The Driving Seat – The CarTrawler review of the global car rental marketplace.
Michael O’Leary, the CEO of Ryanair, recently admitted “If I had known being nicer to our customers was going to work so well, I would have done it years ago.” As notable as O’Leary’s epiphany is to the airline industry, it’s worth pointing out that the proven value of empathy, competency, and kindness precedes his recent directives to be nice to customers. The latest Ancillary Revenue Report sponsored by CarTrawler explores how airline management teams can work together for the greater good of their customers, employees, and investors.
Call it a back-to-basics mantra, but sometimes in a technology riddled world, we all can benefit from a few therapeutic reminders to reset our moral compasses. By using the inherently human qualities of empathy, competence and kindness, the report offers advice to airline management teams to boost ancillary revenue under the following headings:
- Understand the perspective of other departments before adding a la carte services.
- Front line employees provide a vital source of intelligence; talk to them before adding anything.
- Empathy is a crucial tool of diplomacy, and ancillary revenue leadership requires diplomatic skills.
- Enlightened airlines should have employees book and buy tickets like their clients.
- Competence has a natural enemy, and that’s complexity; improve existing a la carte items.
- Don’t invite regulators to become involved in your business by failing to fix systemic problems.
- Untangle consumer confusion by dedicating corporate resources to simplifying self-service.
The 2015 Ancillary Revenue Report series is sponsored by CarTrawler. Established in 2004 and headquartered in Dublin, CarTrawler provides aviation, travel, hospitality, leisure and consumer brands with a direct connection to over 1,300 leading and independent car rental agents, shuttle bus companies, limousine and chauffeur driven services in over 30,000 airport and city locations across different 174 countries in the language and currency of their choice. By satisfying customer demand for choice and convenience, CarTrawler consistently delivers profitable growth for its partners.
Boost Ancillary Revenue Through Empathy, Competence, and Kindness
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
