Virgin Australia Experiments with AI-Powered Personalization to Improve Customer Experience
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Virgin Australia Explores AI-Powered Personalisation to Elevate Customer Experience
Quick Read:
- Virgin Australia is harnessing AI-driven technology from the SabreMosaic platform to provide customised ancillary services to its passengers.
- The airline’s goal is to boost revenue through focused upselling strategies, including seat enhancements and additional services.
- SabreMosaic’s AI-based instruments assist in tailoring airfare offers using market data and individual traveller preferences.
- Virgin Australia has plans to roll out over 40 new AI-enhanced products in the coming years as part of a comprehensive retail overhaul strategy.
- This technology operates on Google Cloud, facilitating scalable and effective operations.
- CIO David Hogarth believes this innovation will afford Virgin Australia a competitive edge by improving customer engagement.
How AI is Revolutionising Virgin Australia’s Customer Experience
Virgin Australia is making a bold advancement in customer personalisation through the integration of AI-enhanced solutions in its offerings. The airline is tapping into components of the SabreMosaic platform, particularly aimed at dispatching ancillary deals to passengers in advance of their travel. These offers, which have recently landed in customers’ inboxes, seek to increase income by upselling services such as seat enhancements, extra luggage, and meal options.
At the core of this strategy is SabreMosaic’s AI-empowered technology, which leverages real-time market data to dynamically adjust airfare proposals. This enables Virgin Australia to showcase more pertinent and customised choices to travellers, enhancing the probability of purchase.
Personalised Offers Enabled by AI
This translates to travellers receiving more tailored offers that align with their unique needs and choices. Virgin Australia has initiated the implementation of the offer management suite within SabreMosaic, which features AI-driven tools for seat pricing and post-booking upsells. For instance, after a traveller secures a flight, they may receive proposals for seat upgrades or additional conveniences at prices customised to their preferences and current market conditions.
Such a bespoke approach aims to streamline the customer journey, making it more pleasant and relevant, while simultaneously generating extra revenue for the airline. SabreMosaic’s AI tools facilitate an understanding of customer behaviour and anticipation of preferred services, thereby increasing the success likelihood of these offers.
A Comprehensive Retail Transformation Plan
The partnership with SabreMosaic marks a vital phase in Virgin Australia’s long-term retail transformation initiative designed to modernise the airline’s framework extensively. The airline is poised to integrate over 40 new solutions from SabreMosaic, which will be introduced in stages throughout the upcoming years.
These products will span various phases of the retail lifecycle, from booking management to customer interactions leading up to and following the flight. The incorporation of these technologies is anticipated to enhance operational effectiveness and deliver a seamless experience to both customers and employees.
Hybrid System Supported by Google Cloud
Virgin Australia operates a hybrid configuration that merges established Sabre technologies with the more recent SabreMosaic platform, which is hosted on Google Cloud. This cloud infrastructure ensures that the airline can efficiently and securely scale its operations, leading to expedited data processing and superior service delivery.
By building upon its established IT framework, which includes the SabreSonic PSS (Passenger Service System), Virgin Australia is guaranteeing a seamless and sustainable digital transformation. The melding of SabreMosaic with Google Cloud empowers the airline to leverage AI and machine learning on a large scale, further refining its retail offers and customer engagement tactics.
Cultivating a Competitive Advantage in a Tough Market
David Hogarth, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Virgin Australia, is confident that adopting the SabreMosaic platform will provide the airline with a competitive edge. Personalising customer interactions through AI and optimising offers will not only improve passenger experiences but also establish Virgin Australia as a frontrunner in the increasingly competitive airline sector.
In a post-pandemic landscape where airlines are working to recover and set apart their services, technology-enhanced personalisation is becoming a vital element in customer loyalty and revenue expansion. Virgin Australia’s commitment to AI and cloud-based technologies could provide the necessary advantage to prosper in this setting.
Summary
Virgin Australia is embracing AI-driven personalisation in collaboration with SabreMosaic. The airline is focused on enhancing customer experiences by providing customised ancillary options like seat upgrades and add-ons based on passenger inclinations and market analytics. This effort is a segment of a larger, multi-year retail transformation plan, with over 40 new AI-enhanced products set to be launched in the upcoming years. By merging its current Sabre technologies with the cloud-functional SabreMosaic platform on Google Cloud, Virgin Australia is positioning itself for growth and unique differentiation in the airline market.
Q&A: Key Information
Q: What is the SabreMosaic platform?
A:
SabreMosaic is an AI-enhanced modular platform crafted by Sabre, allowing airlines to provide personalised services to their clientele. It encompasses tools for dynamic pricing, ancillary upsells, and various retail management functions aimed at improving the customer experience and increasing revenue.
Q: In what way does AI assist Virgin Australia in personalising its services?
A:
The AI tools incorporated in the SabreMosaic platform evaluate market conditions and customer actions to dynamically modify offers, such as seat pricing and ancillary services. This enables Virgin Australia to furnish tailored recommendations that resonate more with individual travellers, thus boosting the likelihood of purchases.
Q: What types of offers can passengers anticipate?
A:
Passengers might receive proposals for seat enhancements, additional luggage, in-flight meals, and various other ancillary options. These offers are personalised based on unique preferences and dispatched ahead of the flight, providing customers ample time to contemplate and secure them.
Q: What is Virgin Australia’s strategy for gradually implementing this technology?
A:
Virgin Australia has pledged to introduce over 40 AI-driven products from the SabreMosaic platform over the next few years. The rollout will be carried out in phases, progressively enhancing different elements of the airline’s retail and customer service functionalities.
Q: What significance does Google Cloud have in this transition?
A:
Google Cloud offers the foundational infrastructure for the SabreMosaic platform, enabling Virgin Australia to efficiently expand its operations and handle vast amounts of data. This cloud-based framework ensures the airline can deliver personalised offers and services swiftly and dependably.
Q: How will this impact Virgin Australia’s competitive stance?
A:
By leveraging AI and cloud-centric technologies, Virgin Australia intends to distinguish itself in a crowded airline marketplace. The capacity to deliver personalised services and optimise pricing using real-time data provides the airline with a considerable advantage in fulfilling customer expectations and generating additional revenue.
