Lufthansa Cargo has recently started utilizing a software solution it developed internally to automatically enter booking requests received by email into the airline's booking system.
The air freight carrier said this is made possible through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA).
Consequently, requests for the desired route can be processed even faster. Customers then receive a fully automated booking confirmation instantly.
"The majority of direct booking requests are already submitted via our website or booking platforms. Nevertheless, our sales teams still receive numerous enquiries in unstructured emails in which shipment data is listed in plain text or other file formats. Until now, these had to be transferred manually into our system," Urte Wirtz, head of global sales & product management at Lufthansa Cargo, said.
"Automating this process and entering the data simultaneously into our booking system saves time, particularly at the interface between our employees and our customers. Our forwarders also benefit from automated booking confirmations and faster processing. This increases efficiency and reduces the error rate of incorrectly transferred data on both sides," he added.
Wirtz noted that numerous automation projects are already being implemented at Lufthansa Cargo.
"With this new project, we have introduced another time-saving process at the interface with our customers. With fewer manual tasks, our sales teams in particular have more time for personal dialogue with our customers. This once again demonstrates that we are actively driving the digitalisation of the air freight industry and embracing new technologies," he said.
The expansion of the new booking process to other product groups is already in preparation.
Lufthansa Cargo said it has been operating its own 'AI & Automation Community' within the company for around a year now and experts evaluate and implement potential automation projects.
It added that last year alone, this resulted in around 10 new projects, which are now in the pilot phase or already in regular operation.
These include the introduction of an intelligent software solution for customer relationship management that automatically forwards enquiries to the relevant department or makes automated rebookings in the event of unforeseen disruptions during transport.
"The technological possibilities offered by AI and RPA ideally complement our digital portfolio. Combined with our core applications, such as the revamped booking platform, they offer a wide range of automation potential that we can implement much faster and more efficiently than just a few years ago," Jasmin Kaiser, CIO of Lufthansa Cargo, said.
