If you had a day to spend with AJ to fix QF what would you say ?

[samh004]

i guess number one would be offshore call centres ...... like close them now !

I don't believe this necessarily would be needed. I wouldn't say I frequently phone AMEX, but when I do I invariably get the Manila call centre and the staff always bend over backwards to help me and are incredibly polite and well versed in the program. What QF needs to do is implement proper training at the call centres (wherever they may be – and they should probably be in multiple time zones), identify and reward right practice with regard to those staff and essentially cut down the massive wait times. It's not rocket science.

However I'd never go as far as saying they need to be Australian-based staff, save money where you can and use those savings to improve what you have. That's where they're letting themselves down right now, they've saved some money and pocketed it, not realising that eventually the lack of investment in this area will cost them. Maybe it already is.

 

[luxury-lizard]

Great thread - could someone please forward to AJ's personal e-mail.

So my opinion - Mr LL and I are "pointy-end" leisure travellers making 3 (or so) international trips per year but never on QF because there are better and cheaper alternatives. So what would it take to make us change to QF - improved service in flight and on the ground (and call centres) - this is a culture and union issue and competitive fitouts (my very last QF flight still had seats which were at least 2 generations out of date (one a 747, the other an A380) (oh yes the service was also very mediocre on both of these flights) AND how about competitive pricing.

 

[Hvr]

So what would it take to make us change to QF - improved service in flight and on the ground (and call centres) - this is a culture and union issue

How employees act and react in a direct result of how management treats them. Unions are simply a group of employees working together to achieve better conditions for their members. There seems to be a 'divide and conquer' attitude by management towards their staff with different pay and conditions for people doing the same tasks.

So what would it take to make us change to QF - competitive fitouts (my very last QF flight still had seats which were at least 2 generations out of date (one a 747, the other an A380

Given AJ hasn't purchased any new planes during his tenure new fit outs are even more important. So this is a direct failure of management to give customers an optimum experience.

 

[ALH]

@ALH I assume this is from QBR, I am also with QBR but did not get this offer and I subscribe the economist outside of QF. So in addition to my comments at post #7 QF get your marketing together.

This wasn’t from QBR. Ironically all our QBR Accounts are Insurance, Financial Planning & Accounting Companies. It can’t be that hard to target the right markets

 

[pauly7]

Jetstar is a real asset, it means QF isn't chasing that market and becoming a hybrid legacy/LCC like so many others.

Agreed, it seems people struggle to realise that without Jetstar we would be seeing a nasty and probably much smaller version of QF ‘lite’ flying around, Tiger probably would have survived and would be a lot bigger as well (even worse than Jetstar).

 

[Deleted member]

I don't believe this necessarily would be needed. I wouldn't say I frequently phone AMEX, but when I do I invariably get the Manila call centre and the staff always bend over backwards to help me and are incredibly polite and well versed in the program. What QF needs to do is implement proper training at the call centres (wherever they may be – and they should probably be in multiple time zones), identify and reward right practice with regard to those staff and essentially cut down the massive wait times. It's not rocket science.

However I'd never go as far as saying they need to be Australian-based staff, save money where you can and use those savings to improve what you have. That's where they're letting themselves down right now, they've saved some money and pocketed it, not realising that eventually the lack of investment in this area will cost them. Maybe it already is.

Loop

being polite and being competent don’t always go hand in hand. In my experience most call centre folk know much less about QFF ( rules , terms & conditions ) than I do. That also goes for the NZ lot as well.
how hard can it be to produce and distribute procedures manual ?

 

[coyote25]

Get rid of Jetstar

Jetstar has it’s place, on the right routes were QF needs to have a low cost operating model to operate successfully. Otherwise QF either won’t have anything on those routes or will try to fly QF mainline but either compromise the product to lower costs which would likely spread to other more profitable routes so there is a consistent service.

I’m not a fan of Jetstar, disliked it when they started, have had interesting ‘experiences’ when on the rare times I’ve used them but my sisters have used them on international routes with very cheap fares and they loved the product and service for what they were paying. That was when I realised I was looking at Jetstar through my travelling perspective instead of those who it was built for and who benefit from it. Don’t get me wrong they like better service and product on QF but they liked lower costs and the holiday destinations Jetstar flew too more.

 

[jb747]

Even as a long time QF employee, I'm not anti Jetstar. It fits a niche that had to be filled, otherwise someone else would have done so. I am anti Jetstar's costs being hidden within other parts of the group.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

So here I am lamenting the woeful QFF marketing and all of the other annoying and seemingly incomprehensible decisions QFF makes. I though what if I had a day with AJ and that he listened to me about the things which need fixing.
i guess number one would be offshore call centres ...... like close them now !
PS. I have enjoyed the bulk of a nice langhorn creek Cab Sav before I posted this.

Seriously, you expect to get anything through to AJ?
Or is this just a toss ideas in the air sort of thing.

 

[cove]

Priority baggage arrival
Priority getting boarded
Priority call centre
Fix the food with a revamp

Then for economy passengers don't allow call wait times to exceed 5 minutes. One in my family waited hours rather than minutes.

 

[Franky]

Given there's a thread on the subject, I'm surprised no-one has mentioned IT yet...

