Customer Experience Management - Whitepaper

www.niit-tech.com

Positive Customer Experience Management
BUILDING THE BUSINESS ADVOCATES
Avadhesh Kr. Sharma

NIIT Technologies White Paper

CONTENTS
What is Customer Experience Management?

3

Airline passenger interaction time wave

3

IT: For building a consistent experience every time you interact

5

TRANSPORTATION
TRAVEL
CARGO

PACKAGING

TRANSPORTATION
TOUR
TRAVEL
GUIDE
TRAVEL
TRANSPORTATION

CARGO CARGO
LOGISTICS
TRAVEL

JOURNEY
GUIDE
TRANSPORTATION CARGO
JOURNEY

CARGO

GUIDE

LOGISTICS

TRAVEL

Positive Customer Experience
Management

product or service. Finally organization must fulfill the promise of
the service and create an experience that would lead to advocates
of the brand and the organization.

Customer Experience (CX) is series of interaction between an
organization and a customer over a period of time, during their
business relationship. From awareness, discovery, attraction,
interaction, purchase, use, cultivation and advocacy, it can also

The paper advocates how organizations must deliver a rich,
personalized cross-channel experience with seamless integration
across all touch points.

be used to go beyond functional efficiencies and create a
branded experience.

”Experience is something which we all remember,
good or bad. Based on it we shape our thoughts
and image regarding people, places, products
and services’’.
But great customer experiences don’t happen by accident. They
are planned, designed and actively managed. Companies that
consistently deliver, and improve upon, positive experiences have
three things in common: customer insight, a customer culture, and
a “designed” customer experience.

Airline Passenger Interaction Time Wave
The communication to create awareness and build an image in the

A customer experience can be positive or negative based on the

mind of the consumer has changed the way airlines manage and

perceived value of the interaction and actual interaction, which again

connect with customers. For better customer interactions, airlines

is a primary derivative of the customer’s perception. To succeed

must understand the essence of interactions when a customer

and deliver a consistent, differentiated, positive experience, the

starts his journey of interacting with the products, services, and

company has to understand the touch point elements of the

service personnel. Therefore it becomes vital to look at the various

customer experience and the perception that is influenced by

touch points for an airline passenger that creates a bad or a good

knowing the customers point of view. Most organizations begin with

customer experience and differentiate them based on the degree

strong brand marketing initiatives and spend most of their budget

of control an airline has on these factors of influence.

on creating overwhelming brand perception through advertising
campaigns. What fails them is the inability to deliver services at par

Customer touch points

to customer expectations created by the positive rub-off the

a) Website/Booking: If the customer can understand the website

campaign created on customers. The philosophy is to ‘Reinforce the

or the booking process easily, then this factor can change the

brand with every interaction, not just communication’.

whole landscape of the airline profitability. A happy customer is
one who not only advocates but also dramatically changes

The next step for organizations is to build a positive experience

airline revenues. With internet booking increasing, airlines must

and understand the customer’s perceived value about the brand,

revisit their online strategy and take the first step to check the
factors that are in complete control.

3

The offers/deals proposed to customers by airlines through their

What are the services or ways that can be defined to utilize the

website, is completely based on the airlines business model and

time for enhancing the customer experience and airline revenue or

strategy. The presentation of these programs is also part of the

assist the passenger seeking any kind of information with ease? A

online strategy. The usability of the website and the quality of GUI

customer doesn’t always ask for information. A service provider

must compliment the brand image. While designing GUI airlines

should always look out for ways to convey the needed information.

must understand the perspective of end users of the website. An

For instance, a customer would love to hear an alert from an airline

intuitive design with right color combinations and fonts is a major

telling him about the public transport disruptions and suggesting

factor when it comes to online user experience. Airlines must use

it’s better to drive and park your car at the airport, further asking

various techniques to understand the customers web experience

him if he wants the airline to book the parking lot for him.

needs, and must conduct online usability groups with a sample of
the target audience and gain valuable insight into how the
consumers use and think about the website, marketing and
overall marketing mix. Contextual observation and analysis
(shadowing), where a user is observed using a website in a

He would like to know about the check-in desk or how much
time will it take for security check? What are the shopping
options available on the airport? Are there any kind of
suggestions, airlines can give for shopping based on the
customers purchase history and preferences?

