每一位乘坐飞机旅行的人，总是希望在旅途中获得个性化的体验与服务。面对乘客的期待，航空公司怎么办？艾玛迪斯亚太区航空公司执行副总裁西里尔·泰塔斯的文章《航空公司如何破局旅客忠诚度之困？》提出了中肯的建议。
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几十年来，忠诚度计划一直是航司的得力助手，但随着新技术的出现，同时新一代旅行者不断颠覆行业规则，航空公司的旅客忠诚战略也面临挑战。
Loyalty programs have served airlines well for decades. But new technology and a new generation of travelers are changing the rules.
现在，年轻群体已成为亚太地区最大的旅游客群，相较以往，他们的旅行意愿更为强烈，同时拥有更多的旅行选择，并且希望在旅途中获得个性化的体验与服务，如何满足这一客群的期待成为航司面临的主要挑战。
Young people have the means and desire to travel like never before – now the largest traveler segment in the Asia Pacific region – and the challenge is on for airlines to meet their expectations for personalised experiences, offers and engagement.
随着不同航司之间票价与服务差异的日渐缩小，航空公司需重新审视其旅客忠诚战略，而这不仅仅包括忠诚度计划。
As the price and service difference continues to shrink, airlines need to review their customer loyalty strategies – and not just their loyalty programs.
航空公司的计划本身往往并无问题，旅客在品牌忠诚度上的变化才是真正的症结，对比从前，旅行者来回更换品牌的次数在今时今日更为频繁。
Most of the time the program isn’t even the issue, but customer loyalty is. Travelers now switch and shop around with brands more frequently than ever before.
破局客户忠诚度之困，航司应从革新一刀切的积分制入手，为旅行者提供个性化的奖励机制和旅行体验。
To crack the code on customer loyalty, airlines need to rethink a one size fits all points-based approach and offer rewards and experiences that are relevant to each traveler and their journey.
发挥数据的效用
Put your data to work
传统来看，客户忠诚度是根据顾客与特定品牌之间的关系来衡量测定的。但著名的图形图像和排版软件的生产商Adobe 的研究表明，在近年来颠覆了人们对这一概念的传统认知，品牌需要借助数据和技术手段来验证他们对顾客的了解与关注。
Traditionally, customer loyalty has been measured based on a customer’s relationship to a particular brand. However, research from Adobe has reversed this concept in recent years and instead suggests that brands need to use data and technology to prove they care about and understand their customers.
消费者知悉品牌拥有其个人数据的事实。实际上，78％ 的消费者表示，他们愿意用个人数据换得个性化的服务体验和相应奖励，这意味着品牌方可根据消费者过往的行为偏好打造定制式服务。
Consumers know brands have data on them. In fact, 78 per cent of consumers are willing to share their data to tailor information based on their past behaviors and preferences, in exchange for relevant, personalised engagement and rewards, and to be treated in a unique and special way.
通过访问旅客的旅行消费数据以及常旅客会员数据，航司可以深入洞察旅客的旅行动机及相关顾虑，并以此为行动准则。
With access to customers’ travel and spend as well as loyalty members data, airlines can gain insight into why their customers are traveling and what their constraints are, then act on them.
这一步骤对于预测旅客的需求而言极为关键，即使在同一行程中，因为旅行动机的不同，安排也会有所调整。
This step is crucial to anticipating their needs, as even within the same journey, there can be different rationales for travelling and priorities might change.
以差旅人士为例，因为启程时公务在身，行程安排非常关键，为了少花100美元，买时间延后的航班却影响客户会议安排并不划算。
Take, for example, a business traveler. The outbound flight is usually functional, and the schedule is extremely important; paying $100 less but moving two client billable hours is not worth it.
但在返程时，行程不必一定遵照原计划进行，比如对于希望尽快回家哄孩子睡觉的差旅人士而言，即可灵活调整。
Then when it comes to the return flight, the traveler could have more flexible travel arrangements, or they might not. There could be an emotional need, as they need to get home and put their kids to bed.
对于亲子游，父母往往计划好一切并尽量轻车简从，在这样的家庭旅行中，旅客往往更加重视行李便携性、航班座位安排，以及能否获得俱乐部服务并升级座位。当然，对于计划年度旅行的年轻夫妇而言，这些类目也十分关键。
A parent travelling with three young children needs everything pre-planned and simple. This travelling family might place more value on the carry-on baggage and seating arrangements, then getting club access and a seat upgrade. This, however, could be desirable to a young couple embarking on their annual getaway.
航司在重新审视旅客忠诚战略时，需要意识到，只有将客户的需求与习惯纳入考量，数据才能真正发挥效用，赋能个性化服务。
As airlines rethink their loyalty strategies, they need to understand that data facilitates personalisation by taking into consideration their customers’ values and habits.
打造完美旅程
Close the customer gaps
航司要想提高旅客的忠诚度和满意度，必须让消费者在旅程中免遭不愉快，并尽可能创造惊喜。许多旅客可能一年中乘坐飞机的机会不多，航司应尽力让旅途尽善尽美。
To boost customer loyalty and satisfaction, it’s key for airlines to avoid negative moments during the customer journey and where possible, to even bring some moments of surprise and delight. However, with most travelers flying only once a year, airlines need to find a way to fill in the gaps on the customer journey.
