Air NZ acknowledges it can be "frustrating" for customers to get through to it.
Air NZ acknowledges it can be "frustrating" for customers to get through to it.
A Kiwi entrepreneur and frequent flyer has lashed out at Air New Zealand’s customer service, saying it’s the worst he’s encountered.
Card game pioneer James White says the many steps it took to speak to someone was a sign that Air NZ had lost sight of its end user andthat was “dangerous”.
While his issue has been resolved – and the airline has said it is changing processes – he said he didn’t want others to suffer long waits to get their difficulties sorted out.
White, who has Air NZ Elite frequent flyer status after travelling regularly in Business Premier around the world, said: “The customer service journey you have recently implemented is honestly the worst I have ever encountered.”
He detailed a recent encounter to try to confirm whether his loyalty status would be carried over to a new system the airline had introduced.
A LinkedIn post from Kiwi card game company pioneer James White. Image / Supplied
Others commenting on White’s LinkedIn post related similar problems.
Air New Zealand responds
Air NZ has responded directly to White’s post. In a statement to the Herald, general manager of customer care Alisha Armstrong said it appreciated that, when calling the call centre, having to authenticate yourself before talking to one of its team could be frustrating.
“The airline prioritised the security of its customers and their data, and this process ensures that the customer has verified their identity and is authorised to speak to the airline about a particular booking.
“It also means we have their booking details on hand straight away, so we can see if they have a disrupted flight, or a flight leaving within 24 hours, and prioritise getting them the help they need.”
Changes were made to the call authentication process more than a year ago and, while most customers understood the need for these additional safeguards, it had noted feedback on the number of steps and complexity of the process.
“We agree with the feedback and know it’s not currently as seamless or efficient as our customers should expect it to be. We have a team of people working on reducing the number of steps and manual entry requirements to complete authentication and expect these improvements to be in place before Christmas.”
In the meantime, Air NZ encouraged customers to ensure their mobile numbers were linked to their Airpoints account, as this helped to reduce the number of steps in the authentication process.
“If a customer isn’t able to complete the process, they can also press zero, and they’ll be put straight through to our team.
“We’d like to thank customers for their patience and assure them this is being worked on as a priority.”
