Efficient alienation vs. effective care.

• Author: Hall, Robert
• Position: Marketing Solutions

It was the Thanksgiving weekend and I was taking my younger daughter to the Dallas airport for her return to New York. She had purchased the cheapest ticket available, which required a return trip through Houston on the way to New York. When we arrived, we noticed that there was a direct flight to New York on the same airline. As she waited to check her bag, she inquired of the agent if it would be possible to get on the direct flight. The agent said the flight had available seats. There was only one problem. She could not inquire for us--all she could do was check the bag. She pointed to the other end of the check-in counter--about 50 feet away and said that agent could help us.

No problem. I understand task specialization and decided to practice it myself. While my daughter finalized getting her bag ready to check, I ran to the other end and asked the agent about the direct flight. She said, "I am not allowed do it, but I will get on the phone and see what I can do." She picked up the phone and in just a moment whispered, "I am on a six minute hold" as she leaned over the computer keyboard and screen that I would have sworn were there for making and changing reservations.

Meantime, my daughter was relaying hand signals inquiring if she should send the bag on the reserved connecting flight or re-route it for the direct flight. I did not have a good "We are on a six-minute phone hold because the agent is not allowed to change reservations here" hand signal. After waiting futilely for a few minutes, she checked her bag and headed to Houston on her way to New York.

Who knew that a reservation agent could no longer, well, make reservations? It appeared efficient for the airline, but for the customers scurrying around trying to contort their needs into the airline's rigid rules and process, it was an unnatural act. And in reality it was inefficient for the reservation-restricted agent, waiting on hold while a line formed for check-in.

Self-service check-in, foodless/blanketless flights, automated reservations, remote call centers, online shopping, big box discounters, downsizing, offshoring, outsourcing, rightsourcing, consolidation, re-engineering, just-in-time inventory, lean manufacturing--we are a world obsessed with becoming...