Amadeus Agent Pay has been launched, a solution said to makes airline call centre bookings more secure by removing payment information from the conversation, and which can also accept alternative payment methods that see growing popularity in recent years.
With call centres remaining a significant channel and accounting for 15 per cent of total airline bookings, according to Amadeus, airlines have had to trade off security against convenience when taking payment in this channel.
Not only were customers required to give their card details over the phone, either to an agent or an automated voice system, they were also limited to just card payments unlike other channels which offer multiple payment methods.
Amadeus claims its new solution addresses these limitations by allowing airline agents to send their customers a link, via SMS or email, to a secure webpage. The customer can then complete the payment from their smartphone, tablet or PC. Meanwhile the ticket is kept on hold, and issued automatically once the payment is completed.
With Agent Pay, customers can also pay with alternative methods like PayPal and Alipay, just as they would in the airline’s web or mobile page.
Finnair is the first airline to deploy Agent Pay at its call centre in Finland, and has proceeded to introduce the solution for its chat-based customer service agents, said Satu Karaksela, digital customer care manager of Finnair. The carrier is also testing the software at the airport.
