Customer Care at Airfrance

PROBLEM:

Dr. Jaeger is not just any Air France traveler – he is a privileged member of the airline’s most elite loyalty program: Club 2000. By virtue of this membership, he is to expect the utmost in superior service quality standards from Air France. But after a horrible experience with the airline that left him “standing in the rain,” literally, he is not only incensed from his travels gone awry, but even more from the inferior service encounters he faces after the fact. After several months of frustrating, useless attempts to secure compensation for his lost luggage, and after having been ignored and given the “run-around” by many Air France service employees, Dr. Jaeger is obviously no longer an Air France customer. Yet the question remains: Who is responsible, and what should be done?

ISSUES / ANALYSIS:

Based on the Inséad case study, the following are some of the problem areas which are contaminating the Air France-KLM customers’ vision of “best service” and which need to be addressed:

1) Leadership: A company’s philosophy is undoubtedly shaped by its leaders. Sincere leaders who lead with integrity truly inspire employees to do the same. Thus, in order for a leader to come across as genuine or “authentic,” that leader needs to lead his/her organization with purpose, meaning and personal values which are not only communicated verbally, but also communicated through the leader’s own actions. The authentic leader needs to “walk the talk.” With this value-driven leadership also comes the ability to build enduring relationships with people – first, with his/her own employees and, secondly, with his/her customers. Unfortunately, Jean-Cyril Spinetta’s (CEO, Air France) behavior in the case study is not an exemplary model of leadership. If Spinetta will not respect and respond to his best customers, then why should his employees?

2) Corporate Culture: It is no secret that with regard to Air France’s marketing efforts, service-related issues have...