Passengers traveling through United Airlines’ hubs will soon have access to virtual, on-demand customer service via their mobile device called “Agent on Demand”.
United Airlines “Agent On Demand” Hopes To Streamline Customer Service At Hub Airports
Beginning later this month, passengers can use a phone or tablet to to reach an agent at each of United’s eight hub airports to assist with flight-related needs. Rather than connecting to call center, these agents will be local to the hub airport.
How It Works
In order to connect with an agent, passengers can scan a QR code displayed on signage throughout United’s hub airports. In Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Denver (DEN) passengers can alternatively access the platform through self-service kiosks at select gate areas.
Passengers will be connected to an agent by phone, chat or video, based on their preference. Passengers can then ask questions that would typically directed to a gate agent, including questions on:
- seat assignments
- upgrades
- standby list
- flight status
- rebooking
This avoids potential queues at the gate or in customer service lines.
Language Functionality
Translation functionality is integrated in the chat function allowing passengers to communicate with agents in more than 100 languages. Customers can type in their preferred language and the messages will be automatically transcribed in English for the agents and in the selected language for the customer.
Linda Jojo, United’s Executive Vice President for Technology and Chief Digital Officer, noted:
“This tool makes it easy to quickly receive personalized support directly from a live agent at the airport while maintaining social distancing. Agent on Demand allows customers to bypass waiting in line at the gate and seamlessly connect with customer service agents from their mobile device, ensuring they continue to receive the highest levels of service while also prioritizing their health and safety.”
CONCLUSION
This is the sort of thing you hope you never have to use, but is nice to have if you need it.
In theory, this can revolutionize customer service. In practice, we will have to wait and see 1.) how long wait times will be and 2.) whether these agents are empowered to fully assist once a flight is under gate control.
But this is a good progress. I like any innovation that lessens the need to wait in lines, a mark of inefficiency.
images: United
Sounds awesome in theory.
It’s spelled “whether” not “wether”.
Thanks dear.
No need to be rude when your mistake us pointed out to you.
You missed the context in the text…
When your mistake “is” pointed out to you. Typos happen to the best of us, right?
I guess that’s kind of cool but how is it any different than just calling the 800 number? Video functionality perhaps adds a personal touch (especially for those men who fancy Filipinos), but I don’t see any new capabilities as it relates to managing travel over the old phone system. Maybe I’m missing something?
Res agents do not have the same sort of access or power to make last-minute changes including rebooking, processing upgrades, or standby.
What does “Men who fancy Filipinos” mean? I’m curious.
I certainly would never want to speak for Andy K, but I think he was referring to United’s overseas call center in Manilla.
I thought these video agents were based in the local hubs, not a foreign call center.
I don’t understand what the ethnicity of the agent has anything to do with this.
It doesn’t and you are correct, they will be based at the local airport.
Quite a few years ago, I lived in a small city served by a regional airline co-branded with the major airline’s name. I took the same flight most of the time so I saw the same person at the check in counter. After a few times, I started to recognize the person and vice versa. One time, I was late so she said she would ask them to wait for me, which may not have mattered because I was not that late (or maybe they would have shut the aircraft door?).
A few months later, the major airline announced plans to start serve and end the regional airline service. I asked if she was going to work for them. She said she would have to apply. I volunteered to write a fan letter to her manager if she wanted to, which she did. She got the job (probably without my fan letter). I would never write a fan letter for an anonymous video linked agent.
Disclaimer: this wasn’t sex appeal. The agent was a little chubby and not good looking but good at her job.
Obviously she didn’t get the job because of your letter…by your glowing description of her appearance.
I never use the kiosk.
I never use the mobile app, web check-in, etc.
I wait on line, to speak to a live customer service agent, for my cardstock boarding pass.
Anyone who has ever used a chat line or worse, a robotic chat-line, ie., soon discovers how maddening it is. It’s a case of explaining/typing over and over again a specific problem; you’re at the mercy of some low level call center agent or robot to decipher and supposedly solve the problem….. therefore, I am no fan of chats or texting to get the job done…… and seriously, United is not going to have local AIRPORT agents sitting in some back room taking phone calls or texting passengers.
For a fact, as well, no phone or texting agents have control of a flight to change seats, board or offload a passenger – things only done directly with an agent at the airport. The day it comes to that, just shut down all airport ops and turn everything over to a call center. See how that goes.
Just a ridiculous idea that will only confuse people and make them scramble to find a human agent that they can stand in front of to address a problem with ….. after wasting time fiddling with their phones and/or devices.
Generally, I would agree. But here, United says the agents are local and are empowered as if they are a gate agent. Hopefully it will not be as excruciating as dealing with a normal phone agent.
I can only speak from experience having worked in airport customer service. The flight comes under gate control, usually 30 minutes prior to departure. This means that only agents with a “gate” agent sine (GA) can work that flight, get into it as it were to change seating, upgrade, board latecomers, offload others, etc.
Can you imagine every airport customer service agent having their hands in it — manipulating, over-riding gate agents, changing seats (ie, for a complaining family that demands seats together, etc). Even if the flight does close to everyone else but gate agents, United isn’t going to stop the flow of people who run up to a gate with seating problems, late connection, etc. after it closes – now they want people to phone, text, chat in advance? A person running late from a connecting flight isn’t going to whip out his phone and start texting for a solution. As well, the resolution is only as good as the non-gate-agent’s power/ ability/ knowledge to do so. Trust me all customer service agents are not on the same page. So what’s the benefit? Sorry but just another case of the United and their over-kill methods to make something look useful when it isn’t.