The Importance of Customer Service Skills for Commercial Pilots

Hello everyone - we have for four decades now been growing Crew Resource Management (CRM) in aviation, a philosophy adopted by many other organisations and business. The soft skills of good communication and consideration of others has not only enhanced safety but also made the aviation industry a better place to work. CRM has become so important it has become examinable for pilot licences alongside technical requirements. These skill sets can be learnt anywhere direct interaction with the public is involved eg restaurants, cafes, etc. These soft skills apply everywhere so apply no matter the work environment

I came across this brilliant article written by Ryan Goodwin for Simpleflying.com. Here’s the link https://simpleflying.com/commercial-pilots-customer-service-skills-importance but I have also transcribed the article here for easier reading. Enjoy reading it as much as I did.

Over to you, Ryan…

The job of a commercial pilot is a highly technical role: operating complex machinery at high altitudes, in busy airports and airspace, and all varietals of challenging weather.

But ultimately, the safe transportation of passengers from place to place – a pilot’s job – is a people business. Airlines might be in the transportation industry sector, but they are in the people business. And in a people business, customer service is king.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) focuses highly on training and producing safe pilots, and rightly so. Yet, pilots need more training in customer service, passenger interaction, and passenger experience problem-solving. Many of these soft skills are only developed with time on the job.

The romance associated with aviation, during times such as the dawn of commercial aviation or the rollout of the first modern airliner, is long over. Passengers have more choices in travel than ever, further boosting the importance of a good passenger experience.

The importance of customer service skills for commercial pilots should be emphasized. Also, in customer service, like making other life changes, small steps over time compound into meaningful changes.

How can pilots take small steps towards a greater customer experience?

Professional appearance

Arrive at the aircraft early or on time and in a neat and professional manner. Clean uniform, shoes, and luggage, ready to go to work. The romance from the dawn of commercial aviation may be a bygone era, but passengers still look to pilots for confidence and professionalism.

Courteous

Be courteous with everyone you interact with – you never know who you might be engaging with. Courteous interaction with your fellow crew, the gate agent, to each passenger you see sets the tone for an enjoyable flight experience, even if unavoidable challenges arise later. And good landing or bad, take a few moments to say “thank you” to deplaning passengers.

Clearly communicate

Communicate with passengers early, often, and in a clear manner. No one likes a delay or diverting to an alternate airport. But the pilot that can communicate the matter early and clearly – free of aviation acronyms and jargon that makes up so much of our daily speech – provides a balm in a difficult situation. Passenger announcements and interactions must always be professional, but that does not mean they must be void of personality. Flying on Mother’s Day? Take a moment to recognize all the mothers on board the aircraft. Have fun!

Company and customer ambassador

Professional appearance, courteous demeanor, and clear, fun, friendly, and jargon-free communication are the ingredients needed for a pilot to be a company – and customer – ambassador. Pilots fly because we love to fly, but of course, we also fly because it is our job, and our jobs are important to our families. But we have this job because of the company we fly for, and that company we fly for exists because of its passengers.

A quick Google search churns out dozens of heartwarming stories of positive pilot and passenger interactions and airline employees who embody the idea of company and customer ambassadors.

Few rival the stories of retired United Airlines Captain Denny Flanagan. Captain Denny Flanagan is so synonymous with pilots as customer ambassadors that Harvard Business School has a case study named after him, stating that “Flanagan has created and championed a campaign to radically change the nature of air travel - putting good customer service at the heart of everything the airline does and reaching back, in some way, to the golden age of air travel.”

The strategies Captain Flanagan deployed make for good reading and should be a flight plan for all pilots to follow.

After all, we are in the people business.

John in his happy place

Thanks to Ryan for writing this really good piece of advice for pilots. I did bit of a fossick to find out who Captain Denny Flanagan is and by golly what a guy. Probably the most impressive customer orientated captain I’ve ever heard of. Here’s a bit of info for you - https://www.aviationspeakers.com/denny-flanagan