Effectiveness of the Virgin Australia Online Ticketing System - Research Paper Example

System analysis Name: University affiliation Three customers were interviewed orally in regard to the effectiveness of the Virgin Australia Online Ticketing system. Two data gathering techniques were employed in this research. Oral interviews were used and also went a step further in observing how the system functioned. The first customer (John) Student’s name: kindly summarize to me the stages you go through while booking your flight at Virgin Australia. John: Visiting check-in.virginaustralia.com on my tablet. Then retrieve my booking in the system. Then I identify the guest to check-in. I optionally select journeys based on my outbound journey status. One then nominates the checked luggage or purchase additional checked luggage optionally. I had to select the red checked bags text and nominated my three bags that I am travelling with and purchased an extra bag. I then edited the extras that I had added to my booking by selecting edit items then entered the details of my MasterCard billing method. Since I was not travelling with any dangerous good, I declared that I was not doing so by selecting “no I’m not”. I sent my boarding passes through SMS. I preferred receiving my boarding pass through SMS over other methods on convenience grounds. I entered my mobile number in the field that was provided in the interface. Then I received my mobile boarding pass though an SMS that had a link to my boarding pass. Student’s name: were you required to do anything else in addition to that? John: Yes. I presented and scanned my boarding pass at the gate to the board. I had to check in one hour before my scheduled departure time. And that is it. Student’s name: thank you very much Mr. John. The second customer (Rachael) Student’s name: How are you madam? Rachael: Am fine thank you. How can I help you? Student’s name: I would like you to tell me your experience with the new Virgin Australia Online Ticketing system. Have you installed their system in your tablet? Rachael: The system is good and we are enjoying it. It is more convenient. Yes….mmmm, yes. Student’s name: Kindly tell me how you interact with the system. Possibly, using the system installed in your tablet. Rachael: (swiping her tablet) the system has been of great help to me. I am able to book my flight online and still get my boarding pass through an SMS. Isn’t that great? Student’s name: yes it is. What are few things that you like about the system? Rachael: I enjoy a similar check-in experience in spite of whether I am using my desktop computers, tablets or mobile devices. I am also enjoying faster Check-ins, with additional streamlined processes that reduce the number of stages required in the processing of my bookings. We, as customer, are also capable of purchasing more luggage and extra leg-room within the course of their check-ins for the first time. Student’s name: doe the system require any further improvements? Rachael: Of course. The system, sometimes, is not easily accessed. That is, the system is down sometimes and this makes me to feel frustrated especially when I don’t have much time to keep on trying to login the website. Student’s name: thank you very much for the time you have spared for the survey. Rachael: welcome, let us meet sometime later. Observations The SabreSonic booking and check-in system that is currently used by Virgin Australia online system was launched on 26th August 2014. SabreSonic booking and check-in systems supports the portal of the whole flight net network. Virgin Australia had to launch an improved online check-in system that was meant to be of significant importance to the domestic flights. The system was to give clients more relevant information and control in regard to their bookings whenever they checking-in through their smart phones, tablets or computers (Virginaustralia, 2014). The launched system was incorporated by the airline with the intent of integrating the SabreSonic booking and check-in system. The system is offering an easy design, additional functionality and customized destination information as well as the weather and tourism sight. The incorporated Virgin Australia Online system enables the Virgin Australia clients to be enjoying the similar check-in experience in spite of whether they are using desktop computers, tablets or mobile devices. The clients are also enjoying faster Check-ins, with additional streamlined processes that reduce the number of stages required in the processing of their booking. The system also generates an SMS or email boarding passes from their remote desktop computers, for the first time. Customers are also experiencing an improved personalized service with the weather and travel information related to the client's destination revealed on the check-in complete screens. Customers are also capable of purchasing more luggage and extra leg-room within the course of their check-ins for the first time. There is a new experience in the functionality for the group bookings, especially the group leaders since they are now capable of check-in their entire groups prior to their arrival at the airport (Virginaustralia, 2014). Sabresonic customer sales & service The system being used by the Virgin Australia online system is the sabresonic