Piloting Success: The Critical Role of Efficient Contact Centers to Optimize Airport Operations

Imagine this: You’re at the airport, excited for your vacation, but your flight just got delayed. You need information fast, so you call the airport’s contact center, only to be put on hold for what feels like an eternity. Frustration builds as you wait, and by the time you finally get through, your patience has run thin. This scenario is all too common and highlights a significant issue that airports face in their operations, especially when 2.9 million passengers fly in and out of US airports a day.

Behind the scenes, agents and information desks are overwhelmed with the sheer volume of inquiries. Many of which are simple questions relating to flight status updates or gate information. Each requires their full attention, leading to longer wait times for passengers and increased stress for staff. During peak hours, the contact center is bustling with activity and agents are trying to keep up while attempting to maintain the best customer service possible. This problem extends beyond front-line staff, creating significant challenges for IT departments tasked with maintaining and scaling the infrastructure to support these high volumes of interactions. Effective management of these calls is key to keeping passengers happy, which ultimately reduces employee stress while ensuring operations are running smoothly.

Enter Avaya Experience Platform. Avaya’s AI solutions are changing airport contact centers by making communication faster and more efficient. AI can quickly handle routine questions, freeing up staff to deal with more complex issues, leading to smoother operations, less employee burnout and a much better experience for passengers. For IT teams, AI reduces the need for constant infrastructure scaling and maintenance, streamlining tech operations and cutting costs. By offloading routine tasks to a virtual agent, IT teams can shift their focus from troubleshooting and maintenance to strategic planning and innovation.

An example of this transformation is Avaya’s collaboration with an international destination airport. This airport leverages our Google and Voice Forms and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to connect people, foster innovation and build community. By piloting real-time translation technology, this airport assists international passengers who speak different languages. AI-powered translation at information booths and through chatbots ensures clear communication, significantly enhancing the passenger experience. Beyond language translation, AI-driven virtual assistants manage routine inquiries like flight status updates and airport navigation, reducing staff burden and allowing them to address more complex passenger needs. Additionally, AI-powered interactive voice response (IVR) systems handle high call volumes efficiently, routing calls to the right departments, minimizing wait times and improving overall service quality. By adopting these AI solutions, this international destination airport sets new industry standards for operational efficiency and passenger satisfaction.

Incorporating a virtual agent into airport operations not only solves current challenges such as customer frustration and dissatisfaction, but also aids business growth. The predictive capabilities of AI enable operations teams at airports to optimize staffing and resource allocation based on anticipated passenger flow, making everything run more smoothly. AI systems can also help analyze passenger feedback and behavior while pinpointing areas for improvement, driving ongoing improvements in service and operations. This leads to more satisfied customers who are more likely to prefer your airport. In the end, AI technology can reduce costs, improve service and set airport contact centers up for long-term success.

Let’s revisit our scenario: Your flight has been delayed and you need information. You call the airport contact center, and an AI-enabled solution or a virtual agent immediately answers. It quickly provides you with the latest flight status, alternative travel options, and even gate information in your preferred language. If your inquiry is more complex, the virtual agent seamlessly transfers you to a human agent who already has all your details, drastically reducing wait time and ensuring a smooth interaction. With such efficient contact centers, you can switch to airplane mode and relax, confident that everything is taken care of.

Optimize your airport operations with an efficient contact center using the Avaya Experience Platform as you innovate without disruption.