New customer services: Air France mobile innovations
The digital age has completely altered the relationship between customers and companies. Nowadays this relationship is in constant flux. Consequently customers expect companies to be as proactive as possible and to keep them permanently abreast of any new developments. Currently 99% of our frequent flyers use mobile phones that they carry or keep close to them round the clock. Several specialist studies* have shown that in 2011, probably the milestone of a billion customers using mobile internet access will be attained and that figure will reach five billion by 2016. In addition it appears that two thirds of Air France frequent flyers use their mobile phones to surf the internet. A major player in the airline industry in France, Europe and the world, Air France has launched two new services, free of charge, that employ the latest mobile technology: "Air France Connect", a new exclusive service, is available for all passengers worldwide providing open access without subscription and giving information about changes or irregularities concerning their trip. This service applies to the most frequently encountered problems such as cancellations, delays or late delivery of baggage, A mobile internet site and apps allowing passengers to purchase flights and manage their reservations directly on their mobile phones. Virtual mobility embraces spatial mobility thus enabling Air France to become the first airline to employ the latest mobile technology keeping customers informed in real time and in proactive fashion. Thanks to these new services, Air France intends to define itself as market leader in customer relations, one of the major objectives of the new joint Air France and KLM corporate strategy, Embark. *Sources: Studies led by the Air France KLM marketing department published in the Figaro newspaper on 14 March 2011 2
Air France Connect, Kept informed in real time Air France has launched an entirely new service, free of charge, christened Air France Connect to keep customers informed throughout their trip in proactive manner. Air France and KLM are the first airlines to offer a service of proactive information to their passengers throughout the network on such a large scale. In practical terms, Air France will inform customers, starting 14 days prior to departure, either by telephone, text message or e-mail of any cancellation, even a delay or change of boarding gate or after take-off of delayed baggage delivery using the cell number and email address provided by customers when the ticket was purchased. This free-of-charge service is open to everyone and requires no enrolment. Initially it is available in eight languages. With this new solution, Air France takes charge of any problems, providing solutions before the passenger has to contact the airline. So Air France intends to become the leader in customer relations both in regard to managing unknown incidents and passenger handling. Following two trial periods carried out in December 2010 and January 2011, Air France Connect was launched on 1 February 2011 on the whole of the Air France and KLM networks. This new service has been widely acclaimed. Text messages are perceived as a well-adapted, communication channel that contributes full, useful information that satisfies most customers. 5,000,000 e-mails or text messages sent in 2011 3
Before the flight When a delay is forecast or a flight cancelled Air France Connect sets to work worldwide, round the clock, seven days a week to alert passengers as early as 14 days before the flight and up to three hours before boarding, offering an alternative solution such as another flight or a new flight time. This service is operated by 70 staff members belonging to the Reservation Operations Centre (ROC). In the three hours prior to departure until boarding, Air France Connect informs customers by e-mail or text message about any delays, cancellations or boarding gate changes. With this new service, Air France is ahead of its time and enables customers to better organize their trip. Air France Connect is offered in 8 language versions: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese and Rumanian. This service will shortly be available in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Russian. On-time performance is a permanent obsession Air France is among the top-ranking European majors as far as on time performance is concerned. On time performance is paramount and an objective measure when appreciating the quality of service an airline has to offer. Since the start of 2011, over 85% of Air France flights as a whole left on time or within 15 minutes. 85% also arrived on time or within 15 minutes. Your flight AF346 CDG YUL on 04/05 is delayed. Departure is expected at 18:00. Please note: the Check-In Deadline remains at 15:10. Air France Please note: the departure gate for flight AF346 CDG YUL on 04/05 has been changed to E58. We wish you a pleasant flight. Air France Paris Flight AF346 Paris-CDG - Montreal Delay at departure Boarding gate change Montreal 4
After the flight If one or several pieces of baggage are missing on the carousel at destination, customers receive a text message or e-mail offering apologies and requesting that the passenger contact the baggage desk straight away therefore avoiding stress and an unnecessary wait. An Air France staff member will handle the customer s file. As soon as Air France has located the missing piece(s) of baggage, the customer is informed by text message or e-mail confirming when and where delivery will take place. This new service provides customers with clear, precise information in real time. Air France Connect Key Figures Nearly 70 dedicated staff A completely automated system for sending customers text messages and/or e-mails. 1,500 flights a day Over 75 million passengers a year 113 countries 230 destinations Flight AF6205 : your baggage item n 123456 will not be delivered upon arrival. It is still in transport. Please go to the Air France Baggage Services desk. Your baggage item 123456 will soon be delivered to the address you provided. The delivery company will contact you directly about this. Air France Nice Paris Missing Luggage luggage delivery Flight AF6205 Nice - Paris 5
