Use of the critical incident technique to improve customer service to passengers with disabilities in air transport

The interest in research on service quality and user satisfaction has increased in recent decades, and several methods and techniques have been employed to study management issues in different service contexts. The critical incident technique approach has been frequently used in research in the field in recent years. The airline industry has witnessed an increase in the number of people with disabilities using air transport. Surveys point to the dissatisfaction of users with the meeting of their needs throughout the travel cycle, especially in the interaction process between these users and workers providing the service. This paper aimed to improve the service provided to people with disabilities in air transport by identifying conditions that affect the service, and the skills of the workers in the service process that need to be developed. The research consisted of 2 phases. In the first, interviews were conducted using the critical incident technique with 115 workers linked to airports (n=56), airlines (n=47), and service providers (n=12) from 16 national and international airports in the five Brazilian regions. We identified typical service situations, gaps related to workers' skills in the service process, and issues related to airport management and infrastructure that interfere with the provision of services to people with disabilities. In the second phase, observations were made on actual service situations in 16 Brazilian airports at different moments of the travel cycle, and difficulties related to the service process were identified. Some clear implications for management emerge from the research results. Multidimensional aspects interfere in the process of assisting people with disabilities in air transport. Managers must be aware of these aspects to improve the quality of the service provided.

近数十年来，学界对服务质量与用户满意度的研究热度持续攀升，诸多研究方法与技术已被应用于不同服务场景的管理问题探究。关键事件法（Critical Incident Technique）近年来在该领域的研究中得到广泛应用。航空运输领域的残障人士出行规模逐年扩大，调研数据显示，残障旅客在全出行周期内的需求均未得到充分满足，尤其在与服务人员的交互环节中不满情绪尤为突出。本研究旨在通过识别影响航空残障人士服务供给的各类制约条件，以及服务流程中工作人员亟需补强的技能短板，优化面向残障群体的航空运输服务。本研究分为两个阶段开展：第一阶段，针对巴西五大区域内16个国内外机场的115名从业人员开展关键事件法访谈，其中机场工作人员56名、航空公司工作人员47名、服务提供商工作人员12名；本次访谈梳理出典型服务场景、服务流程中工作人员的技能缺口，以及干扰残障人士服务供给的机场管理与基础设施相关问题。第二阶段，在巴西16个机场的全出行周期不同节点开展实地服务场景观察，识别出服务流程中存在的各类难点。研究结果为行业管理实践提供了明确的优化方向：航空运输残障人士辅助服务的供给过程受到多维度因素的制约，管理者需充分认知这些维度，方可切实提升所提供服务的整体质量。