India-based IBS Software, a technology solutions provider that targets the global airlines industry, is gearing up to partner with the leading airlines in the Middle East to re-strategise and revamp their customer loyalty programmes as airlines make their post-pandemic comeback, the founder and executive chairman of IBS told Arabian Business.
IBS will also offer a novel ‘pay-as-you-use’ option to the financially stretched airlines looking to invest in revamping their customer loyalty programs through technology upgrades.
“‘Personalisation, customisation and virtualisation’ will have to be the ‘mantra’ – the motto – for airlines to survive in the post-pandemic marketplace. To achieve this, airlines will have to re-imagine their existing customer care programmes like frequent flier schemes and loyalty clubs to take them to altogether different levels,” V K Mathews, founder and executive chairman of IBS Software, told Arabian Business in an exclusive interview.
“This would also mean that airlines need to transform themselves into travel companies – anticipating and meeting all the required services and goods travellers may need – rather than just selling flight tickets to them,” said Mathews.
Mathews also revealed that IBS was currently in discussions with the airlines in the Middle East to help them to massively revamp their customer care and loyalty programmes using its innovative technological solutions.
“We have already entered into a partnership agreement with the Gulf Air and are currently in discussions with most of the airlines in the [Middle East] region for offering our tech solutions and services for a total revamp of their schemes and programmes related to customer services and loyalty,” said Mathews, who spends most of his time in his Dubai office.
IBS entered into a partnership agreement with the Gulf Air to enhance its Falconflyer loyalty programme
The IBS package will also enable airlines to operate multiple loyalty programmes from a single platform.
Mathews said his company will be helping airlines with the latest artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)-based tech solutions to understand and know the behaviour, interest and requirements of their passengers in order to make their loyalty programmes totally flexible and dynamic to offer personalised and customised services to their passengers.
“In short, an airline should have the complete knowledge of each of its customers, especially the frequent fliers and higher class customers, to offer, say, which book he or she may like to read, which drink and food to offer, what kind of safety measures or any other services he or she might require.
“This would also mean airlines will have to enter into partnership networks with a whole set of service providers to arrange these goods and services to their customers. So, airlines in the post-pandemic marketplace will have to offer a basket of services to passengers to not only allay their concerns and bring them back to flying in large numbers but also to make them their favourite carriers to fly with,” Mathews said.
Mathews said in the post-pandemic scenario, customer loyalty programmes could emerge as a major earner for airlines with multiple avenues for generating income, other than from flight tickets.
V K Mathews, founder and executive chairman of IBS Software
As for the ability of airlines, including those in the Middle East, to make heavy investments for these tech upgradation, Mathews said since the airlines are financially stretched now, his company would be helping them with easy payment options for its services.
“We recognise the situation. For this, we are crafting our commercial deals with ‘pay-as-you-use’ options so that airlines can derive the benefits without paying in advance.
“However, this is the time all airlines – and even travel companies – realise the value of investing in technology,” Mathews said.
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