In August, Delta Air Lines introduced video chat as part of a customer service test at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Five kiosks with “interactive screens” and phone receivers have been arranged to allow a two-way conversation with Delta representatives about anything from changing flight reservations to providing feedback.
This latest move represents Delta’s innovative approach to customer service. The company already has a multi-digital service strategy that includes Twitter, Facebook, email and phone.
But is video chat a gimmick or a sustainable customer service tool with genuine staying power? And if Delta’s test proves successful, might other company’s explore how they can apply the technology within their own business?
Today, most major travel brands are investing in text-based services such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp to offer the immediacy that travelers love. But if integrated as part of the mobile experience, video chat could potentially offer a responsive on-demand service to sit alongside these existing platforms.
In the following post, we’ll discuss some of the benefits and drawbacks of this technology and its potential application within the hospitality industry.
The growth of video chat for personal communication
Video chat is fast becoming central to the way people keep in touch. A huge 400 million people use Facebook Messenger each month to make voice and video calls, while WhatsApp’s 2 billion users are making over 55 million video calls a day.
Add in the growth of platforms such as Skype and FaceTime and it’s easy to see how video chat is destined to play a central role in the future of daily communication.
This increasing familiarity hints at the possibility that travelers will readily embrace video chat as a customer service tool—a natural extension of the way they already communicate with friends, family and work colleagues.
But what specific advantages might the technology bring to the hospitality sector for both customers and businesses?
