functionality and save the cost of building an app is to make your website .... India. NIIT Technologies Inc.,. 1050 Cro
www.niit-tech.com
Positive Customer Experience Management BUILDING THE BUSINESS ADVOCATES Avadhesh Kr. Sharma
NIIT Technologies White Paper
CONTENTS What is Customer Experience Management?
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Airline passenger interaction time wave
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IT: For building a consistent experience every time you interact
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TRANSPORTATION TRAVEL CARGO
PACKAGING
TOURTRANSPORTATION TRAVEL GUIDE TRANSPORTATIONTRAVEL
CARGO CARGO LOGISTICS TRAVEL
JOURNEY GUIDE TRANSPORTATION CARGO JOURNEY
CARGO
GUIDE
LOGISTICS
TRAVEL
Positive Customer Experience Management
product or service. Finally organization must fulfill the promise of the service and create an experience that would lead to advocates of the brand and the organization.
Customer Experience (CX) is series of interaction between an organization and a customer over a period of time, during their business relationship. From awareness, discovery, attraction, interaction, purchase, use, cultivation and advocacy, it can also
The paper advocates how organizations must deliver a rich, personalized cross-channel experience with seamless integration across all touch points.
be used to go beyond functional efficiencies and create a branded experience.
”Experience is something which we all remember, good or bad. Based on it we shape our thoughts and image regarding people, places, products and services’’. But great customer experiences don’t happen by accident. They are planned, designed and actively managed. Companies that consistently deliver, and improve upon, positive experiences have three things in common: customer insight, a customer culture, and a “designed” customer experience.
Airline Passenger Interaction Time Wave The communication to create awareness and build an image in the
A customer experience can be positive or negative based on the
mind of the consumer has changed the way airlines manage and
perceived value of the interaction and actual interaction, which again
connect with customers. For better customer interactions, airlines
is a primary derivative of the customer’s perception. To succeed
must understand the essence of interactions when a customer
and deliver a consistent, differentiated, positive experience, the
starts his journey of interacting with the products, services, and
company has to understand the touch point elements of the
service personnel. Therefore it becomes vital to look at the various
customer experience and the perception that is influenced by
touch points for an airline passenger that creates a bad or a good
knowing the customers point of view. Most organizations begin with
customer experience and differentiate them based on the degree
strong brand marketing initiatives and spend most of their budget
of control an airline has on these factors of influence.
on creating overwhelming brand perception through advertising campaigns. What fails them is the inability to deliver services at par
Customer touch points
to customer expectations created by the positive rub-off the
a) Website/Booking: If the customer can understand the website
campaign created on customers. The philosophy is to ‘Reinforce the
or the booking process easily, then this factor can change the
brand with every interaction, not just communication’.
whole landscape of the airline profitability. A happy customer is one who not only advocates but also dramatically changes
The next step for organizations is to build a positive experience
airline revenues. With internet booking increasing, airlines must
and understand the customer’s perceived value about the brand,
revisit their online strategy and take the first step to check the factors that are in complete control.
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The offers/deals proposed to customers by airlines through their
What are the services or ways that can be defined to utilize the
website, is completely based on the airlines business model and
time for enhancing the customer experience and airline revenue or
strategy. The presentation of these programs is also part of the
assist the passenger seeking any kind of information with ease? A
online strategy. The usability of the website and the quality of GUI
customer doesn’t always ask for information. A service provider
must compliment the brand image. While designing GUI airlines
should always look out for ways to convey the needed information.
must understand the perspective of end users of the website. An
For instance, a customer would love to hear an alert from an airline
intuitive design with right color combinations and fonts is a major
telling him about the public transport disruptions and suggesting
factor when it comes to online user experience. Airlines must use
it’s better to drive and park your car at the airport, further asking
various techniques to understand the customers web experience
him if he wants the airline to book the parking lot for him.
needs, and must conduct online usability groups with a sample of the target audience and gain valuable insight into how the consumers use and think about the website, marketing and overall marketing mix. Contextual observation and analysis (shadowing), where a user is observed using a website in a
He would like to know about the check-in desk or how much time will it take for security check? What are the shopping options available on the airport? Are there any kind of suggestions, airlines can give for shopping based on the customers purchase history and preferences?
'natural' environment should be conducted to identify factors that adversely affects the success of the online investment. Airlines
When it comes to pre-flight experience on airports, few airlines
must build a visually attractive website with effective use of white
closely study their target audiences and their preferences.
space, effective and consistent use of colors and style of pages.
