November 28th, 2022, Lesley Simeon
Frontier Airlines has done away with its customer service phone line, replacing it with live chat options via text, WhatsApp and social media channels. Customers will be communicating with a chatbot first before engaging with a human agent. The move is part of the company’s cost-cutting measures.
How do the airline’s customers feel about engaging with tech first instead of a human?
According to YouGov Profiles - which covers demographic, psychographic, attitudinal and behavioral consumer metrics – most (75%) of Frontier Airlines consumers agree with the statement that chatbots make talking to companies too impersonal. 63% of the general US population agree as well. Based on this data, Frontier Airlines’ decision to direct help-seeking consumers to a chatbot first and human agent second may not perhaps be enthusiastically received by its customers looking for a more personalised experience.
But it isn’t all bad news for chatbot usage. Profiles data also shows that 44% of Frontier Airlines’ customers agree with the statement that they love the ease of using chatbots to get answers, while a third of them disagree. In comparison, 34% and 46% of the general population agree and disagree with the statement, respectively.
The experience that airline will be able to provide through its social media, WhatsApp and live chat channels will be critical in how customers experience and perceive Frontier Airlines as a brand in the near future. A notable majority of Frontier Airlines’ customers (83%) agree that they do not contact customer service unless it is absolutely necessary. So, while offering live online chat options might work well in getting consumers quick answers, keeping the voice call option available for customers that absolutely feel the need to call in is worth thinking about.
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Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for the US is nationally and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.
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