Agents have led the travel sector in adapting to demands for air passenger data in ways that minimise the negative impact on customer relations, say researchers.
An academic research team has identified a shift in the way tour operators and agents use Advance Passenger Information System (Apis) requests as opportunities to interact with and sell to clients.
Open University Business School research team leader Dr Kirstie Ball said: “When we started our fieldwork it seemed tour operators and airlines wanted customers to be responsible for their own Apis data. They wanted to keep Apis away from core business processes and there were few mentions of cross selling when the scheme first rolled out.”
However, Ball said: “Agents realised Apis would need to be part of the service they offered.
“As Apis has generated far more customer queries than expected, the sector as a whole has moved to incorporating it into the booking process and using the customer contact it generates to sell extras.”
She said: “We have observed agents offering Apis collection as an additional service, and tour operator call centres and shops using it as an opportunity to cross sell and add extras when customers call with Apis queries.
“Everyone seems motivated by the threat Apis poses to the customer experience,” she said. “Everyone is worried data gathering might diminish the quality of customer experience. Also, everyone is unsure about who is ultimately responsible for data gathering and worried they might end up taking the blame for poor customer experiences associated with Apis. This runs right through the sector.”
Ball added: “It’s heartening the sector has taken steps to change the negative aspects of Apis, but people have had to do so out of necessity because of the volume of customer contacts and the threats Apis poses.”
She quoted the director of one online retailer who told a researcher: “You realise you need to retain customers, need to nurture relationships. So every opportunity to contact them is a good opportunity.”
Dr Ball’s team are poised to complete their research as part of a wider study of customer data use, but there is still time to add your voice and views to the study.
If you work in a customer-facing role, communicate with clients over Apis, are involved with IT systems or have a regulatory role in this area, complete this online questionnaire here.
It could win you a £500 Open University study voucher, following a prize draw among all those who complete the study – but you must complete it to be included in the research and the draw.