City’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) may have bagged the SKYTRAX Award for the Best Regional Airport in India and Central Asia, but while passengers acknowledge the impressive infrastructure, they have criticised the curt behaviour of the staff.
Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL) claims to have initiated a programme to improve customer experience.
Over 7,000 staff across different agencies working for BIAL — ranging from parking agents to the ground staff inside the airport — are undergoing a soft-skill training module known as Utsaha , or enthusiasm in English.
“We started this training nearly a year ago. It is an ongoing process to bring a common ethos of service that runs across all agencies working for BIAL,” said Hari Marar, president, airport operations, BIAL.
As part of the programme, conducted by an external agency, BIAL staff are trained in greeting passengers in a common manner, handling queries, and anticipating their needs. “The trainers will support the staff when they are handling passengers,” said a member of the staff. For example, if an elderly person walks into the airport, the staff should be able to guess what he/she is struggling with and try to help. “This is one of the most essential aspects of customer service,” said a BIAL staff. The training programme captures core customer service challenges of the different agencies and is customised accordingly. “The challenges of a parking area employee will be different from those in the check-in area,” added the staff.
“BIAL will reward employees who excel in customer services at the Pinnacle Award ceremony organised in May every year,” said Mr. Marar.
Brand strategy expert Harish Bijoor, a frequent flier, is yet to see the behavioural change among staff in the airport, but would be happy if something is being done to improve it. “The other factor that BIAL should focus on is reducing clogging by cabs of the road leading out of the airport. It takes over 25 minutes to reach the highway from KIA, which is tiring for an already exhausted passenger,” he said.
