According to Gartner, 38% of Gen Z and millennial consumers are likely to disengage with a customer service process if they can’t find self-service features to solve their problems. This preference for “self-service or no-service” significantly impacts businesses, as failure to meet these expectations could lead to 55% of these consumers using the service or product less, another 52% deciding against future purchases from the company, and 44% potentially expressing negative views about the brand.
In response to this trend, a leading travel sector company recognized the urgent need to upgrade its customer service capabilities by integrating advanced self-service features. However, the organization faced challenges in deploying these enhancements swiftly due to internal resource constraints. This is when e-Core came in, offering the specialized expertise required to accelerate the implementation process and meet customer expectations efficiently.
Tackling the core challenges
The project was strategically positioned to address two critical challenges:
- Reducing Dependence on Call Centers: The initiative aimed to lower the volume of call center inquiries by enabling customers to autonomously manage their reservation changes online, thereby decreasing operational costs and reallocating resources towards more strategic, analytical tasks.
- Improving Customer Experience: By granting customers the autonomy to navigate post-sales services at their convenience, the project sought to significantly enhance the overall customer experience, providing quicker and more efficient access to reservation details.
Our approach
e-Core strategically assembled a team tailored to meet the project’s unique demands. Comprising two full-time software developers (one specializing in front-end, the other in back-end), a dedicated Quality Assurance Analyst, and a part-time Project Manager, our squad seamlessly integrated with the client’s in-house team, forming a cohesive unit committed to excellence.
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Innovative self-service implementations unveiled
Hassle-Free Flight Rebooking: The client’s system now enables customers to seamlessly cancel and rebook flights directly through the website. This innovative solution was successfully implemented, enhancing convenience and flexibility for travelers.
Flexible Split Ticketing: The company offers a feature that allows travelers to selectively cancel and refund individual legs of their flight itinerary through the website — whether it’s the outbound or inbound journey.
RC cancellation via IVR and chatbot: A robust system was designed to seamlessly manage exceptions in car reservation cancellations, utilizing Chatbot and a voice recognition platform to identify specific cancellation reasons.
Best Price Guarantee: An automatic best price guarantee for Hotels was implemented on the website. Now, the client can claim a partial refund if they find the same reservation for a cheaper price after they book it. This way, they can get a better deal and get a refund for the difference. The functionality already existed, but automation was included that allows a real-time response to the customer, without the need for a human agent to analyze it.
Transparent Refund Status Tracking: A page that allows the customer to view the progress of any refund requested for flights, car rentals, insurance, and hotels was included in the project.
Business Impact
The implementation of Self-Service features can lead to significant benefits, such as:
- Enhanced Operational Efficiency: with an expected decrease in call center inquiries, the self-service features lead to an optimization of operational costs and improved resource allocation.
- Boosted Customer Satisfaction: Providing ease and autonomy for customers in managing their reservations meets their preferences and elevates their service experience.
- Streamlined Time to Market: e-Core’s specialized squad model ensured the project was executed with improved planning, efficiency, and implementation lead time, which reduced the time to market for the new Self-Service features.
By understanding and responding to the modern consumer’s preference for self-service solutions, our client relied on e-Core to not only streamline operational efficiency but also significantly boost customer satisfaction.
As businesses continue to navigate the demands of a digital-first consumer base, e-Core’s successful implementations highlight the effectiveness of specialized squads in rapidly advancing technological innovations and adapting to the ever-changing customer experience landscape.
Technology foundation
- Back-end Development: Leveraged Java, Spring, Google Cloud, Node JS, and AWS services to ensure robust functionality and seamless integration.
- Front-end Development: Employed React, Angular, and HTML to create dynamic, user-friendly interfaces.
- Quality Assurance: Utilized comprehensive tools like Zephyr, MABL, Postman, Swagger, and Autobot for in-depth testing and data generation. BDD language was used to write test cases, and Confluence/Jira to track the test plan/test case/bugs.
Project Management: Applied a blend of agile methodologies, including Scrum, Kanban, and PMBoK, to facilitate effective project management.
