Steven Frischling

Founder

The Travel Strategist

www.flyingwithfish.com

Steven Frischling, aka: Fish, is a globe hopping professional photographer and airline emerging media consultant working with large global airlines and founder of The Travel Strategist. Fish has racked up more than 1,000,000 miles since he started to track his mileage in 2005. Fish's travel tends to be less than leisurely, including flying from New York to Basrah, Iraq, for six hours; Hong Kong for eight hours, Kuwait City for two hours and traveling around the world in 3.5 days to shoot a series of photo assignments in 4 cities in 4 countries on 3 separate continents. All of this, along with his blog, Flying with Fish, make him THE resource for airline industry happenings from the flyer and business perspective. We are excited to have him back on the show...

Airlines have always had the benefit of a captive audience for marketing purposes but when the downturn in the economy resulted in the collapse or takeover of many airlines, direct marketing through concierge services was not a high priority. As airlines scrambled to make money by charging for previously free services, customer backlash caused them to rethink their strategies. Concierge services have long been used to pander to the needs of busy people. In the early days of commercial travel, complementary services for all passengers were normal. 9/11 probably marked the turning point for many airlines—passenger demand dropped and jobs and services were cut. By 2008, airline brand equity was in the bottom 30th percentile among 3500 brands measured by Young & Rubicam in 2007. In response, airlinebrandindex.com created the 6X model, an approach that focused on six key levers that could be adopted by any business: “Brand Xpectation, Brand Xperience, Brand Xpression, Brand Xternalities, Brand Xtensibility and Brand X-Factor.” According to terminal.com, “Virgin America led the way last year by launching the first ever digital shopping platform on seat-back video screens.” Korean Air was also one of the first to make changes in 2010 with an in-flight shop and more spacious passenger seating. Other airlines were quick to follow with a number of other in-flight amenities.

Concierge services need to be of value to customers in order to enhance customer experience. Some perks will require passengers to part with more cash, but these are luxuries they may want to pay for to make their journey more pleasant—unlike additional fees to stow luggage! As for the future, Raymond predicted on inflightinsider.com, “The leading force that enhances and improves the travel experience is indeed personal digital devices.” He also noted that more personalized services are expected. Other businesses may benefit from virtual concierge services to eliminate “busy work” and streamline services. Businesses that offer to go the extra mile for their customers will notice an uptake in customer loyalty. To turn this trend into an advantage for your business, consider the following. Treating customers like royalty is always a good idea. Concierge service can mean higher revenues. Create advantage from captive audiences. Concierge service gone too far drives customers away. And lastly, keep concierge services relevant and unique to keep customers coming back.