In early 2020, my wife and I made the unfortunate decision to book an AirAsia flight to Bali. Little did we know that the coronavirus would soon unleash chaos on the world. As lockdowns began and travel plans were thrown into disarray, we desperately tried to secure a refund. We reached out to AirAsia’s customer support line, but to no avail. We even tried begging their online chatbot, a rather unhelpful character named AVA. Finally, on March 17, we sent a message to the brand on Twitter, and after seven long weeks, received a response that simply said, “Twitter Feedback.” It was a frustrating experience, to say the least.
During those dark days of the pandemic, airline customer service was in shambles. Travelers were left scrambling to find alternative plans, and the present situation hasn’t improved much. Airlines all over the world have changed the way they interact with customers in need of assistance. Frontier Airlines no longer takes calls and instead encourages passengers to contact their chatbot. Alaska Airlines is removing check-in kiosks and directing people to use their app. Even major airlines like Air France, KLM, and Ryanair have suspended customer service on Twitter, which used to be the quickest way to get in touch with an actual human representative.
As social media platforms become less reliable, airlines are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) as a cost-effective solution for customer support. However, the reality is that AI chatbots still have a long way to go before they can truly match the capabilities of human agents. As Eva Ascarza, co-founder of Harvard Business School’s Customer Intelligence Lab, puts it, “I haven’t seen a chatbot that can truly mimic the abilities of a human in action.” The airline industry is caught between two eras of the internet – one where social media was the go-to for customer service, and the other where machine learning and AI holds great promise. This transition is bound to be rocky, and if you’re traveling this summer, you should be prepared for the possibility of limited assistance from airlines.
Airlines belong to a category of businesses known as “high-touch” that constantly have to adapt to evolving customer needs. Flight delays, lost baggage, and last-minute plan changes are just some of the issues that passengers face. Given the expensive nature of air travel, customers expect a certain level of care and attention. However, the sheer volume of passengers makes it incredibly complex for airlines to meet these demands.
Automation has been a key strategy for airlines since the early days of mainframes. IBM and American Airlines revolutionized the industry in 1960 with the first computerized reservation tool. Over the years, technology has advanced, but the underlying systems have remained largely unchanged. This has resulted in a reliance on short codes and specific terminology that customers often struggle to understand. Until recently, human intermediaries were needed to navigate the complexities of airline systems and assist passengers with flight changes or lost baggage. However, call centers can be costly, and as a result, airlines have turned to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter as alternative customer service channels.
For a while, social media platforms proved to be efficient tools for airlines to automate responses and provide faster customer service. Airlines were able to prioritize urgent issues and respond to customers in a timely manner. However, the pandemic overwhelmed airlines, and they relied even more heavily on automation. Delta temporarily suspended its customer service on social media platforms due to agent shortages and increased wait times. KLM enhanced its chatbot with machine learning to handle the massive influx of Facebook messages. While these efforts have been somewhat successful, the recent changes in social media platforms and the rise of platforms like TikTok, which are not conducive to customer engagement, have made it clear that a new approach is needed.
This has led airline executives to invest in AI and automation. Companies like Air India and Frontier Airlines are updating their digital systems and incorporating chatbot technology. These chatbots, powered by advanced AI language models, aim to deliver better customer service experiences and reduce labor costs. AirAsia, for example, replaced its unpopular chatbot AVA with a new bot called Ask Bo, which has seen a high success rate in resolving customer queries. Other airlines are likely to follow suit.
Today, when you contact an airline through social media, chances are you’re interacting with a machine learning program. Twitter and Meta have introduced automation features for brands to handle customer messages. Customers are often directed to other messaging platforms like WhatsApp, where they may or may not be aware that they’re communicating with a chatbot. While research suggests that consumers still prefer human interaction, the airline industry is embracing the potential of AI and automation in its quest for more efficient customer service.
In conclusion, the airline industry is at a crossroads when it comes to customer service. The shift from social media to AI-driven chatbots is challenging, but airlines are convinced it’s the way forward. Only time will tell if these advancements in technology can truly meet the demands of passengers and provide a satisfactory customer experience. For now, travelers should be prepared for a potentially frustrating experience if they need assistance from an airline.
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