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

***I wonder how closely guarded AJ is***.
Not that I am going to do something stupid, just saying/musing.

 

[suze2000]

Just stop with the narrow Y seats and stop claiming they are more roomy. Make the Dreamliner what it was supposed to be. Especially on the ULH flights that are planned. Seems stupid having such narrow seats when you cannot fill the plane to capacity and still get it to safely make the journey.

GIVE Y PAX COMFORTABLE SEATS!

 

[esseeeayeenn]

***I wonder how closely guarded AJ is***.
Not that I am going to do something stupid, just saying/musing.

Were you the pie thrower?

 

[marki]

I actually think the QFF program is Ok when compared to other ones. Likewise, the call-centre frustration is almost omni-present with all major entities these days. (without digressing too much, I have recently had much experience helping my daughter with dealings with Social Security - or whatever they call themselves these days - with her claim for student allowance. I used to work for these people, and I am simply astounded at the lack of training or knowledge this HUGE government department has now - I suspect the call centre staff there get max about a months training!)

But back to QF, and trying to distill just three main issues I rate their highest in my personal experience. And curiously I think in advance these will all be somehow connected to QF's fame in inconsistency...

Number 1.- GET RID OF THE DEADWOOD in airborne staff. I know this is hard, due to industrial relations, etc. But it is my number one complaint about the QF experience. It has not happened once, not twice, but many many times that I, as a P1, sitting in 1A, get the dreaded "eyes roll" when mid-flight on a long haul I dare to ask for a bottle of water, whilst travelling in business. There is no known planet or universe where this sort of shiite is acceptable.... Can Qantas please acknowledge that they are in a service industry, competing with airlines where staff literally bend over backwards to be nice. Yet half of QF staff are glorious! Get it together, get rid of the jaded ones. Support and promote the staff that are amazing. It is not really hard to identify who is who here....

Number 2.- get rid of the ridiculous cash components of FF redemptions. They are a joke due to what other airlines offer. And revamp the metrics on Reward seats available on long-haul flights. I understand their need to protect revenue, but guarantee at least a couple of seats on every flight for premium seat redemption's. (Sorry, that morphed into two items)

Number 3.- Overhaul the entire status game. Provide clear and specific advantages / perks at each level. Find ways to introduce solid perks such as a guaranteed upgrade or two each year for higher levels. Make members of QFF understand and value the levels.

I paraphrase!! But is the most important point !!!
1.- GET RID OF THE DEADWOOD in airborne staff. I know this is hard, due to industrial relations, etc. But it is my number one complaint about the QF experience. It has not happened once, not twice, but many many times that I, as a P1, sitting in 1A, get the dreaded "eyes roll" when mid-flight on a long haul I dare to ask for a bottle of water, whilst travelling in business. There is no known planet or universe where this sort of shiite is acceptable.... Can Qantas please acknowledge that they are in a service industry, competing with airlines where staff literally bend over backwards to be nice.

Post automatically merged: Feb 2, 2020

Just stop with the narrow Y seats and stop claiming they are more roomy. Make the Dreamliner what it was supposed to be. Especially on the ULH flights that are planned. Seems stupid having such narrow seats when you cannot fill the plane to capacity and still get it to safely make the journey.

GIVE Y PAX COMFORTABLE SEATS!

Agree stupid narrow seats very stupid!

 

[love_the_life]

Could always suggest that AJ spends time traveling on the competition (as in high service lines) to see what the passenger experience should be like.

 

[eastwest101]

8 abreast seating in Y for the B787 fleet if they are going to be ULH aircraft, the advertising writes itself, they can't compete on price so have to show a better product. They can't fill the current B789 full of pax and do the ULH anyway so why haul around empty narrow Y seats that can't be sold on ULH?

Fleet planning has been a mess and a continued handicap to the business.

 

[samh004]

Just stop with the narrow Y seats and stop claiming they are more roomy. Make the Dreamliner what it was supposed to be. Especially on the ULH flights that are planned. Seems stupid having such narrow seats when you cannot fill the plane to capacity and still get it to safely make the journey.

GIVE Y PAX COMFORTABLE SEATS!

8 abreast seating in Y for the B787 fleet if they are going to be ULH aircraft, the advertising writes itself, they can't compete on price so have to show a better product. They can't fill the current B789 full of pax and do the ULH anyway so why haul around empty narrow Y seats that can't be sold on ULH?

Fleet planning has been a mess and a continued handicap to the business.

It's not the thread but I don't believe they should sell Y on ULH routes – specifically 'sunrise'. It should be a J/PE config. It would make the most sense by far.

Or maybe it is the thread and I would also say that to him

 

[dajop]

I am still wondering what is so broken about QF that needs fixing? It would if they were losing customers and this was affecting their profitability, but they don't seem to be doing that. Still attracting by far the majority of the Australian travelling public domestically in preference to VA, including many on AFF, and a good chunk of international travellers.

I hate their international economy seats, and usually avoid them internationally, so I think from a customer experience point of view there is plenty to fix. But clearly I'm in the minority, most complain but continue to fly QF ! They seem to be operating in the sweet spot at the moment, where they don't need to make any more improvements (just sell cost cutting exercises as improvements ), as they still seem to retain most customers. QFF I am sure has a lot to do with that.

 

[davidj]

I though what if I had a day with AJ and that he listened to me about the things which need fixing.

Pick up your phone, dial 131313, and start your timer.