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Simply Speaking: The 6Es that Indigo needs
A broken brand promise needs more than apologies — IndiGo must rebuild credibility through the 6Es of crisis recovery: Empathy, Engagement, Effort, Efficiency, Equity and Explanation, writes Shubhranshu Singh.
IndiGo must make customers feel that their loss in time, money, disruption is respected. (Image source: Moneycontrol)
Empathy
IndiGo must begin by acknowledging what passengers actually experienced. The hours of uncertainty, disrupted plans, children sleeping at terminals, luggage untraceable in system cracks, and staff unable to answer basic questions. Empathy is not “we regret the inconvenience”. A crisis stops being operational the moment it becomes personal. IndiGo must communicate in a way that signals: “We see your distress, and we know we caused it.”
I saw a young man cry bitterly as he was going to miss his connecting flight to his contract employment In Saudi Arabia. He requested me to speak to them in English as it’d carry more weight, he felt. Does Indigo feel his despair ?
Engagement
Silence is now IndiGo’s largest liability. People remember the absence of answers more than the occurrence of disruption. Engagement means continuous visibility. Where are the live updates, transparent disclosure, predictable timelines? Crisis resolution connection is with with those impacted. When systems falter, customers want to know some person is in charge.
I saw deserted counters and shrug shoulder reflex. Engagement restores psychological connect.
Effort
When a brand fails on its core promise, visible effort becomes the currency of renewal. IndiGo must demonstrate hard effort. Rostering, capacity recalibration, temporary flight thinning, and leadership presence at major airports. Effort must be observable. The fixes must be traceable, action must be seen. In crises, perception is shaped less by the flaw and more by the visible attempt to correct it.
I have no clue about my suitcase. No message. I was asked to write my name , PNR and address on an A4 paper and leave it at the cluttered desk of the supervisor. Nothing since then.
Efficiency
IndiGo built its stature by turning operational discipline into customer confidence. Efficiency here does not mean squeezing schedules harder. They’ve tripped on reengineering buffers be it crew availability, fleet redundancy, time margins, and service readiness. Efficiency after disruption is to stabilise before you scale.
Equity
Fairness matters more in crisis than in routine. IndiGo must make customers feel that their loss in time, money, disruption is respected. Equity is compensation that fairly matches lived consequence. No higher or lower here. Priority rebooking, appropriate refunds, and proactive outreach are not gestures but restorations of dignity.
When the system fails, fairness is the bridge between customer disappointment and customer retention.
Explanation
Passengers do not demand perfection but they demand clarity. What broke? Why did it break? How long will it take to repair? Explanation is not justification. Being told pilot and fist officer are not here yet is versioning the truth. When organisations reveal process, people forgive outcome. A well articulated operational roadmap,shared openly,turns confusion into comprehension.
Why accept passengers when flights aren’t available ?
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