Cathay Pacific Airlines primary customers are corporate executives or businessmen travelling in the Asia pacific region or
FOR INSTANCE; LOOK AT THE SOUTHWEST AIRLINES WEBSITE. FOUR YEARS AGO THEY STARTED WORKING TOWARDS HAVING A WELL DESIGNED WEBSITE, AND SINCE THEN THEY ARE CONSTANTLY UPDATING THE GUI TO GIVE A REFRESHING LOOK TO ITS VISITORS. THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IMPACT IS EVIDENT FROM THE
2012 Temkin Web Experience Ratings
where Southwest Airlines was the only airlines in Top 10.
internationally. They look for safety, services, status, and connectivity to major cities in the world. Business lounge of CX is huge (4,500 m2). They have self-selection and a-la-carte food counters serving Asian and international cuisines, working area with free internet access and comfortable sofa areas. They also offer shower facility. CX's boarding gates are Gate No.1, 2, 3 and 4, which is just outside the business lounge. Now compare this with an airline that does not have its own business lounge, and is shared with other airlines, which is only one third of the size of CX's. They have self-serviced counter with basic snacks, instant noodles and beverages. No shower. The boarding gates are over 30, and the customers need to take a mono-rail and board the flight at least 20 minutes before the departure. JD Powers study passengers 2010 cited three airline operational issues as
NEW
having the most severe impact on the travel experience: baggage
OPPORTUNITIES TO ENSURE OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE THE BEST
issues, disruption management (delayed or cancelled flights),
TRAVEL EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE - AND WE KNOW THAT IT OFTEN
and check-in time delays. Managing baggage, cancelled flights
BEGINS WHEN A CUSTOMER VISITS OUR WEBSITE.”
and improving the check-in experience are some of the areas where
“SOUTHWEST
IS
COMMITTED
TO
IDENTIFYING
KEVIN KRONE VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING, SALES AND DISTRIBUTION
b. At the airport (Pre- flight and post-flight experience): Pre-flight is one area where an airline has to work closely with the airports to build and handle positive customer experience. Till the time your customers are not flying they are on the airport spending more than an hour before boarding the flight.
airlines and airports can work together to better manage the communication and services delivered around these issues. c. In-flight Experience: In-flight is the time when the customer actually consumes an airlines primary service. Onboard staff, seating comfort, meal, and numerous other factors add up to create the in-flight experience. Some of the in-flight factors are: i) Staff grooming ii) Welcome greetings
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iii) Ambience
Building a Consistent Experience
iv) Cleanliness
Passengers want to be empowered during their journey, informed of
v) Cabin seat comfort
changes dynamically and equipped to manage their trip on-the-go.
vi) Airline reading material
Understanding the passenger requirements, Airlines are offering
vii) In-flight entertainment standards viii) Staff language skills ix) Landing experience x) Standard of meals/ drinks
comprehensive flight services across mobile devices to customers. The mobile solutions are facilitating airlines by enhance the customers’ travel experience across the interaction time wave. i) Website: The easiest way to provide customers with the mobile functionality and save the cost of building an app is to make your
All these factors largely affect the overall customer experience while
website mobile compatible. Airlines must build a mobile strategy
flying. One of my friends while flying with a North American airline
wherein instead of building an app for all mobile operating systems
posted on his Facebook profile, ‘’the captain came out of the
they can make their website compatible with all mobile browsers.
cockpit to greet us. I don't remember that ever happening before.’’
While doing this airline must make sure that the mobile web version
According to a US airline quality survey, there are three main factors
should offer only the prime functionalities. It should be kept simple,
that heavily influence a customer buying a flight ticket: Price,
and the airlines should not go for a whole flash outlook.
schedule and customer service. Airlines are increasingly focused on generating revenues, by focusing on customer service.
ii) At the airport: Airlines must take care of pre-flight and post-flight experience in conjunction with airports for a thoroughly consistent
d. Post flight experience (at the destination): The biggest
travel experience. Airports today are huge infrastructural marvels;
factor that affects customer experience post flight is waiting for
passengers need assistance to reach at various services available or
the luggage in a crowded place. Airlines have to minimize the
locate their boarding gates. Airlines can offer passengers a whole
time from the aircraft to the baggage belt. Mishandled, lost or
new experience using latest mobile technologies.
delayed baggage issues needs to be addressed with utmost
a. Check-in and boarding
sincerity. Baggage reconciliation system may prove helpful in
b. Info on public transportation
handling such situations.
c. Use of augmented reality for finding ways and services at airport
Airlines are struggling to maintain the revenue flow and even though talks on dynamic packaging and bundling have taken pace, the impact on the bottom line revenue is not visible.
d. Modifying travel reservations e. Roaming agents with tablets for check-in f. Seat selection g. Baggage tracking
A leisure traveler usually search all destination related information before booking a flight. The question is - What an airline gets by showcasing destination related hotels and package deals? Do they really sell and how much?
In recent times, the focus is primarily on adapting a complete mobile check-in and boarding experience without involving any human intervention, leading to reduced time and shorter queues. Mobile
Airlines need to understand that there are online travel sites like
technology is exponentially growing its foothold in the travel space.
tripadvisor.com and Isango who have the expertise of providing
Numerous apps are made available to the customers for booking
hotel deals and holiday package, unlike airlines. Apart from these,
and doing a range of other functionalities. However, it is critical to
there are numerous other OTAs who also provide plenty of such
enhance customer experience. Still after booking ticket passengers
options and are also one-stop-shop for a travelers need.
have to stand in long queues for boarding pass and baggage drop.
