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Self-Service Kiosk
Strategies
As passenger growth continues, airlines face the critical issue of ever increasing needs for efficiency and cost reduction. Customer
self-service kiosks exploit new business models and technologies to deliver lower costs with consistent with
their customers expectations for an enhanced travel experience. What processes and methodologies should airlines use to facilitate the
self-service kiosk technology, be it airline or common-use. The objective remains improved efficiency leading to lower
operating costs, while at the same time enhancing their customer's travel experience and
retaining their business? |
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Preferred Customer Services
As airlines struggle to compete in today's local and global markets, they must refocus their efforts on
customer relationships. Older CRM methodologies are not as effective as they used to be, given their reliance on
frequent flyer plans. What should airlines do to create strategic advantage, enhancing their customer's experience,
thereby retaining their loyalty? A change in thinking is required, starting with a change in nomenclature: from CRM to CMR - Customer Relationship
Management! It's the customer who is charge of the
relationship whether we like it or not! |
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Airline Type B Messaging Services
The travel and transportation industry, particularly the airlines, have long used Type B messaging
for non-priority messages. Type B messages facilitate the movement of data between host computers using legacy
applications. Until now, airlines have been locked into established network providers or even managed their own
expensive dedicated or dialup access lines to interface their applications to their own or their partners hosts. New
services are now available to unlock tremendous cost savings for the airlines. Using alternative solutions, the new suite
of software products are reliable, easy-to-use and secure while providing the traditional Type B message service. |
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"ID to Fly"
The current practice to identify a passenger to an airline host involves entering PNR details e.g. name,
flight, etc. This process, which is based on passenger supplied information, is open to any number of risks and
requires additional steps in the identification and authentication of a passenger adding costs and time to the
process. Additional procedures involving tokens i.e. smartcards, passwords, are also problematic. Compared to
such procedures, a biometric solution provides the extra protection needed: passengers are identified according to
physical features. What methodologies should airports take to reduce the liability, while at the same time enhancing
passenger facilitation? |
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Auxiliary Revenue
Generation
Airlines have long had the ability to deliver
personalized and targeted offers directly to their customer
(the passenger). It is critical to understand the
multi-channel opportunity and develop new customer insights,
as a result of new segmentation
techniques.
The obvious benefit is greater auxiliary revenues from
having 'A Single Customer View" across the airline's
diverse
systems. The not so obvious benefit is the ability
improve the airline's relationship with their customers. The challenge will be to
see if airlines can implement this as a strategic element of
their marketing mix. |
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Social Media Platforms -
Increased Auxiliary Revenues
Customers have become very sophisticated in
their buying processes and airlines have not yet developed
an effective strategy to communicate with their customers.
In order to increase auxiliary revenue growth, airline need
to more effectively promote more products and services.
Although airlines have core customer data available in their
FFP databases, they do not fully exploit that advantage.
There is a disconnect with their customers. What is needed
are systems to
capable of communicating directly with the customer's chosen
social media platforms such as blogging communities (Facebook),
traveler-centric social networks (TripIT) or other business
communities (LinkedIn). This provides the airlines with the ability to
engage with
their customers in order to increase the airline's auxiliary
revenues. |
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