Southwest Airlines Case Study

Southwest Airlines Case Study

Based on what you read here and learned on the airline’s Web site, what are the company’s strengths related to customer service?

Southwest Airlines has invested heavily in providing the best customer service to its customers. According to Lucas (2023), building stronger relationships with customers requires discovering customer needs, looking for opportunities for customer service, and responding appropriately to the behavioural styles exhibited by customers. Southwest Airlines listens to customers’ feedback and observes the changes in customer behaviour based on the trends in the market to identify opportunities to improve customer service. One of the company’s strengths related to customer service is special offers that focus on meeting specific customer needs and preferences. For example, the company offers Southwest vacations and book hotel and rental car packages. The Southwest vacation package lets customers save money when booking a hotel and flight together. The rent-a-car package includes different rental car deals to accommodate customers’ needs and preferences. The main deals include dollar cars, budget cars, and Herz car rentals. The dollar car rental deal enables customers to save up to 15% and an opportunity to earn reward points amounting to up to 1,200 points. The budget car rental deal enables customers to save up to 30%. The Hertz car rental deal allows customers to earn a maximum of 2,400 reward points. The book-a-hotel package includes assisting customers in searching for and booking hotels. Customers can earn a maximum of 10,000 points per night when they stay in hotels booked through the airline.

The second strength is flexible check-in options. The company has a mobile application that customers can use to check in and get boarding passes on their mobile phones. The company also allows customers to automatically check in 36 hours before their flight for a better boarding position within a range of $15 to $25 one-way per passenger. The third strength is customized services for businesses. The company offers exclusive business loyalty programs and discounts, thus attracting international businesses that require employees to travel to different regions. The company has also invested in proper customer relationship management by providing a free self-service corporate booking tool that enables mid-sized and small companies to track and manage their travel programs easily, a dedicated account management team that supports large companies by serving as an extension of their travel programs and a travel management companies relations team that supports the travel management company partners. The fourth strength is the no-charge policy for customers’ bags and the fact that cancellation fees for customers who cancel their flights are not changed. The company also offers non-stop routes to meet the needs of business travellers.

Would you fly this airline if you have not already? Why or why not?

According to Soomro et al. (2012), purchasing decisions in the airline industry are influenced by service quality and the extent to which the airline company meets the customer’s expectations. Customers are willing to pay any amount for an airline’s services as long as they are assured they will receive value for their money. Therefore, most airline companies invest in the quality of services they offer and provide various unique services that meet customer needs and preferences. I would fly Southwest Airlines because their service quality is exceptional. I am also confident that the company can meet my expectations because their travel packages consider my travel needs. For example, I prefer booking a flight and a hotel together for convenience. Therefore, the Southwest Vacations package is ideal for me because it meets my convenience preference and allows me to save money. I would also fly Southwest Airlines because of the non-stop business travel I prefer travelling non-stop when I am travelling for business to avoid fatigue, which could impact my performance and productivity. I would also fly Southwest Airlines because of the opportunity to gather points each time I travel and renew them to get rewards such as reward seats, more travel choices, hotel stays, international flights, rental cars, and merchandise. I would also fly Southwest Airlines because it is a low-cost carrier, thus reducing travel costs because air ticket prices are low. I can also choose where I want to sit during the flight using the early bird check-in option. I would also fly Southwest Airlines because of the high quality of customer service offered. Therefore, I would be assured that I am getting value for my money because the services I receive would match my expectations. According to Martin (2020), Southwest offers reliable flights to secondary airports, thus reducing flight delays and punctual arrival at the aircraft’s destinations. Therefore, I would fly Southwest Airlines because I plan my trip activities based on the departure and arrival times indicated on the flight schedule.

As a current or potential customer of the airline, what would you expect as a service experience from the airline?

