virtualtroy

Joanna

First of all, let me thank you for the efforts you make to act as a point of liaison between the FT community and BD. You're responsive, admit that your customer communications and IT systems are sometimes out of alignment, but above all else, you're responsive - and slightly more human about it than certain other airlines.

So let's turn to some specifics:

- There's a very lively thread dealing with members' attempts to redeem their mileage. Lately, the tone has become quite concerning with regard to anything other than a simple point-to-point itin. Your call centre seems to have been instructed to deny anything but. And then there's the inconsistencies...

- The Indian call centre: Some do a brilliant job, others do a risible one. Arguably the reality of any call centre operation, but what are you doing to ensure that operatives are appropriately briefed on actual, rather than made up policy? Of the many Indian call centres I've experienced, this is certainly one of the better ones. But perhaps you'd like to share some hard facts with us on whether the cost-savings made by using an off-shore operation, irrespective of its geography, make such a substantial difference over the equivalent on-shore operation. From my perspective, I care not where in the world they're based, as long as they're doing a good job and consistently so. There are clear shortfallings in the current offer which are, at best, great, and the rest of the time ranging from bizarre to awful. You are speaking to a tech, media and travel literate audience here -- I dread to think what the current 'bad to awful' call centre experience does to less savvy constituency within your programme; or perhaps it's by design (oh, sorry, that's a question).

- BD itself: What does it now stand for? You introduced the modular thing, it was a disaster, at least for the frequent flyer constituency, and the policy was reversed (again for the same). You are seeking to differentiate in the long haul market, with slots to match, yet your somewhat obtuse advertising campaign may look pretty but fails to register a definable benefit.

- Changes to the BD programme: inevitable, given all the contacts many of us have had from your contracted market researchers. Why not embrace the web 2.0 experience that FT is, in a fairly rudimentary way, and make it more collaborative. I live in dread of receiving yet another email which begins by saying "We listened to what our members said" and then introduces some changes which suggest the reverse (cf. modular mayhem).

- Service on the ground: so I risk getting shot down here, but the usual experience before getting on one of your aircraft lacks parity with the hard product (sometimes both are equally poor, but that's the wonderful world of the commodity that is air travel). The lounges are really grotty (though, naturally, preferential to enjoying the disgrace of LHR open plan, let alone any other UK airport; I recognise that you have limited control, in common with other carriers, over outstations) and I'm curious to know what your plans are to, dare I say it, enhance the offer on the ground, at a time when BA, LH, QR, QF are seeking to differentiate by the experience you receive before you board, especially at home hubs.

- Some miscellaneous comment: There are lots of things your airline does well, yet your customer-facing marketing fails to communicate any of these. Is there such a significant disconnect between senior managers and frontline troops? Not only a very obvious mistake for an organisation, but one, if you were to observe best/ worst case text book examples of across the industry (ok, so let's narrow it down to your nearest mainland UK competitor, from whom you've doubtless taken on disenchanted staff), what could you being doing better than they do, rather than merelty highlighting what a s**t mileage-earning programme the latter has?

Am sure others will have many more suggestions to make. And to be clear, this isn't intended as a challenge against you, merely an invitation to enter into the dialogue.

More Champagne Sir?

One thing I'll add, is that bmi cabin crew are consistently excellent. Always friendly, talkative and approachable. Arguably bmi's best asset (behind Joanna, of course!).

redshift27

I think you really need to ask Nigel, not Joanna.

virtualtroy

I thought he flew the planes

FlyingOnceMore

It would be nice to think that a few NI based members are being given the opportunity to raise some of those issues with them tonight at the Gold Card event.

OPENROAD

A suggestion for cost cutting and also helping the environment, eliminate priority baggage tags on checked luggage, they simply do not work on Dub-LHR, LHR-Dub, priority baggage tags seems to equal last out. It is getting to the stage where I will ask for them to be left off my bags.

irmster

in my recent experience, the call centre service ranges from very average to bleedin awful. Unless you have a straight forward question, their stock answer to everything is "no" - there is never any attempt to try and find a solution or to be helpful - just "no" (plus they make up reasons as to why the answer is no). Some recent examples:

- LHR ticket desk cannot re-issue award paper tickets (they can)
- DHL/couriers can deliver to the selectapost address (they can't)
- the selectapost address they give out is accurate (it isn't)
- The only airport in Moscow is DME - we can't issue award tickets ex-SVO
- It is impossible to claim missing miles without a boarding pass and original paper ticket (even if you had an eticket).

and endless repetitions of what you want because they don't understand.

Oxon Flyer

I'm sure this thread will provoke many responses, but most companies would consider it highly inapproriate for any of their employees to be discussing commercial matters of strategy, policy, costs etc in a public forum such as this. Is the OP really expecting Joanna to respond to these points ?

NickB

Indeed. Joanna's contribution in relation to FT has been to help various FTers with difficulties they have encountered and provide information on various issues related to DC. And for this, I, for one, am very grateful. I don't think it is Joanna's brief to act as spokesperson for BD on this forum and it is rather unfair to put her on the spot on this.

irmster

She is very helpful - but I don't see anything wrong with the thread if it is bringing to her attention certain frustrations which she can pass on. I don't think the OP really expected a personal response.

modularmayhem

DiamondClub works specifically within DC and therefore will probably not even know the answer to the questions about cost savings etc. I think it is unfair to ask for such information from her.

In the past she has been very helpful in sorting out problems and providing information for people on this board. I think it is a little much to expect her to speak on behalf of the company she works for.

PS... I dont mean this as an attack on the OP... Just pointing out that DiamondClub will probably not want to answer alot of the stuff you've asked.

Wingnut

There's probably a good point (or maybe even two) somewhere in the original post, but it's completely concealed by the grandstanding, the patronising tone, the clumsy rhetoric, the nonsense use of jargon (I particularly liked "customer-facing marketing" - as opposed, presumably, to the kind of marketing that no-one sees) and the split infinitive amongst other lousy grammar (although that last one is probably just me being a pedant). Harsh? Maybe. But I don't think it's fair to demand a response from, and in so doing lay the blame for your grievances with, diamond club.

Dan Dare

I have to agree with Wingnut here the OP should direct the questions and what is mainly comments to Nigel or SMB.

DiamondClub helps those of us with individual queries relating to our specific issues.

I have been very disparaging of bmi in the past but have noticed an improvement as of late. Lets not forget that bmi has some of the best crews in the industry who under ever changing policies have done a brilliant job. The call centre lacks guidance and consistency but is still better than maost offshore experiences.

ajamieson

I agree with Wingnut - there is the genesis of a good idea here, but it it should be obvious diamond club is not obliged to answer such a wide range of questions raised. Especially when she gets rudely addressed like a hired help, as witnessed in this post. There are all sorts of product-related changes in the offing (long-haul, Bmed, flat beds, premium economy) which not even senior people at bmi will be able to explain just yet.

I know for certain that Mr Turner is busy on other projects but perhaps I could investigate persuading someone from customer loyalty into some sort of interactive (and, indeed, customer-facing) involvement on here with regard to the Diamond Club scheme? The last attempt at a Q&A failed - not because of bmi.

In the meantime, I would say this: I disagree wholeheartedly with at least half of the assertions made in the OP. We can ask questions of bmi, but let's not set ourselves up as representing the opinion of anyone but ourselves as individuals.

redshift27

Thanks to both our mods; I wonder if that is the sort of "open and honest discussion" the OP had in mind?