When Cost Savings Undermine Brand Experience

I want to share a candid customer experience with #AmericanAirlines—specifically regarding its chat support service.

On my current round-trip CHS ↔ LAS, I’ve used #AA's chat support three times. Each interaction felt dry, unempathetic, and robotic. The tone and approach suggest an offshore #BPO model that, at least in these instances, doesn’t reflect the warmth, accountability, or customer-centric culture the #AmericanAirlines brand promises.

This raises a bigger question for me as a loyal customer:

Do companies truly save money in the long run by outsourcing customer experience to partners that don’t deeply understand their customer base—or the brand they represent?

Over the past two years, I’ve been an exclusive #AmericanAirlines customer—flying regularly, paying for onboard Wi-Fi, and using additional services. Loyalty is built on trust and experience, not just price or routes. When service interactions consistently miss the mark, it erodes that trust.

As a result, I’m now actively considering other carriers, particularly those that invest in on-shore or culturally aligned customer support that can deliver empathy, clarity, and ownership when things matter most.

Customer experience is the brand—especially in moments when travelers need help.

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#CustomerExperience #BrandIntegrity #Aviation #BPO #CX #CustomerSupport #AirlineIndustry #Leadership #Loyalty