ALASKA AIRLINES, HORIZON AIR VIRTUAL TRAVEL GUIDE EXCEEDS BUSINESS GOALS
'Jenn' celebrates major milestones during 1st birthday
SEATTLE, WA. (February 13, 2009) – In early February 2008, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air introduced the very first virtual travel guide, 'Jenn,' on their Web site (www.alaskaair.com) to the world. In one year’s time, Jenn has exceeded numerous expectations and possible speculation, answering over 3.2 million questions so far, the impact on Alaska’s Web users has been immediate, reaffirming Alaska’s standing as a technological pioneer.
From day one of Jenn’s introduction, she has exceeded targeted milestones and operational efficiencies for shifting customer service to the Web, reducing calls into the call centers, and increasing customer engagement. Due to the overwhelming confidence expressed by customers, in October 2008, Alaska Air eliminated Web chat altogether, relying on Jenn's expertise to achieve the same goals with cost efficiency.
"I consider Jenn to be an integral member of our team. By answering 3.2 million questions, she’s allowed the rest of us to focus on solving the more complex issues," explains Lane Kemper, Managing Director, Customer Service – Call Centers.
Jenn was created using Human Emulation Software™, ActiveAgent™ from Spokane, Wash.-based technology company Next IT. The software allows users to interact with technology using a natural-language interface that can retrieve both general and specific information across databases, answer questions and clarify users’ intents by asking follow-up questions. Jenn is configured with messaging to support branding, marketing, customer relations and sales support strategies; delivering a consistent message to every customer, every time.
"Our implementation of ActiveAgent has exceeded my expectations," said Steve Jarvis, VP, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Experience, Alaska Airlines. "The results to date are outstanding."
Jenn is the first virtual travel guide introduced by a U.S. airline. Jenn is accessed by clicking the "Ask Jenn" link on alaskaair.com’s main toolbar. When customers type questions in Jenn’s chat window, she responds verbally, asks follow-up questions when needed, provides a written response and related Web links, and displays the site’s most relevant page. For example, try asking Jenn "I want to fly to from SEA to LA on the day before Valentine’s and return on Monday." To reveal her personality, Jenn also answers many personal questions on topics such as pets and favorite foods.
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and sister carrier Horizon Air together serve more than 80 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at alaskaair.com/newsroom.
About Next IT
Next IT’s Human Emulation Software™, ActiveAgent™, creates Virtual Experts that are redefining the communication between people and technology, with clients such as Alaska Air (www.alaskaair.com), U.S. Army (www.goarmy.com) and Merrill Lynch. ActiveAgent, accurately understands and interprets natural language questions and delivers exact results across multiple service channels such as the web, contact center, intranet, mobile devices, and more. For more information on Next IT and Ask Jenn, please email info@nextit.com or visit www.NextIT.com.
Press Contact:
Jennifer Snell
Next IT Corporation
509.242.0776
marketing@nextit.com
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