How Technology is Changing the Conversation with Customers

It’s obvious, or at least it should be by now, that technology is changing the conversation between airlines and travelers. It all begins with the concept of the hyper-connected consumer, or, more specifically, the real-time relationship between your airline and your customers.

No matter how long your airline has been in business, relationships like this one don’t exist yet. That’s because, with the hyper-connected customer, the relationship is complicated. It’s a real-time, digital retailing relationship that many of us have never had before and we’re not sure what to make of it, or what to do with it — or how to keep up with it!

Anywhere, Anytime

In this hyper-connected relationship, the conversation is constant. It can happen anywhere, anytime, and on any device, computer, wearable technology, or even by talking to a real human being. Not only that, but to maintain the customer’s interest and desire to be loyal, the pressure is on to keep it interesting, keep it fresh, and keep it relevant – every day.

As if all of this wasn’t enough to deal with, rest assured that what we do today won’t be good enough tomorrow. We have to learn constantly and keep gathering more information about our customers. Only when we do this, can we find new ways to build upon and keep these critical relationships as strong as possible.

Yes, the hyper-connected relationship can exhaust you if you don’t find a way to manage it effectively — and thrive in it. Managed properly, it will increase your revenue and keep your customers happy.

So how do we as an industry do that? Well, in this relationship, there is a language – a currency – that is the core of what keeps this relationship alive and growing. It is the single most important asset that you – as the airline – have to bring to the table. If you’ve been reading this blog regularly, you know what this asset is. If not, stay tuned for my next post and I’ll tell you what your biggest asset is (hint: it’s not what you think.)