HAVAS sets the standard

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Turkish handler HAVAS is expanding rapidly, yet – according to its quality manager, Kristaps Freimanis – providing the highest possible level of service remains a top priority. He explains to Airside International how this is ensured on an ongoing basis

How does HAVAS go about ensuring that you provide the highest possible qua lity service?

 

Quality is critical. Offering quality at an acceptable price level is the edge in our offering, both to existing customers and in attracting new ones. It is only possible to achieve the highest possible level of service by using such quality assurance (QA) tools as the regular monitoring of operations – measuring against KPIs (key performance indicators) related to safety/security, punctuality and service – and through regular scheduled and unscheduled inspections.

We don’t wait for the moment when the invisible part of the iceberg shows its face, because then the only thing you can do is deal with the consequences of the problem, not with the root cause. Therefore, it is important to keep the proper risk assessment programmes in place, make regular updates based on the data received from our QA system and set targets for improvements.

HAVAS has been expanding its operations rapidly of late and that might put pressure on your handlers to cut corners; how do you ensure that that doesn’t happen?

It is true, we are expanding operations quickly and this does have an impact on our staff. Our employees create the largest value for us and therefore we devote the utmost care to managing the impact of rapid development on them. This helps us to survive and thrive in such a challenging time.

Our management (structure) is compact. Because we work closely with all our employees involved in operations, we are able to remain flexible without excessive bureaucracy, which I believe is our major asset.

I can write manuals and operational procedures that will impress you as long as they remain on paper, yet later it may turn out they are not implementable in daily operations. That’s why it is important to set the right attitude and maintain close co-operation (with all staff).

In my experience, those fond of ‘corner-cutting’ will leave the company sooner or later anyway.

Do you make use of industry standards, such as the International Air Transport Association’s ISAGO? Is this very important for you?

Yes, we have been ISAGO-registered since 2012. For ISAGO you will be audited once every 1.5 – 2 years, in order for carriers to have peace of mind that you adhere to correct policies regarding safety, security and service aspects as a ground handler.

ISAGO status gives us more faith in our capability and credibility; we know that we are able to perform operations in accordance with industry best practice.

This is what the customers want from us and this is what they are looking for during the evaluation process (when they are choosing a handler). It is essential in order to establish strong partnerships. ISAGO also makes my life easier – today, it is the standard.

Is training generally a vital part of maintaining high standards?

I would say that the proper qualification requirements are the key to everything – you reap what you sow. Our main assets are our employees, not technology. We have implemented a strict staff qualification system. I am not talking only about the mandatory qualification requirements but also, for example, the need for training programme modifications that become obvious as a result of monitoring daily operations via our QA system.

Staff are also closely involved in the development of our training programmes. Thus, for instance, operations staff give presentations about typical errors from real examples. Such examples are collected and used in daily briefings. Sharing challenges and the best practices for solving them is essential to effective training. Besides which, the use of real-life examples makes recurrent training much more enjoyable for employees.

Can you learn from other parties, and from collaborating closely with customer carriers?

Yes, of course. We are handling different customers with different requirements and each carrier can provide their know-how or, vice versa, we can share our experience in problem-solving, setting measurable KPIs and improving ground operations procedures.

Such collaboration is highly important, especially nowadays, when all parties are looking for the most efficient performance possible. We see these challenges as not the suppliers’ or customers’ problem – it is ours, and solutions must be arrived at together to ensure joint success.

Public access to statistics regarding ground handling performance would be very helpful. Those statistics could then be used as benchmarks. I believe that ground handlers do collect such data in one way or another, but effective collaborative data collection and analysis would make a real difference.

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