Delta Air Lines continues to seek new and impactful ways to engage with customers.
Recently, the airline launched a pilot program that allows customers to video chat with a customer service agent.
Delta’s pilot video chat program is at Ronald Reagan Washington National airport (DCA) and comprises five interactive digital screens positioned at the airport’s Delta Sky Assist area, which customers can use to speak with Delta staff.
The video chat concept also features a text option, provided in response to feedback from the airline’s advisory board on disabilities.
Loyalty360 talked to Charisse Evans, Delta’s vice president, reservations sales and customer care, to learn more about this exciting customer engagement pilot program.
What factors prompted the Delta Sky Assist video chat pilot project launch and where is it available now?
Evans: As a part of Delta Reservations team’s mission to listen, care, and connect, we are continuously looking for new ways to engage with customers on their channel of choice. In addition to connecting on Twitter, the phone or email, since more and more people are using video chat in their daily lives and we’ve received feedback that some customers prefer face-to-face interactions, we wanted to bring that channel as an option to our customers through this pilot project.
Over the next three months at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), we’ll be testing out Delta Sky Assist with video chat–during that time, we’ll be taking into account customer and specialist feedback to improve the test and channel.
What are your goals for the Delta Sky Assist video chat pilot project from a customer engagement perspective?
Evans: In addition to working closely with customers and specialists to get their ideas and recommendations on this pilot project, our main goal is to create more opportunities for personalized engagements on a channel of choice for our customers, which is important to our overall effort to enhance the customer experience.
Airlines often are criticized for a lack of effective customer engagement. What is Delta’s take on this?
Evans: Across Delta and on my team, we not only want to have effective engagements with customers but are also striving to have more personalized interactions. We are making investments across the company to make our customers’ travel experience easy and enjoyable.
How will this impact future customer loyalty?
Evans: By delivering exceptional service–through Delta Sky Assist with video chat and beyond–we will demonstrate to customers the Delta Difference, and why they should and want to fly Delta.
At Delta, what are you most proud of?
Evans: I’m most proud of my team at Delta–their commitment to serve our customers, and to our mission to listen, care, and connect, is second to none. Always going above and beyond, they make me proud every day.