How a low-cost airline achieved record growth with automation and WhatsApp
Discover how, within just one year, one of Europe’s leading low-cost airlines increased the number of cases solved by automation from 30% to 68%, reduced call centre volume by 28%, and elevated customer satisfaction to 9.6, all by leveraging the power of automation with messaging and chat to improve customer service.
IVR CALL DEFLECTION
FASTER PROCESS
The low-cost challenge
Low airfare is the promise of low-cost airlines, driving fierce competition as new carriers emerge and existing ones innovate with cost-saving and revenue-generating tactics. The primary challenge is to reduce operating costs while maximising upselling opportunities. This requires implementing innovative strategies to cut expenses and drive revenue streams, ensuring that airlines can offer the best prices to travellers without compromising profitability. Flyers of low-cost airlines shop by price, but when multiple deals compete, consumers choose the least frustrating option—paving the way for self-service, customer-friendly experiences. A self-service operation from start to finish gives travellers peace of mind and offers significant profit-earning potential for the airline.
About our client
One of Europe's largest airlines by passenger numbers was at a crossroads. Established in the mid-1990s, this low-cost airline's model focuses on reduced fares by leasing aircraft and generating most of its revenue from upsells rather than flights. This competitive advantage relies on maintaining low operating expenses and maximising revenue from services like baggage fees, seat selection, and in-flight purchases.
Problem
Self-service is core to their strategy, enabling customers to manage bookings, add services, and resolve issues independently. This reduces call centre strain and improves efficiency. However, scalability during crises was a concern. The airline faced major call centre traffic during natural disasters and geopolitical events that required flight cancellations and temporary suspensions at specific airports.
Goals
Facing demanding call centre volumes and a non-functional web chat, the airline sought scalable ways to improve customer experience by increasing automation and making WhatsApp a primary customer service channel.
Challenges we had to face along the way
High call centre volume
The airline needed to reduce the overwhelming volume of calls to its call centre, which reached over 1 million calls in 2021 due to pandemic-related travel disruptions, changing regulations, and increased customer anxiety.
Lack of automation
They realised that relying solely on informative use cases was insufficient and began exploring market solutions to improve automation for complex tasks like adding baggage, changing flights, or selecting seat assignments. They noticed significant profit potential was being left untapped as they attempted to scale.
Scalability shortcomings
The existing customer experience structure lacked the scalability needed to handle unexpected spikes in customer service demands. Events like the 2010 volcanic eruption and various geopolitical crises highlighted the need for a solution to manage mass cancellations beyond the company’s control.
The 5-month transformation
New web chat chatbot
The airline started by replacing its existing chatbot with Hubtype’s chat platform in a phased approach. This included integrating the new chat system with their CRM to ensure seamless data flow and efficient case management.
Call deflection to chat
To reduce call centre volume, we implemented an IVR deflection system that redirected calls to chat, allowing customers to quickly resolve their inquiries through messaging channels.
FAQ chatbot
An FAQ bot was introduced to handle common questions, reducing the workload on human agents and providing instant responses to customers.
Transactional bot
We developed a transactional bot to automate complex use cases, such as adding a bag to a booking. This turned costly support tickets into automated upsells.
CRM integration
Hubtype’s integration capabilities allowed the airline to seamlessly connect its messaging and chat systems with its CRM, ensuring a unified view of customer interactions.
Automation on web chat and WhatsApp
We increased automation on both web chat and WhatsApp, enabling the airline to handle a higher volume of cases through these channels. This included handling complex use cases, integrations, FAQs, and providing human assistance when needed.
Adding different languages
To cater to a diverse customer base, the airline implemented multilingual support with an auto-translate feature, improving accessibility and customer satisfaction while increasing agent productivity.
Data Insights and Integrated Analytics
By incorporating exhaustive data insights and integrated analytics, the airline gained a comprehensive understanding of how their bots and agents were performing. This helped identify bottlenecks and provided actionable solutions to improve their processes, ensuring continuous improvement and efficiency.
The results of our collaboration
22% IVR call deflection
Significant reduction in call centre volume due to IVR deflection.
74% faster process
The automation made adding a bag to a booking 74% faster.
9.6 CSAT
High customer satisfaction score, reflecting the effectiveness of the solution.
28% fewer calls
A 28% reduction in call volume due to the adoption of Hubtype’s conversational apps.
62% of cases solved by automation
A significant portion of cases were resolved through automated processes.
Peak Season Management
Because of high automation % and agent efficiency tools, they were capable of managing a 40% increase in customer interactions during peak seasons seamlessly.
These initiatives have significantly improved our ability to provide exceptional customer service while reducing costs. Hubtype has enabled us to automate complex processes, allowing us to focus on delivering personalised support where it matters most.
Why they chose
to work with Hubtype
The airline urgently needed an advanced self-service solution to scale profitably. Our phased approach allowed us to start immediately. Operating in multiple stages, we began by replacing the existing web chat with a high-functioning alternative and concluded by implementing advanced automation to streamline the company’s processes—all without negatively impacting existing customer communications during the setup process. Thanks to the hands-on dedication of our team of conversational designers, we fully implemented the new system in just five months.
The recommendation for the airline to work with Hubtype came from trusted industry partners. Our proven track record of automating complex use cases and ensuring GDPR compliance was crucial in their decision-making process. They were particularly impressed with our ability to improve user experience through conversational apps rather than simple chatbots. Since then, other major airlines have also adopted similar solutions, inspired by our success.
Breakthrough improvements in 24 months
Over 24 months, the airline achieved remarkable results:
Cases handled inchat & messaging
Cases handledin the call centre
Cases handled inchat & messaging
Customer satisfaction
Summary
The partnership with Hubtype empowered the airline to transform its customer service operations, achieving higher efficiency, increased automation, and improved customer satisfaction.
As Hubtype continues to develop new features and technologies and discovers new use cases within the industry, the airline plans to further improve its customer service capabilities, ensuring a seamless and satisfying experience for its customers.
Join the leaders of the industry
If you need a fast, efficient overhaul of your customer service operations, Hubtype is the partner you’ve been looking for. Book a demo today to see how we can transform your business.