'natural' environment should be conducted to identify factors that
adversely affects the success of the online investment. Airlines

When it comes to pre-flight experience on airports, few airlines

must build a visually attractive website with effective use of white

closely study their target audiences and their preferences.

space, effective and consistent use of colors and style of pages.

Cathay Pacific Airlines primary customers are corporate
executives or businessmen travelling in the Asia pacific region or

FOR INSTANCE; LOOK AT THE SOUTHWEST AIRLINES WEBSITE.
FOUR YEARS AGO THEY STARTED WORKING TOWARDS HAVING A
WELL DESIGNED WEBSITE, AND SINCE THEN THEY ARE
CONSTANTLY UPDATING THE GUI TO GIVE A REFRESHING LOOK
TO ITS VISITORS. THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IMPACT IS
EVIDENT FROM THE

2012 Temkin Web Experience Ratings

where Southwest Airlines was the only airlines in Top 10.

internationally. They look for safety, services, status, and
connectivity to major cities in the world. Business lounge of CX is
huge (4,500 m2). They have self-selection and a-la-carte food
counters serving Asian and international cuisines, working area
with free internet access and comfortable sofa areas. They also
offer shower facility. CX's boarding gates are Gate No.1, 2, 3 and
4, which is just outside the business lounge.
Now compare this with an airline that does not have its own
business lounge, and is shared with other airlines, which is only one
third of the size of CX's. They have self-serviced counter with basic
snacks, instant noodles and beverages. No shower. The boarding
gates are over 30, and the customers need to take a mono-rail and
board the flight at least 20 minutes before the departure. JD Powers
study passengers 2010 cited three airline operational issues as

NEW

having the most severe impact on the travel experience: baggage

OPPORTUNITIES TO ENSURE OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE THE BEST

issues, disruption management (delayed or cancelled flights),

TRAVEL EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE - AND WE KNOW THAT IT OFTEN

and check-in time delays. Managing baggage, cancelled flights

BEGINS WHEN A CUSTOMER VISITS OUR WEBSITE.”

and improving the check-in experience are some of the areas where

“SOUTHWEST

IS

COMMITTED

TO

IDENTIFYING

KEVIN KRONE
VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING, SALES AND DISTRIBUTION

b. At the airport (Pre- flight and post-flight experience):
Pre-flight is one area where an airline has to work closely with
the airports to build and handle positive customer experience.
Till the time your customers are not flying they are on the airport
spending more than an hour before boarding the flight.

airlines and airports can work together to better manage the
communication and services delivered around these issues.
c. In-flight Experience: In-flight is the time when the customer
actually consumes an airlines primary service. Onboard staff,
seating comfort, meal, and numerous other factors add up to
create the in-flight experience. Some of the in-flight factors are:
i) Staff grooming
ii) Welcome greetings

4

iii) Ambience

Building a Consistent Experience

iv) Cleanliness

Passengers want to be empowered during their journey, informed of

v) Cabin seat comfort

changes dynamically and equipped to manage their trip on-the-go.

vi) Airline reading material

Understanding the passenger requirements, Airlines are offering

vii) In-flight entertainment standards
viii) Staff language skills
ix) Landing experience
x) Standard of meals/ drinks

comprehensive flight services across mobile devices to customers.
The mobile solutions are facilitating airlines by enhance the
customers’ travel experience across the interaction time wave.
i) Website: The easiest way to provide customers with the mobile
functionality and save the cost of building an app is to make your

All these factors largely affect the overall customer experience while

website mobile compatible. Airlines must build a mobile strategy

flying. One of my friends while flying with a North American airline

wherein instead of building an app for all mobile operating systems

posted on his Facebook profile, ‘’the captain came out of the

they can make their website compatible with all mobile browsers.

cockpit to greet us. I don't remember that ever happening before.’’