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Mobile using NFC can lead to reduced check-in times and the
iii) In- flight: The whole travel experience while in-flight depends on
same technology can be used in baggage tagging and tracking.
the interaction with the airline staff, meal quality, In-flight
With the growth of Smartphone’s and tablets airlines need to
entertainment systems, ambience and cleanliness of the aircraft.
think above just booking apps and use mobile technology to
Mobile technology can completely transform the way airlines
enhance travel experience of customers. Airlines can also use
treat their passengers. Airlines staff must use mobile technology
Bluetooth technology for airport check-in and boarding.
to access the names and meal preferences of the passengers. Passengers can use the in-flight entertainment system as a
Airlines must allow passengers to download stuff like games, videos, destination guide, and meal menu while they are still on the airport. When passengers board a flight, the pilot and the
meal order management system. Passengers can see the menu and place the order directly through IFE. The order placed will be delivered to the crew members on their tablets.
crew greets them. Airlines must develop a mobile solution wherein passengers can gain access to the basic crew details
Airlines can also use Bluetooth for in-flight services and save
with whom they are going to fly today. Knowing the crew
cost. NFC and Wi-Fi access inside aircrafts can help
members by name enhance the overall experience of the
passengers download videos or games while in-flight using
passengers resulting in quality human interaction.
Bluetooth.
Airlines must offer self-tagging facilities for checked-in baggage, offsite check-in and baggage drop for business class passengers. Non-invasive facial recognition technology helps measure, understand and manage passenger queues and bottlenecks. These facilities provided by the airlines helps the operations team manage staff levels more effectively, increasing
Finding a way at the airport is sometimes not easy for passengers. Munich airports - Infogate is a new initiative, where passengers can use Infogate to simply push a button, and to
an
information
service
representative
restaurants, shopping partners etc., and use augmented reality for helping passengers find out hotels, cafes or any other destination related information or service based on their preferences and tastes.
the time passengers spend in retail and dwell areas.
connect
iv) At destination: Airlines can partner with hotels, car rentals,
Building solutions that help you differentiate among the commoditized product offering is the way for airlines to keep passengers happy and loyal.
via
videoconference. An initiative like Infogate can also help passengers find out services like hotels, car rentals and destination information.
References http://www.temkinratings.com/temkin-ratings/temkin-web-experie nce-ratings/
Most passengers find it annoying to wait for their luggage near the luggage belt. This operational problem can be resolved by
http://www.amadeus.com/groundhandlers
sending a message informing passengers about the expected
http://www.centreforaviation.com/analysis
amount of time the luggage will take to arrive. The passengers can utilize the same time for shopping inside the airport duty free shops or spend their own leisure time.
http://www.jdpower.com/consumer-ratings/ratings.htm?industry=T ravel&category=Airline&study=909201299
Airports need to be revamped as leisure destinations like shopping malls. Providing your passengers enough with a variety of leisure services results in a more productive use of the airport facilities.
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About NIIT Technologies NIIT Technologies is a leading IT solutions organization, servicing customers in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. It offers services in Application Development and Maintenance, Enterprise Solutions including Managed Services and Business Process Outsourcing to organizations in the Financial Services, Travel & Transportation, Manufacturing/Distribution, and Government sectors. With employees over 8,000 professionals, NIIT Technologies follows global standards of software development processes.
Over the years the Company has forged extremely rewarding relationships with global majors, a testimony to mutual commitment and its ability to retain marquee clients, drawing repeat business from them. NIIT Technologies has been able to scale its interactions with marquee clients in the BFSI sector, the Travel Transport & Logistics and Manufacturing & Distribution, into extremely meaningful, multi-year "collaborations.
NIIT Technologies follows global standards of development, which include ISO 9001:2000 Certification, assessment at Level 5 for SEI-CMMi version 1.2 and ISO 27001 information security management certification. Its data center operations are assessed at the international ISO 20000 IT management standards.
India NIIT Technologies Ltd. Corporate Heights (Tapasya) Plot No. 5, EFGH, Sector 126 Noida-Greater Noida Expressway Noida – 201301, U.P., India Ph: + 91 120 7119100 Fax: + 91 120 7119150
Americas NIIT Technologies Inc., 1050 Crown Pointe Parkway 5th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30338, USA Ph: +1 770 551 9494 Toll Free: +1 888 454 NIIT Fax: +1 770 551 9229
Europe NIIT Technologies Limited 2nd Floor, 47 Mark Lane London - EC3R 7QQ, U.K. Ph: +44 20 70020700 Fax: +44 20 70020701
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Write to us at
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www.niit-tech.com
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A leading IT solutions organization | 21 locations and 16 countries | 8000 professionals | Level 5 of SEI-CMMi, ver1.2 ISO 27001 certified | Level 5 of People CMM Framework
