Consumer Experience research is high on the agenda of SkyTeam, one of the big three international airline alliances. SkyTeam’s mission is to create a seamless travel experience through operational excellence, while maintaining a customer focus. They wanted to capture experiences from SkyPriority customers throughout all SkyPriority touchpoints. In the last five years, SkyTeam has taken the long-haul approach, by championing a long-term collaboration and consumer inclusiveness.
Awarded the Silver Trophy ESOMAR Research Effectiveness Award 2016.
Back in ‘15, InSites Consulting launched the SkyPriority Panel to professionalize SkyPriority’s audit, identify issues, and help Alliance members fix these.
Together with SkyTeam, we set up the panel, a customer audit program for High-Value Customers (HVC) that observe the quality and consistency of SkyPriority services across touchpoints and airlines. The mobile platform (responsive design, usable offline) acts as the natural environment which inspires and motivates our ‘auditors’, and through which they share their experiences (surveys, stories, pictures). The app connected 5,000 HVCs across 20 airlines in three languages.
In ‘18-‘19, SkyTeam wanted to expand its research efforts and widen its approach. The Jet Setters online research community, launched in ‘18, solidified SkyTeam’s connection with their passengers, by relying not only on quantitative alerts but also on rich qualitative feedback on customer experiences and services. Less than a year after its set-up, the community counts more than 1,500 passengers.
Next, SkyTeam wanted to get closer to their passengers by meeting them in real life. In October ‘18, they organized the MegaDo, offering passengers a ‘behind the scenes’ look at the world of airlines, and gave them exclusive access to the ins & outs of major airlines and airports. Together with InSites Consulting, they created an exciting day of activities at SkyTeam’s home in Amsterdam, with a peek at SkyTeam’s future. The exclusive group of customers participated in debates, brainstorm sessions and live surveys, to help direct decisions on the alliance’s future.
Airline managers strongly support the use of the program as a way to collaborate with customers and improve their services. More than 3 out of 4 airlines managers said the program allows them to better understand the needs of high value customers, better envision the strategy and better execute their roles as SkyPriority managers. Furthermore, 95% said the program provides more relevant data and insights.
The goal of SkyTeam’s research always was to provide a strong base for future innovations. SkyTeam is indeed using several levels of input from ‘18-’19 to help their airlines improve their service. At a workshop in South Korea, which brought together representatives of all 19 airlines, InSites Consulting presented the ideas from the different phases of research including:
New concepts were developed and tested early ‘19, filling the innovation funnel for the coming years. Since early ‘19, SkyTeam has started implementing the best services/ ideas suggested by its passengers in its airlines, completing the circle from research to implementation.
Mauro Oretti, Vice President Sales & Marketing, SkyTeam
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