Do I genuinely want to help people in my day to day working environment? Does thinking about others come naturally to me?”

Let’s take a look at some of the important aspects that airlines look for when employing outstanding cabin crew.

• Are you a good communicator? i.e. do you work well in a team? Team work on board an aircraft is crucial, especially if you encounter problems.


• Are you resilient? Flying can sometimes be tough, it can be long unsociable hours, jet lag, working in tight confined spaces, delays, emotional challenges to name but a few! As crew you need to be resilient, physically fit and well rested.


• Are you motivated? If you are working within a team that are highly motivated throughout a flight, passengers will pick up on this, making their journey a far more enjoyable experience. Are you able to think for yourself and sort out problems?


• Are you responsible? You have a legal responsibility to take control of your actions and put good work ethics into practice on a daily basis. There are many rules and regulations in the aviation industry and adhering to them are crucial as you will be constantly tested on your knowledge and understanding before every flight!

Next time we will take a look at how cabin crew deliver an outstanding inflight meal service to their much loved customers!