Airlines are coming off a rough six months of brand perception. Forget about mishandled luggage, the bigger problem is mishandled passengers. Customer service — or lack of it — has given the airline industry a “black eye.” Even the most customer-focused airlines are not immune to computer outages and winter storms that cause thousands of flights to be canceled. And because of the negative publicity the industry has received, it is under a microscope. Passengers tweet and post videos of their negative experiences.
While delayed and canceled flights cause stress, it’s even more stressful when a passenger tries to get rebooked or change a flight. The lines at the airports could have dozens — even hundreds — of upset passengers. The hold time on the phone creeps from minutes to hours. I’m a top-tiered frequent flier and my wait time to connect to a passenger service representative was almost two hours during a storm earlier this year. And what if I didn’t have any status on the airline?
So, imagine you’re on a trip and your flight was just canceled. Your options are limited. Do you stand in line behind dozens of other stranded passengers? Do you call the airline and wait on hold for an hour (if you’re lucky)? What else is there to do?
Maybe there is a third choice. Don’t talk to a person. Talk to a computer.
Eli Campo, Head of Nanorep by LogMeIn, loves that third option. Nanorep provides digital self-service solutions like smart chatbot and virtual assistants that are fueled by artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP), so you can talk to these bots as you would a customer service representative. Nanorep is already working in other areas of the travel industry, and Campo believes AI can help the airlines’ customer service as well. He says, “Airlines should be the next travel business looking to AI technology to better serve travelers. Artificial intelligence-backed chatbots will help airlines to avoid the next big social media firestorm and customer backlash.”
The airline industry has done a great job with streamlining the ticket purchase and checkout experience. It’s all done online, and it’s easy once you get the hang of it. So, why can’t the airlines create a similar self-service solution during times of crisis? There will always be storms that cause weather delays, mechanical issues that ground flights and even the occasional computer glitch that can cause mass chaos. Campo says, “Considering recent mishaps, AI-powered virtual assistants could prove valuable for the airline market. With poor and slow responses to travel issues as well as trouble with managing mass hysteria, airlines face a lot of heat from their customers (and the media) when things go wrong.”
So, think about the next time you’re at an airport and hear the announcement that your flight has just been canceled. You see 200 people jump up and run to the ticket counter where one or two agents scramble to take care of all these agitated, highly-stressed passengers who are worried about whether they will make their meetings on time or get home to sleep in their own beds. As you observe passenger chaos, you calmly take out your cell phone and text or diala number. Without being put on hold for even a minute, through a series of voice prompts and questions, in just a short time — maybe as short as five minutes — you are rebooked on the next available flight. And, the same results can be achieved by opening up your laptop or your phone’s Internet browser and interacting with chatbots. That’s what AI, computerized virtual assistants and chatbots, can do.
Virtual assistants and chatbots fueled by AI can give passengers — and customers from any business — a better experience:
1. No waiting — There isn’t an issue with having to wait for the “next available representative.” Thanks to virtual assistants, hold times virtually disappear.
2. Instant answers — One of the features of AI is the ability to assimilate data in an instant. There’s no reason to wait for even a minute to get an answer to a simple question about departure and arrival times, travel policies, updates on delayed flights and more. The computer can deliver that information quickly and accurately.
3. Customer service agents can focus on more important issues — Not all issues can be handled through chatbots and virtual assistants. However, when computers handle basic questions and problems, agents are freed up to focus on higher-level issues and more complicated passenger requests.
Some might argue that AI is not ready for “prime time.” That’s last year’s comment. AI is making big strides. Capabilities are far superior to what they were just a few years ago, or even just few weeks ago. The airlines are a great example of how AI, chatbots and virtual assistants can enhance the customer experience. And, it is not limited to airlines. Almost any industry can benefit from using technology to enhance CX. If you’re not already using it, you should at least be thinking about it. Your competition is.
