Wednesday, June 5, 2024 Air New Zealand has introduced a 24/7 Live Chat feature, enabling real-time communication with its customer care team. This innovation follows a successful trial period, offering customers a new, convenient way to get support anytime, day or night. Since the trial began in December, more than 38,000 customers have used the Live Chat feature.
Leanne Geraghty, Air New Zealand’s Chief Customer and Sales Officer, reports that this new communication channel has been hugely successful. “Live Chat is just like direct messaging a friend online. Once you’re connected with us, you’ll get an immediate response from a real person who can help with most types of enquiries,” says Geraghty.
The appeal of Live Chat lies in its speed and convenience, crucial for customers seeking help or support with their travel plans. In May alone, Live Chat accounted for approximately 9.2% of all customer communications with Air New Zealand.
Impressively, the customer care team managed to respond to initial messages in just 47 seconds on average. While Live Chat represents the latest digital advancement for the airline, it won’t replace Oscar, Air New Zealand’s popular AI chatbot introduced in 2017. Oscar remains available to assist with over 900 types of queries, and efforts are underway to further enhance his capabilities.
However, if Oscar struggles to understand a request, customers can simply ask to speak to a human, and he will transfer them to a customer care te.