Delta Air Lines - Sales Support Center
Company: Delta Air Lines, Atlanta, GA
Company Division/Group: Sales Support Center
Company Description: The Delta Air Lines Sales Support Center provides award-winning, differentiated customer service to both its corporate and travel agency partners. Utilizing CRM technology, our Sales Associates work with segmented programs for a truly personalized approach to our customers’ needs. Associates are divided into multiple specialized support desks to make it easier to do business with Delta.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Awards Department Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Department of the Year - Airlines, Distribution & Transportation
Nomination Title: Delta Air Lines
Tell the story about what this nominated department achieved since the beginning of July 2011 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:
The Sales Support Center (SSC) at Delta Air Lines serves the airline’s highest-value corporate and travel agency partners with individualized support and personalized service. Accounts that access the SSC FIGURES REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION.
Over 130 Sales Associates strive to further differentiate Delta from the competition by providing solution-based approaches to each customer interaction. Empowering our Associates with the ability to offer mutually beneficial solutions for Delta and our partners helps to embody our mission of making it easy to do business and having our customers’ back.
Associates field thousands of calls daily with the goal of immediate resolution. Due to the urgency of our partners’ requests in this B2B environment, our Associates are not bound to specific handling times. Rather, our philosophy is to handle requests to completion regardless of elapsed time.
Since July 2011, the SSC has launched a number of initiatives to ensure an exceptional service level for our partners:
1. Caring for our Team so They Care for our Customers
• Out-of-office events and internal recognition of our team to spur enthusiasm for our partners
• Employee satisfaction increased 7% YoY
2. Technology Enhancements and Customization
• Integrated CRM technology into SSC to provide Associates with valuable account information. Account details appear to allow for personalized transactions and better account data to identify trends and future enhancement opportunities
• IVR system implemented to route highest-value calls for faster handling and better account segmentation
• Segmentation concepts introduced to allow frequent interactions between same sets of agents to build rapport and strengthen business relationships
• Concept works as account satisfaction score increased 9% YoY
3. SECTION REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION
4. Personalized Service Drives Share and Revenue
• SSC service has helped to move corporate share to all-time high
• SSC has a large part in Delta’s YoY revenue gains in 2012 by providing industry-leading service
5. Awards and Recognition – Recognizing our Climb
• Delta received top airline honors from Business Travel News, Recommend magazine, The Beat and Travel Weekly
• Business Travel News singled out SSC service as tops in complaint and problem resolution in 2011 and 2012
• Recommend magazine named the SSC as the best support team in the industry
Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated customer service organization:
Kristen Shovlin, Managing Director of Sales Operations - Delta Air Lines.
Kristen has over 25 years of experience at Delta, including roles as Director of Customer Care, Director of Reservations Sales and Services, and Director of Los Angeles Reservations. With experience managing call centers of nearly 1,000 people and serving as an employee and customer advocate, Kristen provides the Sales Support Center's vision. She has transformed the SSC by developing solution-based approaches for our high-value partners that provide personal, differentiated experiences on every call.
Kristen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from California State University – Long Beach.