Wheelchair CX

We realize that prompt, consistent wheelchair service is not just a human need, it is also an operational need.

The challenge.

Wheelchairs are a necessary service for their traveling customers. United Airlines

Our Approach.

Creation of this living document is collaborative in nature. We started internally leveraging our field airport research gathered and then outward at ORD with CSR agents using design thinking.

Conducted qualitative one on one interviews at Chicago’s O’hare Airport team
Conducted design thinking workshop with CSRs to evaluate what the problem was before we asked them to come up with a solution
Connected their feedback with affinity maps that align to business goals
Socialized with leadership on the findings

Our Workshop.

Creation of this living document is collaborative in nature. We started internally leveraging our field airport research gathered and then outward at ORD with CSR agents using design thinking.

Identify Challenges
1. Review current Wheelchair experience “Map”
2. Internalize Problems
3. Externalize: Present Problems
4. Reframe as a “How might we…”
5. Socialize & Sticker Vote
Innovation showcase - What is possible
Identify Solutions:
1. Internalize Solutions
2. Externalize
3. Sticker Vote
4. Prioritize & Decide
Solution Map
Team Socialization for agreement

“The main tenet of design thinking is empathy for the people you’re trying to design for. Leadership is exactly the same thing – building empathy for the people that you’re entrusted to help.”

Here a researcher discusses the feedback from the team.

Why we did this.

Within our IT releases, we have been iteratively building multiple releases and apps with very limited awareness to understanding impact to CSRs. We want to ask the “how, what, where, why and when’s” of our operations directly from the CSRs themselves that identify the right problems with the right solutions.

Among the common rush to get releases out, it is challenging to understand what has the biggest impact to a customer journey for wheelchair. For example, we may first tackle a problem that might mitigate a negative scenario when we should have solved it before it gets worse.

It is also challenging in our design development to support variations to our products among various persona needs and ethnographic impacts.

To innovate for the future, we must constantly pivot toward a north star vision that can be socialized in journey maps and service blueprints. These documents identify, strategize and evolve holistic projects what United Airlines operations can achieve.

Ethnographic and Business Analysis

What we learned.

Listening to our CSR teams is just the first step. They are truly the front line to every customer experience in departure management. What we heard from agents was that they wanted to assist customers in three areas: recognize, accomodate and assist.

Our departure management team through collaborative design thinking discovered that our systems are too rigid. The team began to identify that current services are limiting and that we need to prototype on new technologies that can support new services.