How did AirAsia handle 150,000 daily enquiries during border closures?

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AirAsia Managed High Daily Enquiries Through a Combination of Automated Systems and Crisis-Prepared Staff

During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, AirAsia's customer happiness team faced an unprecedented volume of approximately 150,000 daily enquiries, primarily concerning flight cancellations and refund requests. This surge was managed through a multi-pronged approach involving the airline's AVA chatbot and social media channels, alongside a dedicated team prepared for crisis situations. The airline also had a business continuity plan in place, allowing staff to immediately enter a crisis-response mode to address the overwhelming number of guest queries.
Automated Systems Handled Millions of Queries

AirAsia's AVA chatbot and its social media platforms served as the primary channels for managing the influx of customer requests. Between January and August 2020, these channels collectively received a significant 40 million guest queries. This demonstrates a heavy reliance on automated and digital platforms to field a substantial portion of the daily inquiries, allowing for scalable responses to a large audience.
Staff Faced Intense Workloads and Personalised Challenges

Individual customer happiness executives, such as Ili Bazilah, experienced a dramatic increase in their workload, with daily cases doubling to between 120 and 150 during the initial phase of Malaysia's movement control order (MCO). Beyond the sheer volume, staff also contended with a shift towards personal attacks and negativity in customer interactions. This intense pressure, coupled with the challenges of working remotely during the MCO, significantly impacted employee wellbeing.
Employee Wellbeing and Support Programmes Were Utilised

The significant emotional toll of managing such a high volume of frustrated customer interactions prompted some employees to seek support. Ili Bazilah, for instance, accessed AirAsia's health and wellbeing support programmes, including therapy sessions, to manage her mental health amidst personal and professional challenges. This highlights the airline's provision of resources to help staff cope with the extreme pressures of the crisis.
Crisis Preparedness Enabled Immediate Response

AirAsia maintained a business continuity plan that included crisis-trained staff capable of entering a crisis-mode operation swiftly. This preparedness allowed the airline to respond effectively to the unprecedented surge in customer service demands, even necessitating the cancellation of annual leave for some team members during the Chinese New Year period to ensure adequate coverage. The airline acknowledged that the scale of this crisis was unlike anything previously experienced in the industry.

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How did AirAsia handle 150,000 daily enquiries during border closures?

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