Call Center Scheduling Featured Article
Southwest Calls in Corporate Workers to Staff Call Centers and Airports
In a reflection of how turbulent this year has been for customer service, particularly in the airline industry, Southwest Airlines has called in non-operational employees to help out at airports throughout the holiday season. The airline, which has grappled with staffing shortages, flight cancellations and millions of dollars in losses this year, sent a letter to its employees asking for help.
Southwest called on its corporate, non-operational employees to volunteer to work eight-hour shifts at airports and in call centers between December 20 and January 3. The airline is seeking help with customer service-related tasks like answering phone queries and pushing wheelchairs. Southwest is specifically looking for help at 11 airports: Baltimore-Washington, Ronald Reagan, Atlanta, Orlando, Chicago-Midway, Dallas Love Field, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Oakland, Sacramento, St. Louis and LaGuardia.
Southwest is also offering bonuses to pilots and flight attendants who show up for their shifts during the holiday season. These include 120,000 Rapid Reward points, valued at more than $1,400.
"We are expecting a very busy holiday season (which we are thankful for!), but we also want to do everything in our power to set our front-line employees up for success, especially in locations where staffing is a challenge," stated the letter to non-operational employees, as reported by the Dallas Morning News.
The move to beef up airport and call center workers comes after Southwest underwent an operational meltdown in October, largely because of a lack of staff. That incident resulted in 3,000 flight cancellations and roughly $75 million in losses. After the meltdown, Mike Van de Ven, COO of Southwest, told employees that a staffing cushion is required to prevent schedule reductions and ensure the airline is prepared for operational disruptions. Southwest planned to hire 5,000 workers this year and will hire 8,000 more in 2022.
Edited by Luke Bellos