In the travel industry, a customer’s journey begins before they leave their home. Whether planning for a business trip or deciding which activities to enjoy on holiday, each of these steps is a touchpoint along the way.
With many organisations involved in this journey – from airlines to hotels to tour operators and more – there are countless possibilities for customers to experience challenges. Airport security is a common frustration, with obstacles such as a lack of standardisation in equipment or documentation requirements, causing confusion for passengers. While this problem remains, airlines can help mitigate by taking a leading role in shaping the broader customer journey.
By taking ownership from end to end, airlines can engage customers from the moment trip research begins to the moment they return home, helping to smooth travel into a frictionless journey that delivers best-in-class customer experiences.
Enable frictionless decisions
Whether it’s deciding what to pack, how to get to the airport or which entrance offers a direct route to their gate, every stage of the journey is an opportunity to reduce stress. While beneficial for the customer, this also benefits the airline: a recent survey found that offering distinctive, satisfying experiences was key to winning customer loyalty. In fact, ‘feeling taken care of’ was one of the top drivers of customer loyalty.
To take care of their customers, airlines can empower them with clear, valuable information at the appropriate touchpoint.
The first step in achieving this is considering those touchpoints, whether that’s during booking, check-in or parking at the airport. At that point, airlines can then identify the most important information to help customers easily and confidently make decisions. Some of the key phases to consider include:
- Pre-trip planning
- Airport arrival and navigation
- Security checkpoints
- Onboard experience
- Post arrival and return
Integrate technology for a smarter, smoother journey
Once the touchpoints and valuable information are identified, it’s time to consider how this will be delivered. By addressing specific pain points, technology can transform each stage of the customer's journey. For example:
- Pre-arrival information: Offering clear information about documentation and security requirements ahead of arrival can alleviate confusion and reduce wait times. In North America, a lack of standardisation around Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requirements, along with several ongoing trial schemes, leaves passengers confused about what might be needed at the airport. Pre-arrival information can help ease confusion and prepare passengers for the requirements awaiting them.
- Wayfinding: By integrating gate assignments, real-time maps and personalised notifications, airlines can guide passengers from one stage of their journey to another, improving their experience and streamlining airport operations.
- Real-time updates: Offering customers updates on security wait times, parking availability and documentation requirements can reduce traveller anxiety and promote the feeling of being taken care of.
- Personalised engagement: Tailored recommendations, upgrade suggestions and information on local attractions can all enhance a customer’s journey, providing relevant and timely information specific to the traveller.
Best practices for seamless experiences
To create a leading frictionless customer journey, it’s essential to focus on both the technology and the customer experience. With more and more passengers relying heavily on their mobile devices throughout the journey, airlines should consider leveraging this connection. User-friendly, intuitive apps that centralise information can serve as a one-stop-shop for customers.
Meanwhile, integrating with partners, such as ride-share providers, airport parking facilities and accommodation services, allows airlines to connect these different aspects for customers. Done through integrated APIs, this ensures customers can access everything they need in one place, further reducing friction.
Taking this a step further, airlines can now leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for additional personalisation. By analysing customer data, AI can provide highly-personalised recommendations to improve the customer journey, for example predicting which in-flight services may be preferable, or the best ground transportation options based on past behaviour.
Leverage data for foundational success
Whether airlines choose to leverage AI for personalisation or offer passengers real-time updates, data will play a crucial role in unlocking these opportunities. With a rounded and comprehensive understanding of the customer, an airline can effectively and strategically reduce friction and provide seamless experiences that delight and impress passengers.
To dive deeper and learn about the role of data in crafting frictionless journeys, download our whitepaper: Unlocking the Power of Customer Data in Commercial Aviation.