For the tenth consecutive time, Splunk is proud to be named a Leader in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Security Information and Event Management (SIEM).
Clear communications in a complex environment
In a complex communications environment that can be impacted by factors outside of United’s immediate control, keeping Agent on Demand constantly available and performant while minimizing call interruptions is paramount. Dan Field, Director of Platform and Network Engineering at United Airlines, says, "The applications and systems powering Agent on Demand might be intricate, but the customer experience must always be straightforward, easy, and swift."
Using AppDynamics and Cisco ThousandEyes, United gains comprehensive visibility across the intricate digital ecosystem supporting Agent on Demand. This stretches from internal servers, databases and networks to external elements including the customer’s internet or mobile connection.
Using custom dashboards, United engineers can accelerate root-cause analysis and reduce MTTR while making information available to agents that helps them improve the customer experience. For example, if a passenger has a weak mobile network or wi-fi connection, agents can proactively advise them on steps to maintain the connection and ensure a smoother interaction, such as switching off video or transitioning from Webex to a voice call or chat.
Take-off for customer satisfaction and loyalty
Agent on Demand prioritizes swift resolution of customer issues and clear communication, so passengers can reach their destinations with minimal stress and delays. This focus has a positive impact on United’s reputation and its crucial NPS (Net Promoter Score), which reflects how likely passengers are to recommend the airline.
"The key benefit for customers is gaining fast access to an agent who can put their mind at rest," says Field. "Instead of waiting in line for potentially an hour, passengers can connect directly with an agent and resolve flights and accommodations within 15 to 20 minutes."
Field shares an example from when United Airlines transitioned Agent on Demand to a dedicated operations team. During this initial phase, there was a server malfunction within the system. However, with AppDynamics real-time insights, he pinpointed the exact source of the problem and removed the affected server from the load balancer swiftly.
"Previously, troubleshooting issues could take up to 30 minutes," says Field. "But AppDynamics provides far greater visibility so we can now resolve issues in half that time. By proactively notifying all relevant teams of potential problems, we foster a more collaborative and efficient approach."
Field also praises the scalability of Cisco’s communications ecosystem and the observability tools that support it, including AppDynamics. For instance, a winter storm could potentially disrupt dozens of flights with many passengers logging on to Agent on Demand simultaneously. The inherent stability and scalability of the Cisco architecture enables the airline to seamlessly adjust the number of available agents based on real-time call volume.
Field says, “Agent on Demand is a priority application that must be available at all times. With AppDynamics, we can ramp up to speak to hundreds of customers at any one time safe in the knowledge that we can immediately resolve any issues that prevent a clear connection.”
Field also looks forward to further combination of AppDynamics with other Splunk products. The United Airlines security operations center (SOC) uses Splunk to analyze infrastructure data and identify incidents, behavioral changes, and other security-related events.
“Integration of AppDynamics and Splunk will allow us to make further use of Splunk AI features to analyze our security infrastructure and application data, identify trends and generate critical action items across environments,” he says.
The ability to gather and consolidate data from multiple sources also paves the way for AI applications and self-healing intelligence. “We’re very excited by Cisco’s roadmap for generative AI that can proactively identify the root cause of issues. The ability to resolve problems fast without the need for manual intervention is another important step on our journey to provide the best possible passenger experience,” he says.
