Airlines: Back to the Skies with Superior Digital Customer Experience

Airlines have made enormous progress in improving the customer experience, from a variety of seating options to chef-designed meals and so on.

Passengers, on the other hand, claim that they are frequently left wanting more.

How can the airline industry appeal to the next-generation traveler and improve the customer experience in a world where the customer holds the power?

Airlines need to embrace digital transformation and must alter their infrastructure and apps.

This will be a significant task because they will need to alter their present technology and streamline their operations in order to scale up on-demand, provide rich omni-channel experiences for customers, and provide a single source of truth for data upkeep.

Airlines have a vast amount of data, which they must unlock through a digital platform to profit from it.

They must equip themselves to satisfy the demands of customers who are more reliant on digital technology and expect intuitive and intelligent communication from airlines.

The next generation of customers expects newer technologies and advanced self-service capabilities as the travel business becomes more competitive and sophisticated.

It is becoming increasingly crucial for airlines to understand their customers, provide relevant services, and add value to their offerings.

In the imminent era, digital transformation for enhanced customer experience will usher in a revolution.

Due to regulation and safety issues, the aviation sector must approach digital innovation differently than other businesses, such as retail.

According to a Wired article, clipboards and paper have only recently been replaced by cloud-based computer systems and tablets for a paperless future where important information can be transferred instantly and securely, minimizing unnecessary journeys and saving time for airport staff and passengers.

Finally, airline crews will be given tablets that will replace paper-based systems with real-time cloud computing to prevent human mistakes and wasted time during refueling.

As part of the digital airline transformation, COVID-19 has forced travelers to think more thoroughly about safety and sanitation.

More customers will wear masks, sanitize their hands, avoid large gatherings, and utilize mobile devices to avoid in-person contact when possible, such as when purchasing a meal at the airport or checking in for a trip, etc.

While traditional customer journey mapping was on the decline by 2019, the epidemic has hastened marketers’ migration to consumer-led journeys.

With airline passengers switching between channels and devices such as smartphones, tablets, computers, and airport check-in kiosks, all digital components must work in unison to ensure that passengers can book and manage their travel without difficulty.

If you want to know more, register for an insightful webinar, titled “Airlines: Back to the Skies with Superior Digital Customer Experience”, being hosted by Cigniti on March 17^th, 2022.

Why Should You Attend the Webinar?

Pre-COVID, digital was already recognized as a key enabler of an airline’s customer experience. Today, it’s time to clear the runway as digital is in the pilot’s seat of customer experience. The illumination of digital is brighter than ever in an era of travel where health and safety are spoken in the same sentence as personalized customer journeys and ancillary revenue channels. Digital is interwoven into the end-to-end experience, and with that comes a new set of challenges.

Assure the ultimate digital customer experience – even at 35,000 ft! Join Amine Boulaghmen, Head of Payment Facilitation Solutions at International Air Transport Association (IATA); Tim Whiteman, Sr. Manager, Quality Management Office at Southwest Airlines;  Sairam Vedam, Chief Marketing Officer at Cigniti; and Chris Manuel, VP, Digital at Cigniti, as they delve into the evolving role digital holds in customer experience. Drawing from vast experience, they will discuss real-world challenges and strategies to not just minimize the impact on customers and employees but also to continually enhance overall customer experience. You will hear first-hand from experts who have been in the trenches and are helping their organizations navigate the skies ahead.

Your key takeaways from this webinar:

• Learn how industry leaders are approaching the new imperatives of digital customer experience
• Gain actionable insights from real-life success stories (and some not so successful stories)
• Best practices for assuring a superior digital experience

Who should attend?

IT, QA, business, and marketing leaders from Airlines or other industries who are looking to stay ahead by providing superior digital experiences.

Conclusion

Cost pressure, system safety and performance, continuous innovation and updates, increasing consumer expectations, and a growing focus on customer experience are a few business critical challenges/hurdles in the growth of the shifting airline landscape.

This necessitates continuous investment in improving the efficiency of in-flight connectivity, identification of configuration issues and design tests to check them, and development of invalid input tests, which may lead to severe segregation.

Cigniti’s Domain Competency Group of 300+ Quality Engineering experts and a dedicated Testing Center of Excellence for Airlines provides end-to-end testing for airline digital apps (including e-commerce, digital platforms, departure control, passenger management, operations, fleet management, etc.) that enhance customer experience.

Need help? Schedule a discussion with our Digital Transformation experts and Airline Industry experts to learn more about embracing digital transformation to enrich the customer experience in the airline industry.