What is customer support? Customer support is something that kicks in when customers are in trouble or otherwise need help with your product or service. If everything works well, there would be no need for customer support!

But they don't, and then we look up to customer support. The customer has a set of expectations when she calls for support. So, the basic role of customer support is to meet those expectations. Good customer support is one that meets or betters these expectations. Given that customer expectations can go wild, it also becomes the duty of customer support to set and manage the expectations in the first place.

What are the customer's expectations when they ask for help or when they face a problem? Obviously, they want resolution. That is not all. They want to know how long it will take to resolution. They want to know if there is an alternative that is possible. They want to know that their problem is clearly understood. They also want to know who is handling their problem.

Along with the resolution, they also want to know, to be kept in the loop so that they are reassured that the problem is being worked up and also so that they can rearrange their schedules, budgets etc. if necessary.

Like any one else out there, I have had my fair share of brush-ins with customer service. But two similar recent experiences and how the brands involved handled them, set me thinking.

The first experience was with Spicejet. I was flying Delhi - Coimbatore. We were on board and the aircraft engines had started when the pilot announced that there was a technical problem and the plane needed to be repaired.

The second one was more recent, with Air India. This time, I was flying Delhi - Patna. Again we had boarded and the aircraft was actually taxiing towards the runway when the pilot announced a technical fault and took the plane back to the parking bay.

How the two airlines handled the similar situations is a good study in customer service. And before you jump to conclusions, both have their highs and lows. Both did some things well and could do better in others. And to let the cat out of the bag, Air India actually came out better in the final reckoning!

Spicejet first. They immediately brought in a set of engineers who started working on the aircraft. A team of ground personnel also moved in who kept the passengers informed about what was happening. Or at least they tried to, given that most of the information was sketchy and was mutually contradictory! Meanwhile the aircraft was getting too hot for comfort and all passengers moved on to the tarmac! When the airport authorities objected to passengers loitering on the tarmac, they brought a couple of airconditioned buses and made us board them.

So far so good. The passengers were generally willing to give the airline a lot of leeway.

Finally in about two hours, the aircraft was repaired and then came the bombshell - the captain just left the aircraft (A passenger reported hearing the captain say that it was his birthday the next day and he did not want to be late!). And so began the search for a new captain (atleast that is what the ground crew told us). Finally the flight took off three hours delayed. Meanwhile they served us a lemon drink a small sandwich and made a quick announcement of a discount coupon which I am sure most passengers did not hear. We landed in Coimbatore near midnight.

General consensus amongst passengers  at journey's end- they were angry, they were hungry and they were tired.

Fast forward to Air India to Patna.

We saw a repair crew come in, but no one told us any thing. There were no announcements. When the aircraft started heating up, a ground pre-conditioned air unit drew up and started pumping cool air into the aircraft. We saw a bus draw up and saw the air hostesses leave.

Many passengers actually cursed their in-sensitiveness!

After about half an hour, we saw buses drawing up and the Captain announced that we are changing aircraft. When we disembarked, we saw that the checked in luggage was already loaded on to trolleys for transferring to the new aircraft! The air hostesses who had left earlier were at the new aircraft and what was supposed to be a mid morning snack was replaced with a full lunch To cut the story short, we arrived in Patna, one hour late.

General consensus amongst the passengers at journey's end - Air India handled it well. It could have been a lot worse.

Very clearly, there was a reversal of passenger feelings towards the airline in both cases at the end of the journey. Very clearly, Air India did a better job of managing the problem, but started off with the passengers being angry and confused. Why? Again very clearly a lack of communication. If only Air India had announced that the air hostesses were leaving to prepare an alternate aircraft! If only Spicejet could organise an alternate aircraft or an alternate Captain fast enough!

Problems happen. They are part of the process of doing business. And it is not just how fast or how well you resolve them that defines a good brand. It is also how well you communicate with the customer during the problem resolution. Setting customer expectations right and keeping him in the loop during resolution is as important as resolving it well and on time.