乘机当日，航司有许多与旅客接触的机会，如地勤人员和空乘与旅客将面对面交流与互动，通过将员工的观察再与一些如天气预报等公共数据进行结合，航空公司可以适时为旅客提供服务，同时抢先一步预测并解决问题。
On the day of travel alone, there are multiple passenger touchpoints including face-to-face interaction with on-ground and air staff. Capturing these employee insights and combining them with publicly available data such as weather forecasts, can deliver what travelers need to know at the right time and place, while anticipating and mitigating issues before they arise.
在面临航班延误与取消时更是如此，旅客了解航班延误和取消往往不可避免，但航空公司的处理决定了旅客体验的好坏。
No more so than in times of disruption. Customers know delays and cancellations are unavoidable during travel, but how airlines deal with these situations will determine how positive their experience is.
航空公司需为其员工匹配相应的技术，帮助他们全面了解旅客，在航班延误与取消时评估不同旅客的需求，并尽快为高价值客户提供重新预订的选择。
Airlines need to arm their employees with technology that gives them a complete view of the passenger to evaluate their situation and requirements, and enable fast-rebooking for high-value customers.
与此同时，航司还可以借助情境数据为旅客创造惊喜，博得青睐。
Using contextual data to create moments of surprise and delight can also enable airlines to build an authentic connection with travelers.
无论是个性化的生日奖励、让旅客回忆上一次旅程中的美好并趁机提出新的目的地建议，还是为常旅客升级服务，一对一的互动与个性化服务总能打动顾客。
Whether that’s offering personalised birthday incentives, reminding travelers of how great last year’s trip was with a suggestion for a new destination, or upgrades for repeat customers, travelers appreciate this level of one-on-one engagement and personalisation.
当然，如果没有一个可让航司实时捕获大量客户数据，并进行分析从而提供服务指导的平台，以上一切都仅是空中楼阁。
Of course, none of this is possible without a platform that enables airlines to capture, analyze and act on large volumes of customer data in real time.
新技术的崛起与业界的战略合作伙伴关系的建立，有助于航司填补在客户洞察上的盲点，减少服务痛点，将旅行服务提升至新的水平高度。
New technology and strategic partnerships can help to fill in the customer blind spots, reduce paint points, and take traveler experience to the next level.
创造旅行之外的惊喜
Create engagement beyond travel
亚太地区的常旅客数量较少，但拥有约 1430 亿美元庞大消费力，且更注重消费体验的 Z世代或将颠覆现有市场格局，航司也正重新思考，怎样才能为不同客群提供奖励和价值服务。
With a low number of frequent flyers in Asia Pacific and the next cohort of Gen Z travelers set to shake up the market and leverage their estimated $143 billion spending power on “experiences”, airlines are looking too reinvent how they provide rewards and value for different customer segments.
这意味着航司需根据旅行者的偏好进行奖励定制，并扩展其传统里程和积分奖励结构，为旅客带去兑换机票之外的惊喜。
This means tailoring rewards based on the travelers’ preferences and expand their traditional miles and points reward structures to engage customers beyond travel.
例如，澳洲维珍航空公司就与英国石油公司建立了相应的合作关系，如果旅客每年只搭乘一次澳洲维珍的飞机，一年中澳洲维珍仅有两次与其互动的机会——启程与返程。
For example, Virgin Australia partnering with BP. If you have a traveler who does one trip a year with Virgin, she’s going to engage with the airline twice: outbound and return.
而如果该旅客每周使用维珍Velocity 常旅客会员卡在英国石油公司加油，这么算下来，澳洲维珍每年将会和她52次的互动机会。
If she fills up her car once a week at BP and uses her Velocity frequent flyer card, she’s going to be engaging with Virgin 52 times a year.
除此之外，为旅客提供基于体验的奖励也十分关键。Marriotts Moments 计划就允许会员在他们感兴趣的活动或体验中进行奖励兑换。
This could also include offering experience-based rewards. Marriott’s Moments program enables members to use their rewards on any activity or experience they’re interested in.
无论是在科切拉豪华露营、米其林星级餐厅享受私人晚宴，还是在拉斯阿尔卡麦山谷沙漠的丽思卡尔顿酒店参加摄影大师学习班，会员都可以根据其兴趣进行兑换。
Whether that be glamping at Coachella, private dinners at Michelin-star restaurants or photography masterclasses in the Al Wadi desert.
归根结底，保持客户忠诚度是品牌为了与其顾客建立有意义的连接。
Ultimately, customer loyalty comes down to building a meaningful connection with the customer.
对于航司，了解旅客的需求并提升他们的旅行体验，让他们知道品牌对他们的理解与重视，只要做到这一点，赢得消费者的青睐就轻而易举并近在咫尺。
Recognizing their needs and values and enhancing their travel experience is a way of demonstrating to customers that you understand and care about them. When you do that, you’ll win their hearts, minds, and wallets.
来源：经济日报·外企头条工作室 陈颐 朱琳
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