While doing this airline must make sure that the mobile web version

According to a US airline quality survey, there are three main factors

should offer only the prime functionalities. It should be kept simple,

that heavily influence a customer buying a flight ticket: Price,

and the airlines should not go for a whole flash outlook.

schedule and customer service. Airlines are increasingly focused on
generating revenues, by focusing on customer service.

ii) At the airport: Airlines must take care of pre-flight and post-flight
experience in conjunction with airports for a thoroughly consistent

d. Post flight experience (at the destination): The biggest

travel experience. Airports today are huge infrastructural marvels;

factor that affects customer experience post flight is waiting for

passengers need assistance to reach at various services available or

the luggage in a crowded place. Airlines have to minimize the

locate their boarding gates. Airlines can offer passengers a whole

time from the aircraft to the baggage belt. Mishandled, lost or

new experience using latest mobile technologies.

delayed baggage issues needs to be addressed with utmost

a. Check-in and boarding

sincerity. Baggage reconciliation system may prove helpful in

b. Info on public transportation

handling such situations.

c. Use of augmented reality for finding ways and services at airport

Airlines are struggling to maintain the revenue flow and even
though talks on dynamic packaging and bundling have taken
pace, the impact on the bottom line revenue is not visible.

d. Modifying travel reservations
e. Roaming agents with tablets for check-in
f. Seat selection
g. Baggage tracking

A leisure traveler usually search all destination related information
before booking a flight. The question is - What an airline gets by
showcasing destination related hotels and package deals? Do
they really sell and how much?

In recent times, the focus is primarily on adapting a complete mobile
check-in and boarding experience without involving any human
intervention, leading to reduced time and shorter queues. Mobile

Airlines need to understand that there are online travel sites like

technology is exponentially growing its foothold in the travel space.

tripadvisor.com and Isango who have the expertise of providing

Numerous apps are made available to the customers for booking

hotel deals and holiday package, unlike airlines. Apart from these,

and doing a range of other functionalities. However, it is critical to

there are numerous other OTAs who also provide plenty of such

enhance customer experience. Still after booking ticket passengers

options and are also one-stop-shop for a travelers need.

have to stand in long queues for boarding pass and baggage drop.

5

Mobile using NFC can lead to reduced check-in times and the

iii) In- flight: The whole travel experience while in-flight depends on

same technology can be used in baggage tagging and tracking.

the interaction with the airline staff, meal quality, In-flight

With the growth of Smartphone’s and tablets airlines need to

entertainment systems, ambience and cleanliness of the aircraft.

think above just booking apps and use mobile technology to

Mobile technology can completely transform the way airlines

enhance travel experience of customers. Airlines can also use

treat their passengers. Airlines staff must use mobile technology

Bluetooth technology for airport check-in and boarding.

to access the names and meal preferences of the passengers.
Passengers can use the in-flight entertainment system as a

Airlines must allow passengers to download stuff like games,
videos, destination guide, and meal menu while they are still on
the airport. When passengers board a flight, the pilot and the

meal order management system. Passengers can see the menu
and place the order directly through IFE. The order placed will
be delivered to the crew members on their tablets.

crew greets them. Airlines must develop a mobile solution
wherein passengers can gain access to the basic crew details

Airlines can also use Bluetooth for in-flight services and save

with whom they are going to fly today. Knowing the crew

cost. NFC and Wi-Fi access inside aircrafts can help

members by name enhance the overall experience of the

passengers download videos or games while in-flight using

passengers resulting in quality human interaction.

Bluetooth.

