Customer Service

Contact center operations, self-service tools, and customer support channels.

Scope

Contact Channels

• Phone (call center)
• Email
• Chat (web, app)
• Social media (Twitter, Facebook)
• WhatsApp / messaging apps
• In-app support

Self-Service

• Manage My Booking (web/app)
• FAQ and knowledge base
• Chatbot / virtual assistant
• IVR self-service
• Automated refund requests

Service Operations

• Case management
• Escalation workflows
• Quality monitoring
• Workforce management
• Performance analytics

Service Recovery

• Complaint handling
• Compensation processing
• Voucher issuance
• Goodwill gestures
• EU261 / DOT claims

Research Topics

• Contact center platform selection
• AI chatbot capabilities
• Sentiment analysis
• Quality management tools
• Workforce optimization
• Customer effort reduction
• Social listening tools
• Service recovery best practices

Architecture Considerations

Omnichannel Architecture

           Customer
              │
    ┌─────────┼─────────┐
    │         │         │
  Phone     Chat      Email
    │         │         │
    └─────────┼─────────┘
              │
    ┌─────────▼─────────┐
    │  Omnichannel Hub  │
    │  (Unified routing)│
    └─────────┬─────────┘
              │
    ┌─────────▼─────────┐
    │    Agent Desktop  │
    │  (Single view)    │
    └─────────┬─────────┘
              │
    ┌─────────▼─────────┐
    │   Core Systems    │
    │  (PSS, CRM, etc.) │
    └───────────────────┘

Case Management

ServiceCase
├── CaseID
├── Customer
├── Channel (Phone, Email, Chat, Social)
├── Category
│   ├── Booking
│   ├── Refund
│   ├── Complaint
│   ├── Feedback
│   └── General inquiry
├── Priority
├── Status (New, Open, Pending, Resolved)
├── Interactions[]
│   ├── Timestamp
│   ├── Channel
│   ├── Direction
│   └── Content
├── AssignedAgent
├── Resolution
└── SatisfactionScore

Chatbot Architecture

User Message
      ↓
┌─────────────┐
│   NLU       │ ← Intent recognition
└──────┬──────┘
       │
┌──────▼──────┐
│  Dialog Mgr │ ← Conversation flow
└──────┬──────┘
       │
   ┌───┴───┐
   │       │
Fulfill  Handoff
(API)   (Agent)

Integration Points

Service Level Targets

Response Times

Resolution

Chatbot Capabilities

Supported Intents

• Flight status inquiry
• Booking retrieval
• Check-in assistance
• Baggage policy questions
• Refund status
• General FAQ
• Agent handoff

Implementation

Quality Management

Components

• Call recording
• Screen recording
• Speech analytics
• Quality scorecards
• Coaching tools

Metrics Tracked

• Script adherence
• Customer sentiment
• Resolution accuracy
• Compliance
• Upsell success

Workforce Management

Functions

• Demand forecasting
• Schedule optimization
• Real-time adherence
• Intraday management
• Performance tracking

Vendors