[INTERVIEW] "AVIASALES": HOW DESIGNED THE SUPPORT OF THE LARGEST AIR TICKETS METASEARCH

You can't say there wasn't a helpdesk. Or rather, to say that it was not developed because of the specifics of our service. Aviasales is a metasearch engine. We do not write tickets; we do not make payments; we do not check-in or change tickets, if necessary. The traveler goes from us to the online travel agency or airline site and buys the ticket there. Despite the relatively simple scheme, it is often us who are approached by users with the following questions: "Can I take a decorative rat on the plane?", "Do I need to get a visa if I will be transiting in London?", "I bought tickets, but they did not come; what should I do?", "The flight was canceled; how can I get my money back?".

For more than 10 years of our company's existence, this has been the helpdesk's goal - to let the user know where and with whom they should solve their questions and problems related to air travel. Only for ticket search and website operation. Everything else - not to us. Only in exceptional cases, we helped to solve the problem with our partner. Now our position is different. The user trusts us, so why should we send him somewhere to help him and solve the problem ourselves? We have extensive experience; we know very well how our market works. One of the global aims of the helpdesk now is to improve travelers' literacy, particularly in questions of air travel. Plus, to help with those problems that may have arisen with a client after buying a partner's ticket.

Previously, we were integrated with another system that did not allow us to see the whole picture. For example, social networks remained the territory of the SMM, and the support team did not monitor them 24/7. When we switched to Usedesk and set up all the channels we needed, the volume didn't surprise us. It is expected and only in 3 months has increased by 20%. Now it's hundreds of referrals a day across all channels.

Yes, from the beginning, we have a formed "Tone of Voice" that we adhere to. Each social network deserves the special treatment of its users, and of course, what goes into VKontakte does not always go into Twitter and vice versa. There are "kinks," and our PR doesn't doze off and give us a slap on the wrist. But what can you do if users get it :) Well, here's an example –

We use a ticket request system for communication with users - Usedesk. All the client leaves in the feedback form in the application and on the website are sent to one place, which allows us to save our employees' time, only moving from ticket to ticket.

It is also an essential convenience for us: for each client's case directly from Usedesk we can write to the agency. At this point, the client's ticket is "on hold" until we resolve the pain. Once all explanations are received, we go back to the client with the final solution. This tool allows us to track the timing of the issue, the agency's work and the correctness of its actions.

Plus, another one of the first integrations that were done is AppFollow. A convenient service, with which we have previously collaborated to track feedback in our apps. In comparison, in other companies, employees still have to manually log in to Google Play or AppStore and respond to reviews in the site's desktop version. On the other hand, we receive reviews directly into the Usedesk system, set up tags to create "star" categories and assign topics based on the text of the appeal. Based on the report, we can see what users don't like and where the product should be refined.

The main metrics we are targeting right now are SLA compliance (i.e., response time) and CSI satisfaction index. Plus, additional quality control on compliance with business processes.

One of the first cases I was told about after I joined the company was the Bali case. A client arrived at the airport and found out he had missed his flight. At the same time, the printed tickets said otherwise. The reaction is completely understandable - resentment and a lack of understanding of what to do next. No money for a new ticket, the visa would have been overstayed. The client wrote to us, and while we were trying to figure out what was going on, our colleagues put the client on a plane to Dubai. They booked a hotel for the long layover and sent him home on the first convenient flight. It turned out when the client returned home; the mistake was on the side of the partner. The culprits were punished, and the client was happy with the service.

There was a case when our clients were complaining that our partner agencies couldn't disable a paid service when buying a ticket. And according to our rules, agencies are not supposed to include any additional services by default. Whatever the price is displayed on our website, that's how it should be at the time of purchase. As it turned out, the agency did not violate the rule, but the wording was so complicated that even we did not understand which button to press. We worked through this case with the agency and put forward our own terms on the wording, which was taken into account. The "erroneous" services were cancelled and the money was refunded.

For now, mail and social media remain the main channel. In the future, we plan to introduce chat and messengers for even quicker communication with us.


The agency where you bought your ticket should help in all cases. But if for some reason it didn't work out, feel free to contact us. Support is one of the "whales" of Aviasales along with fair pricing, so it's all serious ;)