Not to hammer on the airlines too hard, but...

So, in my last post I suggested that a CRM tool for most airlines was a waste given that the tool is only as good as the craftsman. And airline personnel tend not to really care about customers. Why give these people a sophisticated tool like CRM when they have a tough time saying, "Hello?"

Today I came across Tim Parry's blog on Chief Marketer -- chiefmarketer.com -- entitled, "American Airlines Sucks, and I'm Not the Only One Who Says That." His problem started, "When the customer service luddites don't have the common courtesy to help my elderly mother and I at a kiosk ... as we're running late to catch a flight, that's a customer service issue. When the customer service guy laughs at my mother as she tries to figure the kiosk out, that's even worse. And then we're told we can't get onto our flight because we're now too late for a boarding pass, it's a big issue."

Do the senior managers at American really think they'll improve customer service by implementing a CRM system?

Not a chance. The tools aren't the problem; it's the people and their culture.


And this also points to another of my main themes -- this blog drew 17 comments this past week. One complaint inspires 17 others to air their grievences. Which can only convince the readers that American is the last airline they should consider.

The internet revolution continues to roll.