Syniverse’s omnichannel mobile program improves customer experience for airlines amid travel chaos, as the industry endures unprecedented circumstances.
Staff shortages and a surge in demand have resulted in industry-wide shortcomings, prompting many customers to look to other airlines for better service.
Omnichannel solutions are already a proven benefit to the hospitality industry. As the travel industry faces many of the same challenges, Syniverse is confident that it can be of great help there as well.
Richard Foster, Senior Director, North American Sales at Syniverse, explains: “We are seeing a lot of frustration in the travel and hospitality industries.”
“In terms of travel, customers who may have been loyal to a particular airline are experiencing problems related to flight cancellations and delays, which is making them question their loyalties.”
“A lot of it can be pointed back to the recruiting challenges across the hospitality and travel industries.”
“When COVID happened, there was a mass exodus in both industries, which has led to this influx of demand, so you have got a perfect storm right now.”
In the last weekend of June 2022, 1,500 domestic flights were cancelled, forcing travellers to adjust their plans and even resulting in some passengers being stranded. Further, between July 1st – 4th, more than 22,000 flights were delayed and 1,800 more were outright cancelled.
Examples of flight delays and cancellations such as these have led customers to switch airlines in the hope of receiving a more reliable service.
Syniverse’s Omnichannel Mobile Program
In order to retain and attract as many customers as possible, Syniverse believes airlines, as well as hotels, need to focus their efforts on improving customer experience.
The key to improving customer experience lies in effectively communicating with the customer and enabling them to respond quickly and easily to issues that may arise along the way.
Syniverse can provide airlines and hotels with a digital engagement strategy, connecting them to customers through its omnichannel mobile program.
Through every step of the hotel journey, from research and booking to checkout and even post-visit follow-ups, mobile communication is paramount for the best overall experience. And for the travel industry, customers follow a similar path, from selecting flights, travel day updates such as gate changes, updated rewards account balances and much more.
In either example, there are essentially two different routes that a messaging system can take. Both send traditional text messages or provide a fuller communication experience using Rich Communication Services (RCS), which offers a similar experience as other social channels, such as WhatsApp.
RCS can include graphics and carousels and fundamentally behave like an application. While it is still in its infancy stage, it is growing in popularity as people are looking for a more engaging experience. Within the context of travel and hospitality, there are also some clear opportunities to apply RCS technology for the benefit of the customers and the companies.
Using Syniverse’s omnichannel mobile program, businesses can send real-time mobile notifications, such as flight cancellations, delays, and more.
Businesses are able to re-book passengers onto new flights, launch Intelligent Virtual Assistant conversations, and answer common FAQs. Users can also make reservations in a single conversation and redeem loyalty points and discounts.
Not only does Syniverse’s solution help to improve customer experience, Foster believes it will also decrease pressure on staff and reduce overhead costs.
By implementing a self-service communication methodology, fewer staff will be required to perform the same tasks, and the associated costs will be lowered at the same time.
Foster outlines some of the company’s key differentiators: “What Syniverse does is we take our 30 plus years of expertise in this space, and we provide a white glove support method, where we co-create with our customers.
“We work with some of the largest companies in the world on building customised and advanced communications and the communication journeys for their customers.”
“We have a professional services team which can support you in that customer communication journey.”
“We do a complete evaluation of your customer journey and provide anecdotal feedback on where the gaps are and where there are opportunities to fill those gaps and improve the experience.”
“We will build a solution that is typically customised for the companies that we work with.”
If you are interested in finding out more about Syniverse’s omnichannel mobile program, please visit its website today.
