Any airline can get a customer from point A to point B; the difference is in the details. For Amin Lalani, manager of airport customer service tools and technology at Delta Air Lines, those details include how an airline can make a customer’s experience effortless from booking through travel.
Technology is key to this effort: Customers want the choice between self-service and guided options and the ability to connect through whatever channel they prefer.
But rolling out the technology required for such effortless experiences requires strong change management and leadership with an emphasis on the human element, Lalani said on a Tuesday CCW Digital webinar.
Leaders can start the process by digging into consumer insights to see what customers are asking for. From there, they can determine where current CX technology is falling short, then come up with ways to plug the gaps and create new experiences.
When it comes time to finalize new features or upgrades, leaders should make their investments based on what people need, not which technology is most exciting, according to Lalani.
“Ultimately, this is a service business — not just for Delta as a brand, but brands in general,” Lalani said. “Even if you are a company that's producing AI chatbots, at the end of the day, it's your people who engage with others to help spread the message.”
Delta approaches tech rollouts from the perspective of filling service gaps for employees and customers. This can include finding ways to help frontline workers address customer pain points or adding requested capabilities to the Delta app.
The most effective technological improvements come from directly addressing human problems, according to Lalani. Good change management starts by identifying where the experience is falling short and introducing technology as a solution — not the other way around.
Maintaining a high level of CX requires constant refinement, according to Lalani. Existing customer service implementations can be improved even as new technology is introduced to keep up with expectations.
While Delta is currently facing hundreds of customer complaints due to disruptions stemming from the CrowdStike outage, the brand’s broader CX efforts have been successful.
Delta earned top marks for customer satisfaction among first-class, business and premium economy fliers in a recent J.D. Powers survey. Leaders cited premium experiences as an essential part of its business plan during a Q2 2024 earnings call.
