Many brands pay lip service to the ongoing quest of “listening to the customer”, but at JetBlue Airways it’s not just another catchphrase. It’s an abiding belief that drives the company on a daily basis. Just ask David Canty, Director, Loyalty and Partnership Marketing, at JetBlue Airways.
“Humanity has always been part of our mission statement and we live by that,” Canty told Loyalty 360. “Never ask a customer for feedback unless you’re intending to use that data. Using that data to inform your future direction, I think that’s the key.” (JetBlue’s ability to listen and use what they hear (whether they like it or not) to inform new product, service and communication offerings is a significant challenge in most industries and the perception of this challenge in the airline industry is even greater, therefore setting them apart in a very unique, compelling and powerful manner.)
And feedback is something JetBlue not only listens to, it’s something the airline helps create through a panel of 15,000 customers – of which 12,000 are TrueBlue members. This panel, launched in 2008 and is comprised of frequent and infrequent fliers, it is also used for product development, Canty said.
“They have some great ideas,” Canty said of the panel, “but the key is you can’t implement every one of them, but you have to go back and tell these customers what you’ve done and let them know the reasons why you didn’t do something. We’ve done that in a big way. It’s an ongoing dialogue and you have to be honest with them.”
Airlines have rarely been known for listening effectively to their customers, but at JetBlue, that isn’t the case. Yet there is great power in this “ongoing” dialogue. Powerful customer engagement can be attained in knowing that you listened to the customer, “heard” their issues and were not able to address their concerns in the manner they would have wanted, yet you listened, and more importantly responded; this allows the feedback loop to go unfettered, as they know the voice they had was actualized in a proactive manner to elicit additional feedback in the future.
“When I first came to JetBlue that was one of the things that was refreshing because they are continually engaging and listening,” Canty said. “We put together the customer panel to understand their frustrations and adapt those into ultimately what we deliver.”
Some of the things customers are frustrated with in loyalty programs include blackout dates, unavailability of seats, and lack of recognition. Canty said JetBlue wants to build relationships with customers, and wants them to redeem their rewards points because it increases the value of the program. He said JetBlue changed the threshold for the “Go Long” program from 2,000 to 1,600 miles after receiving feedback from a customer who traveled from Boston to Denver each week.
“This was valuable feedback,” Canty said.
Canty said JetBlue, which is currently the largest carrier out of Boston and JFK Airport in New York, receives high marks for its customer service – evidenced by its nine JD Power Awards. He mentioned that JetBlue sends out 30 surveys for each flight, asking about everything from the booking to baggage experience, and measures its NPS at the customer level.
“We get high marks for superior service and that goes beyond the airport and in-flight experience,” Canty said. “It’s basically continuing to have a dialogue with customers and being honest with them. The airline industry is continually changing from one day to the next. From a loyalty perspective, it’s about continuing to engage with our customers.”
Canty said JetBlue tries to engage with a customer “as soon as we possibly can.” He stressed honesty as the linchpin of customer service success.
“We do feel that being honest with them and setting the record straight gets you places,” Canty said. “I like having conversations with folks on the street. We take that approach with all of our customers. We have a positive result more times than not. We definitely get some value from it. I feel we have a connection with our customers that goes well beyond the transactional level. They’re building a relationship with us over time and it’s important to be cognizant of it and respect it.”
Canty appreciates the rapid growth of the TrueBlue program, which added a Mosaic level within the past year. “We’ve had massive double-digit growth year-over-year on redemption and we continue to see our enrollment numbers and active numbers grow substantially,” Canty said. “As customers see that this currency has some value at the end of it, we’re starting to see the right behavior. We’re not interested in asking customers to bank points. I really want them to get utility from them. We’ve built up a lot of good will in the past three years. Customers were skeptical at the beginning, but they’re seeing the value of the program, and we continue to make enhancements to it.”
When JetBlue Airways launched in 2000, Canty said people viewed the new airline with televisions on the seat backs as a “leisure carrier” -- not aimed at the business traveler, but that sentiment has changed.
“Now that we’re the largest carrier out of Boston with a schedule and network that suits a business traveler, and being the hometown airline of New York out of JFK, we’re starting to be taken seriously, and we want to make sure we’re rewarding the right kind of behavior,” Canty said.
The right kind of behavior can only occur if you listen.