Low-cost Scoot focuses on customer experience

It’s official: even low-cost airlines no longer live by price alone. So says Singapore Airlines low-cost offshoot Scoot which has engaged cutomer experience firm Qualtrics to measure what it is doing to please or annoy passengers. The airline says the move is part of what Scoot chief commercial officer Vinod Kannan describes as a key focus for the carrier. Qualtrics will use post-flight feedback, machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyze how passengers react to various “touchpoints” such as check-in, flight changes and staff interactions. Its software supports 70 launguages. The airline says the aim is to better understand those points of a journey that cause passengers pain and those that work so it can deliver a better experience. It says combining operational and experience data on a single platform will give it real-time insights on which routes, aircraft type, airports, and other customer touchpoints are delivering a superior experience to customers and where there is room to improve. “Travellers often hold the perception that low-cost carriers offer minimal service quality and offerings,’’ Kannan said. “To change that mindset and retain our loyal customers, Scoot aims to value-add to our customers’ journey by delivering high customer satisfaction across all touchpoints. In this customer-centric world, price is no longer a sole differentiator.” The deal with Qualtrics comes after the merger last year with Tigerair under the Scoot banner. The merged entity flies to 66 destinations across 18 countries and the airline is keen to tap into a burgeoning market that will account for 2.1 billion travelers by 2036. READ Scoot boost capacity to Australia as it heads off to Berlin. “Amidst rising competition within the aerospace industry from low-cost carriers and increasing pressure to keep flights affordable, airlines can no longer afford to compete just on price alone,’’ said the head of Qaultrics Southeast Asia, Foo Mao Gen. “. In fact, delivering a positive travel experience has become a key differentiator for airlines.’’ Scoot operates a fleet of 17  widebody Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 24 Airbus A320 family aircraft. It has three Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 39 Airbus A320neo aircraft on order.