Defining and implementing a direct channel strategy for an international airline in order to achieve growth in direct business and improve customer service quality
Based in Dublin, Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland, operating full service flights across Europe and to the USA. The airline has been very successful with flights at full capacity, a reputation for charismatic service with its loyal customer base, and a number of important awards to its name.
The work undertaken by CCL Limited started out in the telephone Reservations area but broadened to include the development of further call centres and the integration of the telephone with the on line channel. Developing all three areas in parallel was seen as an opportunity to achieve seamlessness and economies of scale from the outset.
Telephone Reservations
Aer Lingus recognised that its telephone Reservations operation was not operating to best practice or achieving appropriate service standards. Continuous growth in call volumes from direct customers and travel agents was exacerbating the problems and putting the operation under increased pressure, with no further capacity in the existing office location.
CCL were invited to develop a strategy for developing the Reservations function, taking into account the future growth in bookings and the need to provide competitive service levels. At the request of the Customer Service Director, CCL conducted a strategic review and analysis that identified 5 options for the way forward, with a recommended option supported by a business case. The recommended option was to establish a dedicated new Greenfield sales operation in Ireland and develop the existing site in Dublin as a service centre. Both sites would operate to a defined best practice for Aer Lingus.
The recommendations were accepted and Aer Lingus issued a tender inviting several consultancies to bid for the full implementation project. CCL were successful in winning the bid and were invited to carry out the detailed design and planning for the chosen strategy. This included the detailed analysis and selection of implementation options in all areas (e.g. location, technology, operations, HR, change management) and the production of a detailed project and resource plan for an 18-month period of implementation. A detailed business case was also needed to show the full return on investment for the project.
Direct Channel Strategy
The findings from the above work coupled with the growth in online booking prompted Aer Lingus to broaden the scope of the above project. The development of other Aer Lingus call centres and the integration between the telephone and on line booking facilities were included in order to move towards an integrated direct channel capability. A phased approach to meeting this challenge was taken, starting with the development of a helpdesk to support the launch of an on line booking engine. A full programme methodology was designed to drive the programme involving a large team of resources from CCL and Aer Lingus.
Detailed plans and a business case for the additional scope were subsequently drawn up. The full three-year programme of implementation was delivered and achieved performance improvements in the existing operation whilst developing and building a new centre which provided a platform for the integrated direct channel programme.