How does it work? The information relayed in the text messages and e-mails originates from the Air France operations systems. This information used to be only available on screens displayed in airports. From now on these messages will be reworked, personalized depending on the event and sent to the customers automatically, free of charge and without having to subscribe to the service. The implementation of this service linking different systems and data bases originating from various airport sources, represented a real technological challenge. Don t forget to provide all your particulars So that they receive a personal alert in the case of an unforeseen event concerning the flight, the onus is on each customer to ensure that Air France is in possession of a reliable means of contacting them by providing a maximum amount of telephone numbers or addresses (landline, cell phone or e-mail) used during their trip. This confidential information may be included when booking, either through a call centre, an Air France ticket office, a travel operator, web site or by logging on to the airfrance.com website and under your country s Manage your reservations section. This confidential information will be solely used in the case of operating irregularities. Optimised customer service By adopting proactive communications, Air France intends to make travelling more enjoyable. Surveys carried out during the launch of Air France Connect show that by receiving prior warning about incidents customers have a more positive impression of the airline they are flying with. In a very competitive market, this new service has allowed Air France to set itself apart as far as customer service is concerned. It is an integral part of the Embark strategy which sets out to offer suitable customer service at the right time as one of its objectives. Customized handling for frequent flyers All members of the AIR FRANCE KLM frequent flyer programme, Flying Blue, depending on their status and the size of the delay, may also receive a Miles bonus as a commercial gesture. To contact customers, Air France Connect uses the contact details contained in their Flying Blue profile. Customers are not required to provide any other information. Frequent flyers are encouraged to keep their contact details up to date in their Flying Blue profile, either by going directly to www.airfrance.com or by phoning the Air France call centre. 6
Prizes won for innovations and services The services and innovations developed by Air France for its customers have been rewarded several times in recent months. For two years running, in 2011 and 2012, the www.airfrance. fr website has won the Travel d Or award for «Best Airline website». In September 2010, Air France won the Laurier d Or prize for Business Travel for the launch of its Premium Voyageur et Premium Eco products following a vote by business travelers. In June 2010, for the third time in four years, the first prize in the «Customer Relationship 2010 «was awarded to Air France in the «Transport» category by TNS Sofres, Bearing Point and La Tribune. This prize was awarded on the basis of the results of a survey of 4,000 customers and users from 175 companies and organizations in 11 different sectors and based on developments in product offerings, innovation, the quality of contact, transparency and availability of information and frequent flyer policies. Social media, another way to inform our customers 750,000 fans follow Air France s latest news on its official Facebook page (facebook.com/airfrance). On Twitter, Air France teams feed twenty accounts in all the main countries it flies to, to deliver personalized information tailored to each situation: local business news and offers, new products and services linked to the route etc. More than 160,000 people are «followers» of Air France. In case of major irregularities, Air France informs its passengers on its various websites. In addition, to better inform its customers, Air France informs fans of any changes in flight schedules on its Facebook page and Twitter account (route closures, schedule changes, aircraft changes etc.), of any commercial initiatives implemented as well as contacts and useful tips. 7
Air France s mobile website, I can do everything on my smartphone In June 2006, Air France started offering its customers a mobile version of its website. Gradually, Air France gave them the opportunity to check in and then receive their boarding pass directly on their phone. The fully electronic trip convinced more and more customers. Today, Air France is launching a complete mobile website with the aim to become the benchmark on this market. http://mobile.airfrance.com is accessible from any mobile phone equipped with an internet connection. In addition to the mobile website, Air France also offers free mobile applications dedicated to iphone, Android and Blackberry users, with quick and easy access to information from the mobile website. 1,000,000 visitors every month 8
