Abby's Ramp Ramble - The Call is Coming from Inside the Plane

This month, let's communicate about communication. Be it in the air or on the ground, the words exchanged between FBO and client each day can make or break your long-term business.I decided to pick the brains of FBO owners and managers across the country to see what works, what doesn't work and what can improve regarding communication with pilots in the air, on the ground and online.Up in the AirwavesWhen do you usually make first contact with an incoming pilot? Are you used to scheduled reservations, last-minute phone calls, or callouts from the radio? A mix of everything?A few FBO managers I spoke with had words regarding last-minute requests from the air.One FBO manager dedicated to active communication shared that operational gaps can occur when she radios incoming aircraft and discovers that something like rental reservations were not made, or they've been made separately by the passenger or crew. Her FBO is effectively left out of the loop and forced to scramble.In response, this FBO began offering courtesy cars for drives up to 30 minutes from the airport, and became prepared to ensure rentals arrive at the proper customers' aircraft. This FBO adapted its service around a common occurrence to provide a better customer experience.It's possible you won't get comms before landing at all. There are a few hardcore VFR pilots out there, and don't get me started on the shenanigans I've heard from managers about student pilots… we all have to start somewhere! (I tease, of course - you should have seen the first time I used a rivet gun.) In these cases, you will just need to be ready to accommodate as best you can.Several FBOs reiterated the pilots' responsibility in the air to be aware of their surroundings and communicate with other nearby aircraft. One manager mentioned that the near misses they've seen typically involve someone not - you guessed it - communicating.RELATED STORIES:FSF Safety Report warns of increasing risk in mixed-use airspace near airportsPiper Saratoga narrowly misses 6 skydivers during freefall in ArizonaWhen all is said and done, most managers agree that radio communications are often straightforward and rarely led to miscommunication - between phonetic alphabets, standard callouts and procedures, that's pretty much by design. When asked where they see the biggest gaps in communication, FBO owners and managers primarily cited exchanges on the ground.Ramp Side RapportOnce the aircraft lands, all FBO personnel cater to both aircraft and crew.Between ground service and desk service, clear and active communication is essential to ensure your team will not only perform like a well-timed engine, but also to ensure your customers' needs are actually met.What happens when an upset client approaches your front desk? Does your staff slink back, get argumentative or allow the customer to stomp all over them? Or, does your staff have the support and training to de-escalate issues, problem-solve and provide clear and accurate answers to questions - all while ensuring your customers walk away happy? Based on my chats with FBOs, in-person discussions seem to be the most prone to gaps in communication.Soft skills can easily fall in priority between the hustle of daily operations. In our industry, word of mouth is a powerful promotion tool. If your staff is not properly trained on phone etiquette, customer service and FBO procedures, your customers' FBO experience will easily get rocky.While speaking to FBO managers, I've noticed three common traits that make a great customer service representative: being an active listener, accurately anticipating the customer's needs and actively asking questions. It seems so simple, but it can feel abstract in practice without training.One manager shared an interesting strategy. His FBO utilizes the "True Colors" program to aid CSRs in responding to different types of customers. A part of this system categorizes individuals into four separate tropes, or colors, to group common archetypes and their best corresponding response styles. This manager said it allows their CSR team to better respond to needs and keep customers satisfied. For example, a "green" person would prioritize logic in their preferred conflict resolution.In addition to third-party in-house resources, training can also be outsourced; I spoke with FBOs who either previously or currently do this for CSR or line training. Like many operational decisions, outsourcing training comes down to more than cost alone: in-house programs may reduce direct expenses, but outside resources can provide specialized expertise, consistency and scalability that some FBOs find worth the investment. Ultimately, the best approach depends on your FBO's priorities and resources.Whether ground crew or administrative crew, everyone should have the knowledge and know-how to respond to last-minute changes, non-routine questions and disruptions to operations - or at least know how to find out.Many managers keep quick-reference material on hand, be it a binder at the desk or an online database. This should include basic information about the airport and FBO, such as communication frequencies, contact information, SOPs, and any other particular information your crew should have access to. In addition to quick-reference materials, tools like GlobalAir.com's Airport Resource Center