There’s this amazing video circulating the Web thanks to WestJet, a Canadian airline company, showcasing the power of the holiday spirit. I don’t want to spoil the surprise for you if you haven’t already seen it, so take a look:
What first seemed like a mediocre holiday campaign – setting up a virtual Santa for passengers to talk to – turned into an unexpected delight. As the WestJet passengers boarded their flight, WestJet employees took off to find the gifts Santa just heard about. Baggage claim replaced suitcases with presents, shocking passengers and turning a typically dreadful experience into a joyous one. Samsung Galaxy devices, Android tablets, big-screen TVs, cameras and snowboards were among some of the gifts given.
So, what does this campaign have to do with WebRTC? I couldn’t help but make the connection right from the moment passengers were virtually communicating with Santa.
The Virtual Santa units were custom-built by The Taylor Group, an experiential marketing agency, and GlobaCore, creative technology company specializing in large format multitouch surfaces, game development and unique human computer interactions, which created and developed the technology behind the WestJet Santa units.
Passengers were prompted to scan their boarding pass when they approached the Santa unit. Once scanned, it would link to the WestJet North Pole (aka The WestJet Digital Command Center), where in six seconds a connecting screen allowed Santa to gather the guests name and prep for the interaction. Santa then communicated with the guests through a webcam, where he found out what was on their Christmas wish list.
“At WestJet fun is in our DNA and we wanted to celebrate the joy of giving with our guests by providing them an experience that has never been done before. Real-time giving was very important to the success of the WestJet Christmas Miracle video because it showed the care we have for making sure our guests have a great personalized experience every time they fly with us,” WestJet told TMC.
In addition to the real-time video capabilities, there are some other takeaways about how this campaign relates to WebRTC.
Taking a frustrating experience and making it pleasant
Companies that stand out are the ones that use the power of technology to enhance an experience. In the case of WestJet passengers, flying would be the dreaded experience, and technology made flying – or at least this trip – memorable, in a good way. The same goes for WebRTC – the technology is used to enhance online experiences, especially some that people may dread, such as the contact center.
WebRTC can be used as a value-add to applications or services, and is expected to dominate in customer service situations. The technology transforms a company’s website to become the front end for the contact center, providing the ability for high-touch and high-value interactions.
Using real-time communications for a bigger, better purpose
WestJet used real-time communications as part of its bigger plan; talking to Santa was only step one to delivering an above-and-beyond customer experience. As more people and companies realize the benefits of WebRTC, they also realize that WebRTC is part of the solution – adding WebRTC functionality to a contact center is driving toward the goal of improving overall customer experience and interactions with a brand.
Edited by
Cassandra Tucker
