Quality & Performance Excellence 6th Edition by James Evans

Exercise 16

Customer Service Processes at Orbitz: Scott Paton, an editor-at-large for Quality Digest,related the following customer service experiencewith Orbitz, a leading online travel website:
I use Orbitz four or five times a month to booktravel for me or the trainers who work with PatonPress. I ve always been impressed with the site s lowfares and easy-to-navigate interface. Despite havingpurchased hundreds of airline tickets through thesite, I never had an occasion to call customer serviceuntil recently. (I guess that in itself says somethingabout the quality of the service I ve received.)
While reviewing my last American Express statement,I noticed two charges for the same amountand the same itinerary. I knew that this was a mistakebecause I had only purchased one ticket. I logged ontothe Orbitz site and looked at my past trips. I saw thatthere was only one booked itinerary for that personfor that week. Orbitz had made a mistake. I knew Iwould have to call the company to get the error corrected,and I began to experience that uneasy feeling Iget whenever I have to call customer service. Wherewould my call get routed Would they believe me Had I made a $335 error
I began the process by going to the Orbitz homepage. I was impressed. At the top of the page in large,easy-to-read type was a tab that said CustomerService. Probably a link to a Frequently AskedQuestions database, I thought. To my surprise,when I clicked on the tab, there were three options: anFAQ database, an e-mail link, and a toll-free numberto call for help. The customer service department isopen 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. This is impressive,especially when traveling. Okay. This was lookinggood, but how would my call be answered
I dialed the number and was immediately connectedto the Orbitz voicemail system, which askedfor my home phone number. Apparently, this letthem know where I was calling from. After enteringmy phone number, I was led through a surprisinglyquick and easy voicemail navigation system thatdivides calls by type of inquiry. I generally hate thesekinds of voicemail systems, but Orbitz s system waspainless. I was through it in a matter of seconds.
When I selected Help, my call was answeredwithin a minute. A pleasant woman asked how shecould help me. I explained that upon reviewing myAmerican Express statement it appeared as though Ihad been double-charged. Her first reaction was toapologize. I m sorry you had a problem, she said. Let s see what we can do to resolve it for you.
She asked me for some information and then askedme to hold while she checked on the problem. Whenshe came back on the line after about two minutes, sheapologized for leaving me on hold. The Orbitz systemhad indeed double-charged me. She explained thatOrbitz would refund my money and that it mighttake 30 to 60 days to show up on my AmericanExpress card statement, depending on when my statementwas issued. She again apologized and asked ifthere was anything else she could do and if I wassatisfied with the problem resolution.
About one week later, I received a letter from Orbitzapologizing for the problem with an explanation forwhat had occurred. The letter also included a $50 discountcoupon toward my next Orbitz purchase.
Discussion Question
What aspects of Orbitz's service processes led to Mr. Paton's favorable service experience