Thomas Cook are used to taking customers on journeys to holiday destinations across the globe, so when the firm embarked on a “transformation journey to deliver a Centre of Excellence for complaint handling”, they knew exactly how to go about it.
That delivery has now won the travel giants a UK Complaint Handling Award, which they collected at the recent gala event in London’s Park Plaza Riverbank hotel.
The company entered the Best Hospitality/Leisure/Transport & Travel category and gave a presentation on how an average complaint handling time of 48 days, and low First Contact Resolution (FCR) and Customer Experience Scores of 35 percent, prompted an “end-to-end” overhaul in attitudes to complaint handling.
Over a period of 18 months, complaint handling was revamped within Thomas Cook, to the point where it is now “embedded in the DNA” of the firm.
A spokesperson explained:
“The entire function was transformed, ensuring customers are at the heart of decisions. We used customer and colleague feedback from focus groups to deliver a three-month programme of training with development of evidence and empowerment toolkits to support FCR and speedier resolution.”
The initiative has since led to FCR scores rising to 52 percent, and CX scores as high as 90 percent, while complaint resolution costs have been reduced by 15 percent.