also support daily FBO operations. While often viewed as a pilot-facing platform, our site provides FBO teams with centralized access to fuel pricing in surrounding areas, various aircraft specifications for hangar/ramp planning, FAA airport information, nearby businesses and attractions, and fuel buyer performance insights - all in one place.Click here to set up an FBO and Airport Resource Center demoIt can be hard to set up daily in-briefs and out-briefs when personnel are often tied up with time-sensitive tasks, but it is necessary to hold frequent check-ins to ensure everyone on your team is on the same page.Now, if you have a particularly difficult client, that is a whole other can of worms that gets addressed in a far different way, often requiring manager intervention rather than CSRs alone.Taking Off in a Digital SpaceWord of mouth has staying power, but in this digital age, more is more when it comes to spreading information online. The more presence you have on the web, the more opportunities you can be found by your next client.Several managers were vocal on the importance of keeping accurate information online. Maintaining procedure and managing customer expectations often starts at the exploratory phase for researching owners, operators and flight departments. It can be a lot to keep up with, so many owners and managers delegate online oversight to CSRs or marketing personnel when possible.It's a reality of our industry - pilots everywhere have personal preferences on what pre-flight and in-flight tools they want to use. Because of this, you never know where your next client will see your information. If your prices or contact information aren't immediately reliable, that particular client may move on to what appears to be a more maintained FBO.Keep in mind that different platforms cultivate different audiences. For example, GlobalAir.com caters to business aviation stakeholders with a variety of tools (airport resources, aircraft sales, FBO fuel prices, aviation news, aircraft specifications, operating cost reports, and fuel price mapping, for instance). Finding out what each platform is actually used for can help you determine which areas online to focus more attention.See what aviation professionals and partners say about working with GlobalAir.com.I've mentioned this in a previous ramble, but maintaining a social media account is an excellent (and free) promotion tool for any FBO. LinkedIn is where business aviation tends to congregate, while Facebook is great for connecting to grassroots enthusiasts and general aviation audiences. Creating a social media page and posting consistently helps keep a constant stream of visibility online - but be wary, creating a social media page and letting it sit unattended can make you appear, well, unattended.Email outreach is becoming a bigger portion of a lot of corporate FBO marketing plans, especially when it comes to transient reservation promotion. Several FBO managers talked about in-house email lists built from their existing clients. This is an excellent method to keep current clients informed, distribute FBO promotions or raise awareness about fly-ins.If an FBO wants to expand its outreach potential, it might consider a third-party email broadcast provider. When dealing with third-party email broadcasting, be aware of the database in question - how did the company build the list? Who is on the list? How up-to-date is it? How effective have previous broadcasts been in terms of open rate, clickthrough and inquiries? Do you receive a live data feed? These questions are necessary to determine if that route is right for you.All FBOs have access to the GlobalAir.com AvBlast email broadcasting tool on their FBO Dashboard. AvBlast, built from GlobalAir.com's business aviation audience and separated by declared aircraft affiliation (jets, turboprop, piston, etc.), includes over 62,000 opted-in aviation professionals. Because of our diverse services and longstanding industry activity, we have the resources to curate a qualified and interested database. By regularly removing emails after three bounces, we ensure addresses belong to aviators actually interested in receiving our content and seeing our advertisers.The best parts? We will build your creative free of charge and provide a live metrics dashboard to track performance.All right FBOs, take a moment to consider how you tackle communication with pilots in your daily operations, be it in the air, on the ground or online. Are things gliding smoothly, or are there areas of turbulence? When was your last communication incident, if you've had one, and how could it have gone better? If you and your team feel secure in your communications between customers, you have solidified an important part of your FBO's longevity.Do you have a crazy aviation miscommunication story? Thoughts about my thoughts? Contribute to these rambles by emailing [email protected] or by leaving a comment on this article.Abby the Ramp RatAbby's Ramp Ramble is a monthly news and opinion column that serves the FBO industry. Abigail "Abby the Ramp Rat" Sheets maintains the GlobalAir.com Airport Resource Center and serves as the director of ARC sales development. Her background is in aviation maintenance and management. She graduated from Purdue University with a BS in Aeronautical Engineering Technology and an MS in Aviation and Aerospace Management.