The aviation industry is rich in data sources, so it’s unsurprising that an overreliance on manual methods of working can in some cases increase the risk of mistakes being made.
Double-bookings, late or unpaid invoices, missing passenger communications, and sluggish responses to customer enquiries or complaints do little to bolster the reputation of airlines and puts their staff under pressure to achieve unrealistic targets.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can create more streamlined and efficient business operations that release staff to concentrate on more customer-orientated responsibilities instead of lengthy or mundane tasks, such as data entry. By deploying RPA in combination with other technologies, such as Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence solutions, Airline businesses can lessen the burden on colleagues so that they are more focused and happier in their roles – and, therefore, less prone to making mistakes.
Many problems that airlines face are a result of these common issues:
So, how can RPA solutions overcome these difficulties and improve the passenger experience?
RPA solutions are becoming increasingly used in the aviation industry to deliver fast and reliable automation in many areas, including flight booking, customer relations, third-party supplier relations, administration, and quality control. While the application of RPA varies, common uses include:
Ticket sales: booking a flight is the first interaction that most customers have with an airline and any mistakes, for example as a result of data entry errors or staff fatigue, could cause disruption at a later stage. Using RPA to automate the ticket sales process enables airlines to streamline the process and eliminates common problems, such as the incorrect assimilation of passenger data from different sources or the accidental double-booking of a seat. Human employees can be freed to focus on tasks that enhance the passenger experience and establish a positive brand identity, to improve customer satisfaction and encourage loyalty.
Invoicing: most airlines partner with travel and ticket agencies across the globe, so it can be a time-consuming and complex task to process invoices, particularly because they arrive in many different formats and currencies. By using RPA, airlines can automate all aspects of invoice processing, including scanning, recording, and authorising, to alleviate human employees of the burden and reduce common data errors to zero.
Complaint handling: airlines face complaints from dissatisfied passengers about an almost endless array of problems, with delayed flights, lost baggage, and cramped seating among the most common issues. By implementing automation solutions such as Natural Language Processing, complaints that are sent can be read, evaluated, categorised, and referred to human staff for action, allowing your customer relations team to focus on processing responses more quickly.
Passenger communications: changes to flight schedules are often unavoidable so, to make the passenger experience as smooth as possible, it’s vital that airlines communicate clearly with customers to advise them of alterations to the service. This could include minor issues, such as a gate change prior to take-off, or more complex changes: a change in departure time or a flight cancellation, for example. With hundreds of passengers potentially affected on each flight, manually messaging them can be time-consuming, whereas RPA can ensure that all customers are kept informed of their flight status as soon as a change is made apparent.
RPA software increases productivity and business efficiency, reduces errors, cuts costs, and improves the customer experience. While it won’t instantly solve some of the most common problems that affect airlines and travel operators, such as double bookings, it can improve the way your business operates, thereby reducing the likelihood of the problems from occurring in the first place.
RPA bots – software apps that are set-up to carry out digital work – can interact with any application or system in the same way as a human employee. By learning a repeatable process, they can be taught to perform rule-based tasks that a staff member would normally undertake. Training a bot is uncomplicated: you simply show it what to do, and let it get on with the job.
Deploying RPA bots within your airline booking system can yield several benefits:
The result? More accurate business processes and systems that are error-free, improving the passenger experience at every stage of the journey.
At Cevitr, our customisable RPA solutions can help your team to work more productively and efficiently with fewer errors.
To find out more, please get in touch with our knowledge RPA specialists today to arrange your free, no-obligation consultation.
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