BOZEMAN, MONT. (December 14, 2004)—RightNow® Technologies (Company
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“By deploying RightNow we want to achieve two key things,” said Gary Schaffer, head of contact centre at easyJet. “We continually strive to provide our customers with the very best levels of customer service, so this was a primary objective. We also want to keep operational costs as flat as possible by avoiding a linear headcount as passenger enquiries increase. By selecting a hosted solution from RightNow we’re confident of achieving both goals.”
easyJet sells approximately 98% of its seats via the Web, so it is crucial that customers can easily carry out end-to-end transactions while they are online. By using RightNow, the 1.5 million customers visiting www.easyjet.com every week will be able to ask for help in their own words, and receive instant answers that use artificial intelligence to ensure their relevancy. The deployment has proved successful with over 90% of customers serving themselves to information without agent intervention.
Customers unable to find information can submit an email that will be answered by an easyJet customer service agent. 35 agents have access to the RightNow knowledge base of questions and answers, so if a new question is asked they can upload the answer to ensure customers won’t need to email with the same enquiry again. Already emails to agents have reduced by 40% -- freeing them up to assist customers with more complex issues.
By choosing RightNow as its strategic partner for multi-channel customer contact means that easyJet can easily coordinate and manage customer interactions. As the airline grows its business, the benefits of a centralised system mean that innovations in customer service can be quickly tested and deployed. Future plans will see the airline pilot voice self-service, for customer service and customer transactions, and RightNow Outbound™, RightNow’s email marketing automation tool.
“With researchers expecting the low-fare segment of Europe’s airline market carrying domestic and international passengers to increase to 12-15% by 20101, low-cost airlines are faced with the very real issue of how to efficiently support their customers,” said Sean Forbes, vice president of marketing and business development at RightNow.
“RightNow’s on demand CRM software helps companies like easyJet aggressively grow their customer-base while providing brand-enhancing customer service. Proving that it is possible to balance slimmer operational costs with improved customer experience.”
1 Cranfield University, “Europe’s Low Cost Airlines-An analysis of the economics and operating characteristics of Europe’s charter and low cost scheduled carriers”: Air Transport Research Report 7, Cranfield.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Photography available at:
http://www.easyjet.com/common/img/photo003.jpg, or by contacting Jason Treu at 972.232.3977 or jtreu@rightnow.com
About easyJet
easyJet is Europe's leading low-cost airline. Since its first flight in November 1995, the airline has grown from a Luton base offering two routes from Luton to Glasgow and Edinburgh, served by two Boeing 737 aircraft, to one that offers 178 routes from 50 European airports, operating 84 aircraft (April 2004). The phenomenal growth of easyJet was boosted by its merger with Go-fly in August 2002, making the combined company Europe's Number 1 low cost airline.
In October 2002, the airline signed a deal to purchase 120 Airbus which will facilitate the airline's ongoing growth strategy.
About RightNow Technologies, Inc.
RightNow (NASDAQ: RNOW) provides organizations with industry-leading on demand CRM solutions to build customer-focused businesses. RightNow’s acclaimed technology, comprehensive services and commitment to customer success deliver high returns on investment for its customers. More than 1,100 organizations worldwide use RightNow solutions including British Airways, British Telecom, Cisco Systems, Continental Tire North America, The Dow Chemical Company, John Deere, Nikon and the Social Security Administration. Founded in 1997, RightNow is headquartered in Bozeman, Montana, with additional offices in North America, Europe and Asia. For further information, please visit www.rightnow.com.
RightNow is a registered trademark of RightNow Technologies, Inc. NASDAQ is a registered trademark of the NASDAQ Stock Market.
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