What can I do with my smartphone? Purchase a ticket Whether it s to make a last minute purchase, to plan ahead for a trip or take advantage of the latest special offer, you can make a reservation or purchase a ticket in just a few minutes on all types of smartphone. Booking and payment, by credit card only, is completely safe. Check in and receive my boarding pass Since 2006, customers can check in directly on the mobile website and, since 2010, can choose a seat on every flight on the Air France and KLM networks and for connecting flights operated by both airlines. For some medium and long-haul flights* on departure from Europe, customers can then receive their boarding pass directly on their mobile phone as an SMS, MMS or e-mail from 30 hours before the latest check-in time. This free service is available on all types of mobile phone and provides significant time savings. The iphone application also means customers can store a boarding pass and have direct access at any time, even when they are not connected. At the airport, customers show their boarding pass on their mobile phone to: This service is available for the passenger as well as for a maximum of 9 accompanying passengers. Each passenger must receive their boarding pass on their own mobile phone, with just one boarding pass per phone. Each customer may also, if desired, purchase an additional option (seat plus, excess baggage fee). If payment is required, it can be made by credit card in a secure environment. *Flights from Europe, Israel and North Africa and some long-haul flights in Europe. Manage my bookings Air France is the first airline to offer reservation changes via mobile internet. The mobile website enables you to manage your reservations throughout your trip. By entering your reservation number, ticket number or Flying Blue membership number, you can decide on your mobile phone to take a flight earlier or later, cancel your check-in, re-check in and change your reservation. This change of reservation is free or a sum may be charged, depending on the terms of the fare originally paid. The mobile website also enables passengers to be refunded depending on the fare conditions. The Air France mobile website is available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Brazilian Portuguese. check in any baggage at the baggage drop-off counter, go through the security checkpoint, access the lounges for those allowed, board at the gate, with optical reading of the bar code, board the aircraft, by presenting the screen of their phone to the crew. 9
Information in real time At http://mobile.airfrance.com, it is also possible to consult Air France flight schedules and obtain constantly updated real time flight information. An answer to each question The mobile site provides access to a large number of questions and answers dealing with various Air France products and services. This interactive questions sections (FAQ) enables customers to ask questions in a dedicated section. The system will analyze a database of 600 questions. An answer or a list of answers will then be offered, in line with the request. Flying Blue at your fingertips The mobile website enables customers to check their Flying Blue Miles statement and the details of their latest transactions. It is also possible to become a member of AIR FRANCE KLM s frequent flyer programme Flying Blue in just a few minutes and join its 18 million members. The latest technologies at our customers service The mobile website is accessible from any mobile phone with an internet connection, regardless of the manufacturer, the navigation system or the operator. Featuring all the latest ergonomic features of mobile technology, mobile.airfrance.com facilitates navigation for customers, despite the small size of the screen. The display takes into account the specificities of each terminal for optimized presentation on each phone, with the emphasis focused on the most advanced phones. The technology chosen is a website optimized for mobile browsing and developed in HTML language. 10
Stamping its mark on the latest market trends With these two new services, Air France Connect and the mobile website, Air France is stamping its mark on the latest market trends. Air France intends to rise to the challenge of its relations with customers by communicating with and informing its passengers in an innovative way, using new technologies. Its aim is to be the reference of the airline industry in this field. The use of mobile internet is developing fast. Within the next five years, mobile internet should exceed standard internet and over 40% of the French population will be surfing on the web from a mobile phone, whereas this figure currently stands at less than 15%. Furthermore, two thirds of Air France s frequent customers use their mobile phone to go online. Most of them surf the web daily. Air France will be placing increased importance on its mobile services and will be meeting its customers expectations by introducing specific services on the mobile channel to accompany customers at the airport, including even more personalized services. These services will be intended to guide customers at every stage of their time spent at the airport to facilitate their travel experience. Air France s ambition is to gradually expand the functional scope of its mobile website and its iphone, Blackberry and Android applications, to offer its customers relevant services throughout their trip. Eventually, it will be possible to set specific alerts (based on the preferences and travel patterns of each customer) warning them when boarding is starting or ending for example. Moreover, as shown by the applications downloaded by frequent customers, their expectations are based on assistance in their daily lives. For this reason, the type of incident handled by Air France Connect will also be gradually expanded. 11
Air France s corporate website available on iphone Air France s corporate website s iphone application is for fans of aviation and everyone interested in Air France. Available for free download on the App Store, it offers real-time information on:. daily news at Air France,. Close-up videos online every weekend: Behind the scenes at Air France, Air France s La Première cabin, Air France and the great fashion designers etc.. the latest press releases and press kits: Air France in Africa, Air France s A380 etc.. the practical section Carefree travel,. Air France key figures available in just one click, as well as corporate information,. photos and videos also available on the corporate website: the Air France fleet, the men and women of Air France etc. This new application is bilingual (French-English) and completes the corporate website and its mobile version for smartphones (mobile-corporate.airfrance.com). 12