OREANDA-NEWS. July 05, 2011. According to the latest research data, State Enterprise Vilnius International Airport (VIA) is rated number 21 among 51 European airports in terms of customer service. In order to achieve the strategic aim to improve customer service and to get into the top ten of the best service airports in the region, VIA together with the customer service companies operating in its territory starts implementing the Unified Customer Service Standard, reported the press-centre of VIA. 

According to the data of the research on the quality of the airport services performed by the Airports Council International (ACI) in January and February 2011, the overall client satisfaction rate in terms of the services provided by Vilnius Airport is 3.9 points in a five point system. This result exceeds the average rate of the region, which is 3.82 points, and is better than the passenger satisfaction rate of the other 30 European airports. VIA takes the 21st position in the overall passenger satisfaction rate: it leaves behind such airports as Glasgow Airport and Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom, as well as those in Oslo, Helsinki, Madrid and many more. This year Vilnius Airport participates in the ACI research, which includes 51 airports seeking for evaluation, for the second time.

“As the number of flights and passenger flows are constantly growing, we also aim to improve client service processes,” says Tomas Vaisvila, General Manager of VIA. He emphasizes that this is a big challenge because most of the client service staff are not employees of Vilnius Airport. “This is why introduction of the unified client service standard is an effective means able to ensure the same high level service in terms of all the services provided in the Airport irrespective of who provides them – our employees or external companies,” he says.

The client service standard defines the most important principles of behaviour with clients. The unified service rules will have to be followed by VIA employees and all the employees of the ground service companies, cafes, shops and other enterprises that serve clients and operate in the territory of the Airport.  Currently, clients of Vilnius Airport are serviced by 41 companies.

According to the director of VIA, the successful introduction of the client service standard will allow creating a friendly and safe airport and will help to avoid misunderstandings and miscommunication among different companies. It is believed that due to the improvement of the customer service quality, Vilnius Airport in three years will become one of the best ten airports in Europe in terms of the customer service.

The client service standard was created taking into account the results of the customer research, as well as basing on the long-term experience in conflict solving and communication with the trade union of the employees. The employees servicing VIA clients have already familiarized themselves with the general service rules and have improved practical skills solving different conflict situations.