Business class airline Silverjet wants to use radio frequency identification (RFID) to offer a tailored service and lure top-end travellers from traditional rivals.

Until now, use of RFID in the airline industry has been confined to tracking baggage and aircraft parts. But Silverjet plans to issue regular customers with a personal, reusable tag.

The tag could store the passenger’s details and allow staff to greet them by name, says Silverjet IT director George Henderson.

‘It is the little things that add the personal touch and will bring customers back,’ he said.

‘The tags could also save information such as the customer’s favourite drink so we can offer it to them on arrival,’ he said.

The firm’s programme to bring call centre operations back in-house is part of the same strategy.

Silverjet’s call centre will be run internally from July and use two new systems to improve customer service: automated call distribution software will recognise callers and direct them to the appropriate operator, and contact management software will give staff the caller’s entire customer history.

‘The software is integrated into our reservation systems so that staff can greet people by name, call up details on previous conversations and provide a more personal service,’ said Henderson.

The call centre programme presents a considerable challenge, but offers significant dividends in terms of customer service, he says.

Electronic tagging technologies have significant potential for the provision of premium services, says Peter Harrop, chairman at analyst ID TechEx.

‘RFID can let staff know who the passenger is when he or she walks through the door and offer the appropriate service,’ he said. ‘And it does not rely on wide-scale rollout to lower costs.’