SITA joins with eASSIST to offer airlines immediate benefit from cost-effective customer care solution
Announcement posted by SITA 21 Nov 2001
- Pay as you go customer care solution allows airlines to reduce operational costs and improve passenger profiling while improving revenues and customer satisfaction -
SITA has signed an agreement with eAssist Global Solutions to provide the first low cost integrated customer relationship management (CRM) customer care solution for the air transport industry. Airlines of all sizes can reap immediate benefit from using the modular system while minimizing the investment needed.
In Australasia, SITA plans to offer this solution to its customers, which include Qantas and Air New Zealand.
Mindshare is a subscription-based application which allows airlines, travel agents and other transport providers to cut costs in operating call centers and build revenue by e-enabling and integrating their customer support facilities. Customers will be able to increase loyalty by building knowledge of their passengers and tailoring support and offerings to suit individual preferences. The system can also be used to help airlines address security concerns by allowing them to store and develop passenger profiles. At the same time, they can reduce passenger acquisition, retention, and support costs.
CRM is usually seen as a large and costly initiative that takes a long time to implement. Our pay as you go customer care solution is modular and allows customers to achieve immediate savings while limiting major up-front investment, said Bob Thorpe, SITAs Vice President, Passenger Solutions.
Thorpe adds: Integration of call center technologies allows the airlines to break down operational barriers, achieve economies of scale and provide consistent customer service. We selected eAssist because it has extensive CRM customer care experience across many industries and the application offers excellent pre-integrated features to help ensure our customers can benefit from CRM across the entire passenger journey.
"Joining with SITA allows us to bring to market the first ever CRM customer care solution dedicated to the air transport industry. The solution combines our strength in customer care with SITAs global reach and knowledge of the air transport industry," said Robert Samuels, Vice President, Strategic Relationships at eAssist. "Now, more than ever, this industry needs to focus on reducing operational costs while at the same time improving customer satisfaction. A recent Bain & Company study indicates that an increase in customer retention rates of just five percent improves profits by 25 percent to 95 percent. With this kind of impact, airlines cannot afford to ignore customer care."
Mindshare provides a customer-centric framework that enables airlines to improve their operations without having to replace their existing legacy systems. With a full spectrum of customer support capabilities, airlines will be able to provide consistent customer care, across multiple facilities and locations and through multiple channels such as phone, email, kiosk, or Internet. In one unified interface, agents see a complete, holistic view of the customer and are directed with appropriate responses to the enquiry. This enables them to serve customers more effectively, while streamlining operations and improving efficiency.
SITA will offer the joint solution as a fully managed Application Service Provider (ASP) model to the air transport industry across the worlds largest network.
The customer care solution joins SITAs extensive portfolio of passenger services provided to airlines worldwide. SITA offers fully hosted services covering applications for online booking, reservations, electronic and interline e-ticketing, inventory management, departure control, passenger revenue accounting, revenue management services, business intelligence and other e-commerce solutions. In addition to passenger services, SITA provides a range of application services for airports, airfreight, aircraft design and maintenance, flight operations and aircraft communications.
About SITA
With over 50 years' experience, SITA is today the world's leading provider of integrated information and telecommunications solutions to the air transport industry. SITA has around 740 members and 1,800 customers including airlines, airports, travel distribution and computer reservation systems, governmental organizations, aerospace and airfreight companies. SITA recorded corporate revenues of over US$1.57 billion in 2000.
Further information can be found at www.sita.int
About eAssist Global Solutions, Inc
eAssist is a leading provider of CRM customer care solutions. eAssist allows companies to provide the best possible customer service by ensuring that every customer interaction - whether proactive or reactive - provides a positive experience that results in extending the customer relationship and maximizing customer lifetime value. eAssist's subscription-based solutions allow organizations of all sizes to dramatically strengthen relationships with their customers, while substantially reducing inefficiencies and streamlining the entire customer interaction process. The company is headquartered in San Diego, California with offices across the United States, in Toronto, and London.
For more information, visit www.eassist.com
In Australasia, SITA plans to offer this solution to its customers, which include Qantas and Air New Zealand.
Mindshare is a subscription-based application which allows airlines, travel agents and other transport providers to cut costs in operating call centers and build revenue by e-enabling and integrating their customer support facilities. Customers will be able to increase loyalty by building knowledge of their passengers and tailoring support and offerings to suit individual preferences. The system can also be used to help airlines address security concerns by allowing them to store and develop passenger profiles. At the same time, they can reduce passenger acquisition, retention, and support costs.
CRM is usually seen as a large and costly initiative that takes a long time to implement. Our pay as you go customer care solution is modular and allows customers to achieve immediate savings while limiting major up-front investment, said Bob Thorpe, SITAs Vice President, Passenger Solutions.
Thorpe adds: Integration of call center technologies allows the airlines to break down operational barriers, achieve economies of scale and provide consistent customer service. We selected eAssist because it has extensive CRM customer care experience across many industries and the application offers excellent pre-integrated features to help ensure our customers can benefit from CRM across the entire passenger journey.
"Joining with SITA allows us to bring to market the first ever CRM customer care solution dedicated to the air transport industry. The solution combines our strength in customer care with SITAs global reach and knowledge of the air transport industry," said Robert Samuels, Vice President, Strategic Relationships at eAssist. "Now, more than ever, this industry needs to focus on reducing operational costs while at the same time improving customer satisfaction. A recent Bain & Company study indicates that an increase in customer retention rates of just five percent improves profits by 25 percent to 95 percent. With this kind of impact, airlines cannot afford to ignore customer care."
Mindshare provides a customer-centric framework that enables airlines to improve their operations without having to replace their existing legacy systems. With a full spectrum of customer support capabilities, airlines will be able to provide consistent customer care, across multiple facilities and locations and through multiple channels such as phone, email, kiosk, or Internet. In one unified interface, agents see a complete, holistic view of the customer and are directed with appropriate responses to the enquiry. This enables them to serve customers more effectively, while streamlining operations and improving efficiency.
SITA will offer the joint solution as a fully managed Application Service Provider (ASP) model to the air transport industry across the worlds largest network.
The customer care solution joins SITAs extensive portfolio of passenger services provided to airlines worldwide. SITA offers fully hosted services covering applications for online booking, reservations, electronic and interline e-ticketing, inventory management, departure control, passenger revenue accounting, revenue management services, business intelligence and other e-commerce solutions. In addition to passenger services, SITA provides a range of application services for airports, airfreight, aircraft design and maintenance, flight operations and aircraft communications.
About SITA
With over 50 years' experience, SITA is today the world's leading provider of integrated information and telecommunications solutions to the air transport industry. SITA has around 740 members and 1,800 customers including airlines, airports, travel distribution and computer reservation systems, governmental organizations, aerospace and airfreight companies. SITA recorded corporate revenues of over US$1.57 billion in 2000.
Further information can be found at www.sita.int
About eAssist Global Solutions, Inc
eAssist is a leading provider of CRM customer care solutions. eAssist allows companies to provide the best possible customer service by ensuring that every customer interaction - whether proactive or reactive - provides a positive experience that results in extending the customer relationship and maximizing customer lifetime value. eAssist's subscription-based solutions allow organizations of all sizes to dramatically strengthen relationships with their customers, while substantially reducing inefficiencies and streamlining the entire customer interaction process. The company is headquartered in San Diego, California with offices across the United States, in Toronto, and London.
For more information, visit www.eassist.com