What makes a good CSA?

[finding_nema]

I'm taking my first steps into the glamorous world of aviation at the end of this month working as a customer service agent at East Midlands Airport - checking people in, boarding them, meeting you in arrivals etc. I've been a fairly frequent passenger in the past, so know what I look for, but for a more well rounded response, I thought I'd ask you all what you want from a customer service agent - whether you're a business passenger, holidaymaker, parent etc.

[SXB]

With such an attitude I'd say you're already 90% of the way there.

It's actually difficult to quantify but listening is a good start, so many CSAs don't do that,and, of course, the solution to all our problems

Had the best CSA ever recently in Chisinau when my flight was cancelled, she booked me into a local hotel, re-booked me on the next flight and asked if there was anything else I needed - I asked her, half jokingly if she could find out how Spurs had done that day. Five minutes later she came back and said 'they won 3-2, Berbatov, Lennon and Keane, would have been more but the ref had a bad day'

[Final 3 Greens]

finding nema

Firstly, let me wish you the very best in your new career.

I travel regularly on business and the best CSAs are the ones who have a human touch, i.e. a little smile.

That must be difficult to achieve when you're processing hundreds of people per day, but that really makes difference for me.

One quick tip, some CSA's greet me with "Good morning/afternoon sir" and then having read the ticket add "how are you this morning/afternoon Mr F3G." That always feels very good

[lexxity]

From one CSA to another, the ability to take a deep breath, count to 10 and keep smiling. Honestly, when the proverbial hits the fan you need to be able to keep calm and do your job. Also the ability to have a laugh and to not take things too seriously. A sense of the ridiculous will help more than anything though!
My most recent bad day was during the bad storms earlier this year and the airport closed. I was assigned a regional to meet in and board out. It was about the second a/c in after reopening and as I stood at the gate I couldn't help myself but to say "Look, a real live aircraft!" It got a big laugh and cheered up a gate of people just wanting to go home. You will need to be resourceful too. I.e. if you have a delayed or diverted a/c you will get people who want to go on the train instead as it works out easier than the coach laid on. In these cases a call to the train company will make their day a little easier.
As F3G says addressing pax by name is always appreciated.

[PAXboy]

I think that SXB sums it up. The only tip I have is a quick way to find out what the pax you are addressing thinks of your airline. Asked in a polite voice: "Have you travelled with us before?"

No, this is my first time.
No, this is my first and it will be my last.
Yes, for many years.
Yes, unfortunately ...

You will then learn something of their frequent status (which may very well not be evident from the ticket/booking/card) and what their mood is. They might be 'brand new and loving every second', all the way to 'frequent but so enraged by a series of small mishaps that they are about to leave'.

Also, it may well be that - no matter what you do - they have already made up their mind to write to the CEO and sue the airport, the plane manufacturer and the King of Tonga. It is important to learn when to back away because anything you say will only make it worse.

[BRUpax]

You will come across pax that will want to make you pull your hair out. There will be times that you will feel like screaming at pax. There will be times when you will even want to kill pax! If you can keep it all under control and retain a sense of humour, you'll make a great CSA. Good luck.

[BackPacker]

This was not a CSA but an Immigration official who took a look at my passport at the immigration desk when returning home from a foreign trip and said "Have a nice day tomorrow!" Took me a moment to realise that, yes, this was the day before my birthday. Made my day.

I don't know if you're going to handle passports as well but this might be a nice touch to add to your routine.

[finding_nema]

Thank you for all of your replies, and do keep them coming, as all the feedback is really appreciated. I'm really looking forward to starting at the end of the month.

[13Alpha]

Hi finding_nema and congratulations on your new job ! I hope it works out well for you.

As a frequent business passenger the things I appreciate most in a CSA are:

- a smile and a sense of humour
- efficient service
- someone who can think for themselves when things go wrong

Having viewed with disgust the behaviour of some fellow passengers towards CSAs I'm sure there will be times when the smile and sense of humour are difficult to maintain.

But when this happens bear in mind there are plenty more of us who appreciate what you do.

Good luck !