Airlines must offer self-tagging facilities for checked-in baggage,
offsite check-in and baggage drop for business class
passengers. Non-invasive facial recognition technology helps
measure, understand and manage passenger queues and
bottlenecks. These facilities provided by the airlines helps the
operations team manage staff levels more effectively, increasing

Finding a way at the airport is sometimes not easy for
passengers. Munich airports - Infogate is a new initiative, where
passengers can use Infogate to simply push a button, and
to

an

information

service

representative

restaurants, shopping partners etc., and use augmented reality
for helping passengers find out hotels, cafes or any other
destination related information or service based on their
preferences and tastes.

the time passengers spend in retail and dwell areas.

connect

iv) At destination: Airlines can partner with hotels, car rentals,

Building solutions that help you differentiate among the
commoditized product offering is the way for airlines to keep
passengers happy and loyal.

via

videoconference. An initiative like Infogate can also help
passengers find out services like hotels, car rentals and
destination information.

References
http://www.temkinratings.com/temkin-ratings/temkin-web-experie
nce-ratings/

Most passengers find it annoying to wait for their luggage near
the luggage belt. This operational problem can be resolved by

http://www.amadeus.com/groundhandlers

sending a message informing passengers about the expected

http://www.centreforaviation.com/analysis

amount of time the luggage will take to arrive. The passengers
can utilize the same time for shopping inside the airport duty free
shops or spend their own leisure time.

http://www.jdpower.com/consumer-ratings/ratings.htm?industry=T
ravel&category=Airline&study=909201299

Airports need to be revamped as leisure destinations like
shopping malls. Providing your passengers enough with a
variety of leisure services results in a more productive use of the
airport facilities.

6

About NIIT Technologies
NIIT Technologies is a leading IT solutions organization, servicing customers in North America,
Europe, Asia and Australia. It offers services in Application Development and Maintenance,
Enterprise Solutions including Managed Services and Business Process Outsourcing to
organizations in the Financial Services, Travel & Transportation, Manufacturing/Distribution, and
Government sectors. With employees over 8,000 professionals, NIIT Technologies follows global
standards of software development processes.

Over the years the Company has forged extremely rewarding relationships with global majors, a
testimony to mutual commitment and its ability to retain marquee clients, drawing repeat
business from them. NIIT Technologies has been able to scale its interactions with marquee
clients in the BFSI sector, the Travel Transport & Logistics and Manufacturing & Distribution, into
extremely meaningful, multi-year "collaborations.

NIIT Technologies follows global standards of development, which include ISO 9001:2000
Certification, assessment at Level 5 for SEI-CMMi version 1.2 and ISO 27001 information
security management certification. Its data center operations are assessed at the international
ISO 20000 IT management standards.

India
NIIT Technologies Ltd.
Corporate Heights (Tapasya)
Plot No. 5, EFGH, Sector 126
Noida-Greater Noida Expressway
Noida – 201301, U.P., India
Ph: + 91 120 7119100
Fax: + 91 120 7119150

Americas
NIIT Technologies Inc.,
1050 Crown Pointe Parkway
5th Floor, Atlanta, GA 30338, USA
Ph: +1 770 551 9494
Toll Free: +1 888 454 NIIT
Fax: +1 770 551 9229

Europe
NIIT Technologies Limited
2nd Floor, 47 Mark Lane
London - EC3R 7QQ, U.K.
Ph: +44 20 70020700
Fax: +44 20 70020701

Singapore
NIIT Technologies Pte. Limited
31 Kaki Bukit Road 3
#05-13 Techlink
Singapore 417818
Ph: +65 68488300
Fax: +65 68488322

Write to us at marketing@niit-tech.com

www.niit-tech.com

D_38_170513

A leading IT solutions organization | 21 locations and 16 countries | 8000 professionals | Level 5 of SEI-CMMi, ver1.2
ISO 27001 certified | Level 5 of People CMM Framework

Customer Experience Management - Whitepaper

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