CSMIA addresses over 12000 anxious passengers during lockdown

Mumbai, June 10, 2020: Even after the nationwide lockdown was announced by the Government of India to curb the spread of the virus, GVK MIAL managing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airports' (CSMIA) Airport Contact Centre Team (ACC) continued supporting and addressing the queries of anxious passengers out of their respective homes. With a curtailed staff and constant inquiries by passengers, the ACC team took it onto themselves to address the situation at hand and connect with passengers by being a pillar of support and imbibing positive energy to ease passengers during these testing times. In the last two months, the team handled over 12,000 calls assuring passengers about their safety and overall wellbeing.

The ACC team were trained to adapt to the change and address queries of passengers with patience and optimism to defuse tension and make passengers feel more secure about their journey. Taking up the airports motto to stand as a pillar for passengers to rely on, the team at CSMIA devised a plan to address the incoming queries about the status of coronavirus in India which included flight operations, safety of travellers, COVID-19 related queries as well as the details of medical help offered by the airport. The team went a step ahead and prepared a roster for equal distribution of work, where each member of ACC will attend calls for six hours across various time bands to ensure round the clock availability of personnel to address passengers.

Incoming calls were even transferred to the ACC team personnel working from home; additional and necessary data along with FAQs were provided to these team members to handle all possible queries. The team also worked closely with all stakeholders of the airport to stay constantly updated on the latest news, particularly data related to flight operations around repatriation and cargo flights. The ACC teams catered to calls from across India from not just passengers, but also the concerns and queries of municipal authorities and social activists.

Furthermore, the ACC team also recorded various scripts for public announcements, in 03 languages including English, Hindi and Marathi through their cellular devices from home. These scripts were devised to have a warm and friendly tonality to build confidence amongst wary passengers travelling for the first time post the resumption of operations, thus making them feel comfortable and safe. 

CSMIA has been in the forefront of adapting and integrating its systems with the airport's customer communication systems for enhanced customer care which includes a hybrid backend system that consists of an Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) and live agents to assist the passengers with their general queries about their flight timings, airport assistance or about the destination. The airport tends to a variety of calls which include emergency calls, city information, feedback, customs, immigration flight information, CISF, airline information, airport services and facilities as well as other requests. 

For CSMIA, passenger comfort is of utmost importance. It is in the DNA of the company to offer a high standard of customer experience, and with remote working, the ACC team has come as a support for the passengers during these tiring times. The high-quality standard of service is a testament of providing passengers comfort and ease, which was seen recently with CSMIA being recognized under the Best Airport Staff in India & Central Asia 2020 by Skytrax.