The next time you go to the airport you might be greeted by a customer service agent who’s friendly, always willing to help, and never loses her cool. Oh, and by the way? She’s not human.
That’s right, a handful of airports have employed “Ava,” a holographic avatar, to take on customer service. Her job is to field those common questions like where the taxi stand is located.
Ava can be found in all three New York area airports. You’ll see a similar avatar in Washington’s Dulles airport named Paige, and in Boston’s Logan airport, her name is Carla.
The UK introduced their virtual airport assistants, including Holly and Graham, last year.
It’s a brave new world, but what’s totally crazy is that New York’s Port Authority implemented this change after reviewing customer surveys that said people wanted…more human interaction!
It all boils down to the bottom line, and when you’ve got fewer salaries to pay, that saves a lot of money in the long run. Hey, avatars never have a bad day, but they also can’t think creatively or go beyond their program. And in my world, when the art of conversation is lost, well, I have a real problem with that.
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