It is very important for all brands to
communicate with their customers all along the purchasing process. These
opportunities are called « touch points », every point of contact
between a company and its customers, and have an important part in their brand
strategy.
Regarding airlines, the customer experience consists
in how they react to and value the experiences that is offered to them. Then,
in order to provide the desired customer experience, airlines anticipate and
meet customer needs by proposing the right interaction to the right customer at
the most impactful moment during the travel lifecycle. This is a key factor of
success to create a real relationship with them and create a real value out of
it.
Airline companies have many opportunities to
get in touch with us starting from our research process to the post-flight
experience. In fact, the first time a customer actually experiences an
airline’s brand is often when he boards the airplane and that could happen weeks
or months after the initial purchase. That’s why airlines must take into
account each touch points that can occur before, during and after the flight.
1. Daily life
Even if you don’t plan to fly with any airline,
you can always be in touch with them through their different channels. For
them, it is a way to be known and to differentiate from their competitors in
order to be present in customers’ mind in case they plan to travel.
Nowadays, with the advent of Internet, online
shopping, mobile technology and social media, airlines had optimized their strategy
to make their mark in this market. Most of the company now have social media
accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram… Through these channels, they mostly
communicate about their advantages, the service they are proposing as well the
main important news of the company.
There is also other way to be in
touch with these brands thanks to direct marketing, TV ads, event sponsorship,
public relation… All these channels enable the brands to increase their brand
awareness and to stay in people’s mind.
2. The booking process
At this touch point, airlines can really raise
their service-quality perception level by assisting the customer during the
booking process throughout their website. This is the first step from the purchasing
process and the most determinant because, if at this stage, the customer is
discontent, it will be hard to change his mind later on. That’s why airlines
should take care of providing a convenient and user friendly website to
simplify the process.
The main challenge of airline companies is that
almost half of their customers still book their flight through third-parties
like travel agencies and often, price and schedule are more important criteria
than the brand. However, if the customer is not satisfied, the brand will be
considered responsible, not the third party that’s why airlines must make each
customer feel that they they control everything by offering the most
appropriate experience.
3. Airport check-in and boarding
At the time of check-in, airlines
have the opportunity to distinguish high-value customers from others. Customer will at this moment be for the first
time in touch with employees from the company, the staff is here the image of
the brand and should convey the message, value and vision of the brand.
For example, you might be walking toward your
gate at the airport and walk by branded employees, if they look at you and smile,
that may be a small moment of truth, but it is an important one. This is what add a real plus to the the total
experience of the customer and improve the brand image perceived by the
customer.
4. In-flight
This touch point is critical because it is the
opportunity for personal interaction and an ideal setting to distinguish the
service offered. At this point, the customer is really enjoying the experience
he bought sometimes weeks or months before. Everything will be here to
represent the brand and should meet the quality requirement sermon so far to
the customer.
The brand will be materialized through the
hostesses, the comfort of the seats, the retail or the in-flight entertainment.
The hostesses are the main representative of
the brand, that’s why the airlines make a point at having original and branded
hostesses with unique uniforms who will convey the real image of the brand.
Here you can see the different uniforms
weared by hostesses from Emirates and Singapore Airlines who are now
indivisible from the brand:
Photo: Roslan Rahman/AFP
5. Post-flight
After the flight, the customers are still in
touch with the airlines through post-trip surveys, post-flight communications or
offers and loyalty programs for example. This is important for each brand to
follow the customer even after the end of the services that has been provided
to built a strong trustworthy relationship.
(Sources: Facebook and corporate websites)
No comments:
Post a Comment