13Alpha

[finding_nema]

Thanks again, am already practising my smile. I was tempted to inform my Spanish teacher that "due to reasons beyond my control" my Spanish coursework would be handed in two days late, but decided against it.

[finding_nema]

I meet the lovely general public for the first time tomorrow afternoon, so anybody lucky enough to be flying from EMA, if you have long check-in queues it might be me still trying to get my head around bag tags (horrible sticky things!)

[Final 3 Greens]

Good luck Nema! I hope it goes well for you.

[slim_slag]

Originally Posted by finding_nema

....so anybody lucky enough to be flying from EMA, if you have long check-in queues it might be me still trying to get my head around bag tags (horrible sticky things!)

EMA is actually one of the more pleasant airports to fly out of, less stress and hassle so less likely to be grumpy at check in. Paradoxically, I might suggest you also get a better behaved punter as it's mainly loco traffic, and they do "what it says on the label", so you don't get as many misunderstandings. These legacy carriers are dreadful at setting high expectations and failing to deliver, it's hardly surprising they get so much grief.

So my advice would be not to tell porky pies to your punters as they might know better. There is nothing more annoying than a check in agent telling you something you know is not true. I don't neccesarily blame them, their hands are often tied by ridiculous airline policy, but it still really annoys me to be told some things.

It's not a job I would do, so good luck (and I fly through there tomorrow before you start so you will have one less bolshy passenger to deal with )

[scarlett]

Best of luck finding nema hope it goes well for you I start at LCY at the end of the month and im excited

[Final 3 Greens]

And good luck to you, Scarlett

[finding_nema]

Thank you all and good luck scarlett. I'm looking forward to tomorrow a lot.

[XSBaggage]

Slim Slag, I don't agree with you about loco pax being calmer and accepting they do "what it says on the label". I tended to find it the opposite - the things people would get most upset at were not being able to change a flight for free, the relatively early check in closure time, the strict excess baggage rules. Mediterranean charter pax were the calmest!
As for what makes a good CSA, if I can add my tuppence worth. I have had the pleasure of working with many over the years (and managing them too for my sins) and I think there are 3 rules you can follow to ensure you provide good customer service.
1. As Final 3 Greens says, a human touch. The ideal human touch is learned over time though. There is nothing more cringe-inducing than watching somebody getting their pax "type" wrong and gabbing away to early morning business pax about their 4 year old's reading prowess, for example.
2. Don't use airport jargon. I remember several blank stares when pax have been told "your aircraft's tech" or "I'll send a sita to ask them". On one of those programmes about EZY on the TV I remember almost shouting at the screen in despair when the young man told a group of angry pax their flight had "been made non-operational". Aaargh! It was "cancelled", why not tell it how it is?
3. Be honest and remain in control. If you don't know something, don't try and bluff your way through it. Tell the pax you don't know the answer and if you need to call somebody or whatever you can use that time to get your thoughts in order. One of my personal favourites which worked more often than not was when pax would complain about excess baggage and say "its just a way for XXX airlines to make money isn't it?" (expecting embarrassment) and to answer "Yes of course it is." and explain the loco concept.

There is something about being a CSA that is very different from working in another public-facing job. Maybe its the fact that most people are slightly more nervous or uptight than usual when flying and on a tight timescale, or the strict security and airline policies that need following, but it does take a particular type of person to work as one. A masochist maybe?

Hope this helps and best wishes on your new jobs nema and scarlett.
XSB

[A2QFI]

Too late to post - you have both already had your baptism of fire! My input is to suggest that it is good to smile or somewhere near it and to be brisk but not brusque! I have been checked in a lot over the years and beyond a rather sour agent who made my wife take 2kg of junk out of her checked luggage to put into her hand luggage (which then became overweight) I haven't had a major or even minor snag since I took my first ticketed passenger flight, Northolt to Geneva in a BEA Viking in 1949(ish). I hope you both had a "Good Day" and I mean that! Reminds of someone who said that he would rather be told to have a nice day by someone who didn't really mean it, than to F* Off by some who did mean it!

[scarlett]

thanks for the good lucks and tips everyone, its good to have a little knowlege of whats expected of us, no problems on the smiling front with me after my morning cup of coffee

[scarlett]

finding nema how did it go ?