‘Customer first’ teams
‘Customer first’ teams were developed as a way of putting the new knowl-
edge and enthusiasm into action, with staff volunteers seeking ways of
improving customer service at all points of contact. One such improvement
involved an enhanced service for children. Children flying alone were tra-
ditionally known as ‘Unaccompanied Minors’ or ‘Umms’. Waiting in roped
off parts of airport lounges, they often became bored and wandered off.
The customer service team developed a new scheme where unaccompa-
nied minors were given their own lounge with toys, snacks and TV which
was staffed by play attendants. The problem then became how to keep out
children who were flying with other airlines.
The global aspirational advertising campaign the ‘World’s Favourite
Airline’ contributed to staff morale, as did the corporate identity and livery
change. A weekly newsletter for staff was started, including bulletins about
‘customer first’ initiatives.
It became impossible for anyone to be unaware of the new creed of cus-
tomer service at BA, such was the top-down commitment. An on-going
series of surveys of BA staff were initiated and they quickly indicated a
positive culture change – ‘we can get things done’. Other key attitude
changes included perceiving BA as a service provider rather than a trans-
port business and a focus on interdepartmental cooperation and increased
self-confidence.
However, the bureaucratic and hierarchical structure at BA was clearly
incompatible with the new customer-focused strategy. In 1983 the three
functional divisions were replaced by eight geographic business units plus
cargo, air charter and packaged tours. All the business units reported to
Marshall through Jim Harris, the Marketing Director. Jim Harris also con-
trolled central marketing staffs – strategic planning, advertising, market
analysis and market research. Thus, marketing and the customer orienta-
tion were at the heart of the business.
More crisis?
The heavy financial losses and huge job cuts in 1982 had provided impetus
to change among BA’s staff and progress was being made. However, 1984
heralded another threat which had to be negotiated if BA was to deliver its
claim to be the World’s Favourite Airline.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued the CAP 5000 ‘Airline
Competition Policy’ in 1984 which, in an attempt to improve competition,
recommended that the UK government should award smaller airlines,
such as British Caledonian, some of BA’s routes and landing rights at
Manchester and Gatwick airports.
The CAA in the UK has the task of regulating the safety and economics
460 Relationship Marketing