With technology democratizing most markets and placing any company’s competitors just a click away, ensuring your hard-won customers stay onside involves a lot more than offering a product or service at the right price. Building brand awareness and then presenting top-rate customer experiences is a multifaceted process.

In our last article in this series looking at the many forms customer experience (CX) can take, we looked at empathy building between organization and end-user. This article looks at how building support and real-time data feeds for customer-facing staff can create outstanding CX.

Our example company is Delta Air Lines, a world renowned name that receives consistently high marks for customer satisfaction. Its flight attendants play a crucial role as the company serves more than 180 million customers across the globe. As the entire traveler experience has become more dependent on mobile and internet-enabled technology, Delta has equipped its flight attendants with handheld devices that provide key information to allow them to better engage with customers.

With this technology came new opportunities for Delta: How could they leverage handhelds to provide remote, in-the-moment support for attendants?

Sophisticated solutions for stronger in-flight support

Delta’s flight attendants began using a custom-configured Emplifi app (based on Emplifi Agent and Emplifi SOS) to resolve issues and get customers answers in real-time.

Erica Smith, Manager, IFS Technology Delivery at Delta said “Emplifi enables us to offer more comprehensive, real-time support for our flight attendants using their in-flight handheld devices. We’ve also uncovered actionable insights into how we can continue to enhance the experience.”

Should they need more help, flight attendants can video chat with Delta’s support agents, with all interactions logged in the Emplifi Agent CRM. Emplifi Agent’s robust reporting capabilities are also used to gauge overall customer satisfaction and glean insights into how the company can better support their flight attendants, allowing them to give better and better customer experiences.

In-the-moment support and valuable insights

Since early 2018, support agents have fielded more than 16,000 calls, with more than half coming from the Emplifi app. Flight attendants get the assistance they need, allowing them to focus on providing the exceptional level of guest service expected from Delta. With Emplifi Agent, the support team resolves any issues or questions quicker, and the software empowers Delta’s more than 22,000 flight attendants to proactively boost customer satisfaction metrics.

There have been notable business benefits too: “Centralizing our flight attendant support efforts using Emplifi technology saved us over $2 million in the first three years of the program,” said Angela Gammill, General Manager at IFS Technology & Innovation. “The Emplifi solutions have allowed us to achieve the operational excellence that Delta strives for.”

In addition to providing convenient, in-the-moment support, Emplifi’s technology has delivered unprecedented visibility into business processes, enabling Delta to drive the enhancements that matter most to their flight attendants. In the future, the Delta team looks forward to adding even more functionality to improve the experience for travelers, attendants, and agents alike.

Flight attendants’ handheld devices are not particular to the airline industry, and neither are the multiple positives the company has gained from improving processes that create unforgettable customer experiences. Identifying customers personally, giving real-time information, providing help and support, and helping to complete purchases – all of these functions are in daily use by Delta staff, but none are industry-specific. Erica Smith at Delta sums up the situation:

“If you want to enhance the experience across the board, you must first understand the needs of your customer, and then build a robust team to fully engage with the technology. That’s how to drive true business value.”

Clear Skies (and Pathways) Ahead

With customer experience now the defining way that consumers and businesses define what constitutes first-rate, Emplifi software helps differentiate your brand, and turns one-time customers into brand advocates.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can increase operational efficiency and enhance the employee and customer experience, schedule a walkthrough with an Emplifi expert today.