Prioritise excellent customer communication, says CM.com’s James Matthews
Widespread travel disruption witnessed throughout the summer left passengers feeling frustrated and disillusioned with outdated protocols. With the festive holiday season fast approaching, airlines must put themselves in the best position to manage increased passenger capacities and the inevitable hiccups that could occur during Christmas. If airlines are serious about rebuilding trust with customers, they must deliver outstanding experiences that prioritise the needs of passengers.
The story so far
It is no secret that 2022 has been a challenging year for the travel industry – staff shortages, industrial action and the resulting chaos have attracted considerable negative media attention, with photos of passengers queuing around terminals spreading across social media and the front pages of newspapers. While the lingering impact of Covid-19 restrictions has certainly contributed to the decline in consumer confidence, the long-term consequences are most concerning for airlines.
Communication is key
Fundamentally, suppose an operator is considered unable to deliver an efficient service. In that case, this quickly goes beyond short-term profitability considerations and evolves into much more serious questions regarding trust and reputability. The acute loss of confidence has fostered an ongoing tentativeness and scepticism amongst passengers regarding the reliability of air travel. This points to the core issue of communication, and ongoing failures on the part of operators to convey basic travel information to consumers promptly. Our Convers-AI-tional Nation report found that enquiries sent to the UK’s leading travel companies are going unanswered, leaving passengers in the dark regarding fundamental questions pertaining to cancellation policies, lost luggage and complaints procedures. For trust to be restored successfully, airlines must prioritise delivering excellent customer communication by supporting customers at every stage of the travel process.
Round-the-clock customer care
Re-energising consumer faith in air travel will only come by seeing the events of this summer as a turning point for how the travel sector responds to its customer base. As technology and consumer expectations continue to evolve in tandem, the notion of 9-5 customer service is becoming outdated. Technology has enabled us to be more connected than ever; brands must strive to emulate this sense of instantaneous correspondence with customers to provide sufficient support. With just 20% of travel companies providing 24-hour customer support and 48% being contactable during office hours, the industry must implement sound digital infrastructures that facilitate closer relationships with passengers, which will foster all-important long-term loyalty.
Customer-focused solutions
Engaging with modern passengers requires modern solutions, and meeting customers where they are is a crucial element of this process. Implementing customer service solutions based on the principles of flexibility and choice will improve satisfaction by minimising frustrations associated with long wait times that are all too familiar when trying to get a question answered. Whilst the appetite for traditional telephone communication remains, many consumers are contacting brands online and via social media channels. To respond to as many passengers as possible, airlines must seek to implement multiple entry points which allow consumers to reach them on their preferred platform, at a time that suits them. With just over a third (36%) of leading airlines using live chat to help field consumer queries and only 4% offering customer service support via WhatsApp, the industry must look to optimise many diverse communication channels to facilitate a smoother experience.
The best of both worlds
As the industry moves forward, both human agents and technology have a role to play in rebuilding trust and reputation. Implementing a combination of automated and human-serviced channels simultaneously provides passengers with more entry points whilst affording airlines greater scope to respond. The efficacy of this joint approach is clear; although just one in three (32%) leading travel companies currently offer human and bot-serviced communications channels, these companies were able to provide faster or more effective answers in 59% of cases.
The runway ahead
With Heathrow’s recent announcement of potential passenger caps at peak travel times throughout the festive season, there are early indications of possible disruption this Christmas. Whilst air travel has undoubtedly stabilised in the aftermath of the summer chaos, the industry is not out of the woods yet and has a long way to go to restore consumer confidence. Improving customer experiences will play a crucial role in this restoration and continued growth of the industry, the success of which depends on the willingness and ability of airlines to implement flexible digital infrastructures that can reach customers on a diverse range of platforms.