How Ryan Air should have addressed the social media crisis?
1. Keep an eye out on the social media!
It is more than vital for Ryan Air to prevent such crisis to monitor first of all its different social media it is acting on. Indeed, monitoring the social media is critical in a primary approach to prevent any bad comment to take huge proportion. The presence and visibility of Ryan Air on the social media is the first step that the low cost company should go through. The complaint posted by the customer about the incredible amount charged for printing its boarding pass has been displayed on Facebook, considered by far as the most important social media nowadays due to its cost effective and time consuming way to interact.
2. Respond to the customer
Answering the guest either for a positive or bad comment such as in this case is absolutely vital for Ryan to monitor its online reputation and share a positive image of the brand through the online world. Showing its guest that the airline company care about its customer through deserving all its attention with efficient and effective customer service will definitively make Ryan Air handle such crisis much better. Ignoring the guest comment is not ideal for the company to show its brand as a reliable company through customer eyes. Respond quickly and keep stories brief is key in responding perfectly to a guest complaint as well as contributing to the conversation.
3. Apologize goes a long way!
Apologize the guest is absolutely crucial in order to show the customer recognition and show that we care about him and that we are sorry about the inconvenience encountered. Even if the guest is wrong, he is the one that have the power; as we say ‘the customer is king’ and can in a second turn himself toward a different company. We NEVER apologize enough when facing customer crisis! Making sincere apologize is a key start to win the customer and is a starting point to win its loyalty. Through apologizing more about the customer bad service encountered Ryan Air will be able to build a more durable and trusted relationship with its customer.
4. Act as a human being!
Speak like a professional human to its customer is another key step that Ryan Air should take into account. Emphasizing Ryan Air customer answer through a more personalized, professional approach is key to engage more the customer is a difficult situation such as a crisis and manage to overcome it though a high quality customer service. For example showing the customer that its reaction is totally understood and showing him empathy through putting you in its shoes is the right thing to do win more the upset customer and manage to solve a crisis with outstanding and appropriate communication skills.
5. Make the whole world know about your effective crisis management!
It is important when dealing with a customer complaint to start a conversion off the social media and do it privacy in order to make your guest more confident about your intention to personally solve the issue directly with the customer. However, it is critical as well that the whole world know about this issue happening and your effective reaction to solve carefully the guest non satisfaction. Hiding such great crisis management through the whole community of Ryan Air is something to prevent absolutely if the airline want to share with its customer a trusted relationship. Ryan Air should have for example addressed on Facebook a apology not only to Suzie but to its whole guests through writing a public announcement and clearly stating what the steps the company will undertake following such customer issue and what will be the improvements brought to avoid such issue to happen in the future.
6. Offering customer compensation
Offering guest compensation is another way apart from giving sincere and warm verbal and written apology to give guest more recognition. Indeed, addressing some compensations to the guest is another measure that Ryan Air should take in consideration to offer double apologies for the guest and for being sorry that the Ryan Air service did not live up to their expectation. The compensation can be referred to a discount on luggage charges, or additional premium service offered such as express check in. The compensation need of course to be thought carefully according to the guest complaint gravity and if not the negative return was clearly founded by the customer based on contract for example. Ryan Air should have described in its constructive respond perfectly the recovery effort and the actions undertaken in its favor to solve the issue.
7. Use guest complaint as a constructive way to improve service
Making sure to the guest as well that this issue will not occur again and that relevant steps and actions will be undertake to prevent future and same return from customers is vital. Ryan Air need to show to its guest that its negative comment has been well taken in consideration by the airline company and that will be used to create or improve its service. Indeed, Suzie is not probably the unique customers to feel that upset about Ryan Air Service and especially about the way is acting unfairly with its customers.
8. Use guest review as a powerful online reputation tool
Using the guest comment either positive or negative and of course whole the answer posted from manager and PR is an effective way to show Ryan Air guest that the company care about its customer well-being and that it is doing anything if guest is unsatisfied to sort it out. A company which shows transparency will definitively and I am 100% sure proove the guest that it is a highly reliable and trusted company. Building a trusted relationship is more than vital to make a relationship durable and solid with customer and help definitively reach out more the guest and win its loyalty.
9. Responsiveness as a key quality driver for Ryan Air!
When addressing an issue or a request on social media, airline customer or any other business customer expect to get an immediate answer as quick as possible. An appropriate responsible such as a PR manager should take in charge the mission in order to provide a prompt service when facing it. Known as a low cost company, it is more than vital for the company to create a specific structure related to the customer relation management such as a customer service department in order to be the most efficient and effective when such crisis occurs as the one happening with Suzie case on Facebook. Being willing to help the customer at any time is by far the main precursor of delivering high quality customer service through a pertinent responsive crisis management for example.
10. Guest complaint follow up
Ryan Air should after having solved the issue be in charge to follow through the guest complaint and check if the compensations and action primarily implemented to resolve the issue are well undertaken. Evaluate effectively what occurred and the crisis team’s response is a measure to put in high consideration from Ryan Air PR and managers. Keep track of the guest complaint is the final key to ensure that all the steps to solve the issues have been effectively implemented and all the Ryan Air effort to reach guest optimal satisfaction was the company priority. Ensure the guest is finally completely satisfied with the performance of the Ryan Air after crisis management is more than vital to win the customer.