As a potential airline customer, I would expect high-quality customer service, including friendly staff who are ready and willing to assist me during my flight. I would also expect payment flexibility when booking a flight. The company offers different payment options to guarantee flexibility while booking and inflight. Flexibility while booking is enhanced by using different payment options such as PayPal, Uplift, Apple Pay, and credit card payments available across the company’s online booking platforms. Inflight flexibility is created by using Venmo to make any inflight purchases and pay with credit cards, PayPal or Apple Pay. Therefore, I am assured that I can make inflight purchases with my credit card. I would also expect a quick response from staff when an issue arises when booking and during a flight.

Southwest Airlines has maintained a good reputation for being responsive to issues to prevent customer frustration. For example, the company efficiently and quickly answers customers’ complaints or questions through multiple customer contact channels such as email, social media platforms, and phone (Abouemera, 2022). The company also maintains an open communication channel to inform customers about what happens after, before, and during a flight. According to Abouemera (2022), the company has dedicated social media platforms that are regularly updated, such as the company’s magazine, newsroom, and YouTube channel. The company also sends email newsletters to customers regularly. Therefore, I would expect to stay updated on changes in the company’s services, including changes in prices and the addition of more services. I would also expect to be asked whether I had a good experience using the company’s services and whether I have any recommendations on improvement areas. Southwest Airlines uses customer feedback to improve its services, thus maintaining customer engagement through email and social media platforms. Therefore, I may be contacted by a customer service agent to ask me about my experience, especially after using them for the first time. I would also expect a great flying experience compared to what I have had when using other airlines because Southwest Airlines would allow me to choose where to sit during the flight and onboard internet access.

References

Abouemera, R. (2022). How Southwest Airlines Makes a High-Flying Customer Experience. The Better Blog. Retrieved January 28, 2023, from https://mediashower.com/blog/how-southwest-airlines-makes-a-high-flying-customer-experience/

Lucas, R. W. (2023). Customer service: Skills for success. McGraw Hill Education.

Martin, M. (2020, March 18). The Pros and cons of flying with Southwest Airlines: Skyscanner. Skyscanner US. Retrieved January 28, 2023, from https://www.skyscanner.com/tips-and-inspiration/southwest-pros-cons

Soomro, A., Hameed, I., Shakoor, R., Butt, A., & Khani, S. (2012). Factors Affecting Consumer Preferences in Airline Industry. Far East Journal of Psychology and Business, 7(1). https://doi.org/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254415297_Factors_Effecting_Consumer_Preferences_in_Airline_Industry

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Using the following case from Chapter 5 of your textbook, write a paper of 1,000 words or more using APA style and at least 2 references (one of which should be the textbook).

Southwest Airlines Case Study

Transportation

This major airline had a rocky road at its start. Incorporated in 1967, it never actually started flying planes until June 1971 because of lengthy legal challenges by other major airlines. When it finally started services between Dallas and Houston and Dallas and San Antonio, it used three Boeing 737 aircraft and offered $20 one-way fares. Soon, the company introduced a $10 “night fare” and several other attractive schemes. In 1973, it ended the year with its first profits since starting operations and began developing a loyal customer base.

By the 1990s, this airline had become well-established as a major passenger carrier with popular campaigns that focused on families such as the “Family Fare.” By 2000, the company had moved up to number two on this famous list and had expanded its rewards program for customers. Beyond that, as the decade progressed and moved into the second decade of this century, this airline instituted a number of other discount flight initiatives that encouraged air travel and expanded its customer reach.

Assignment Details

Answer the following questions in your paper:

Based on what you read here and learned on the airline’s Web site, what are the company’s strengths related to customer service?
Would you fly this airline if you have not already? Why or why not?
As a current or potential airline customer, what would you expect as a service experience from the airline?

Please submit your assignment.

Please use your text, Web resources, and all course materials to assist with your assignment.

References

Fortune. (2021). Fortune 500. http://fortune.com/fortune500/

Southwest. (2021). Southwest Airlines | Book flights, make reservations & plan a trip. https://www.southwest.com/