customer sales and service. This system is a product of the Sabre Holdings® which is known globally for its innovations in the travel marketplace. Virgin Australia Airlines has the liberty of executing the special customer strategies with a more flexible solution and trusted partnership with the SabreSonic® Customer Sales & Service (CSS). The abovementioned system is the industry’s only faultless solution that enables powerful points of sales and service i.e. Websites, mobile phones, kiosks and agents. The software has high flexibility, end-to-end clients’ sales and service solution and is delivering exceptional, revenue-generating and client-focused abilities at affordable cost. At the core of the system, one finds reservations, the globe’s most admired departure control system, as well as the spearheading Internet booking engine, given support by the way prices and shopping, inventories, ticketing, and re-accommodations are made effective (Virginaustralia, 2014). However, whenever there is a great traffic accessing the Virginia Australia Airlines portal, the system becomes too slow to be accessed. Therefore, the company can improve the speed of their servers by purchasing more mainframe computers as a way of increasing efficiency. The analysts should consider the speeds of portal access on various platforms. They should find out the experiences of clients, who access the portal using tablets, desktops and smart phones. The analysts should also find out if customers get the boarding passes SMS in time and the necessary steps taken (Sabre, 2011). The stake holders involved in the research are customers of the Virgin Australia airline. The analysts should not look down upon the opinions of the clients. However, the two clients were much appreciating the step taken by the company in incorporating the SabreSonic® Customer Sales & Service (CSS) as their system. The analysts can use the results gotten from the clients and the research in improving the existing system. The clients who were contacted in the research pointed out at the issue of slow portal access when there is more traffic accessing the website of the company. Therefore, the analysts can use this weakness of the system and look for the way out so that the company does not lose its potential customers to the rivals due to the slow portal access (Sabre, 2011). The process of choosing of the method to be used in the collection of data is correlated to the data collection approach, the type of variables, the precision needed, the collection points and the skills of the enumerators. Links between the variables, their sources and practical methods for their collection can aid in the choosing of suitable methods. The main methods that could be used in the collection of the data Registration: The registers and licenses would be of great significance in the completion if the enumeration, however, they would have a limitation to the variables that change gradually, such as numbers of clients accessing the portal and their characteristics (FAO, 2014). Questionnaires: There would be some forms that would be filled and returned by the respondents. This method is very affordable since it is essential where literacy rates are significantly high and the respondents are willingly co-operative (FAO, 2014). Interviews: There would be forms that would be filled through the interviews with the respondents. This method is considerably more expensive than the approach of using questionnaires. However, the method is suitable for the more difficult questions, low literacy or less co-operative (FAO, 2014). Direct observations: Direct measurements would be made. The direct measurements are the most precise approach; however, it is usually very expensive (FAO, 2014). Reporting: This is a major substitute to the method of making direct measurements and would require the respondents and others to be reporting their activities and experiences with the Virgin Australia airline booking system. This approach of reporting needs literacy and co-operation, however, it could require the backing up by some legal requirements and direct measurements (FAO, 2014). In conclusion, the Virgin Australia Airlines use the SabreSonic® Customer Sales & Service (CSS) as their Online Ticketing system. The oral interview carried on two clients shown that they were appreciating the system since it was convenient to them and was also faster. However, they felt that the system could hang often, especially when there was more traffic accessing the system. The system gives clients more relevant information and control in regard to their bookings whenever they checking-in through their smart phones, tablets or computers. However, the efficiency of the Virgin Australia Airlines online booking system can be enhanced if more main-frame computers were incorporated into the system. Reference list FAO. (2014). Data collection methods. Available at http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x2465e/x2465e09.htm Sabre. (2011). Airline customer sales and service solution. Retrieved from http://www.sabreairlinesolutions.com/images/uploads/SabreSonic_CSS_Overview_brochure.pdf Virginaustralia.(2014). Virgin Australia launches new Online Check-In system Retrieved from the Virginia Australia Website: http://www.virginaustralia.com Read More