Malaysia Airlines bolsters digital strategy with WhatsApp Business solution

Malaysia Airlines (MAB) has unveiled its Whatsapp Business solution to enable customers to receive their flight booking confirmation and flight status. This comes months after it revealed three digital initiatives - MHguardian, MHfeedback and Facebook messenger bot called MHchat.The airline said it will continue to offer more services in the future and allow customers to receive important updates such as check-in, schedule and other operational notifications via WhatsApp. Its current methods of communication with travellers include email and SMS.Group CEO Izham Ismail said the WhatsApp Business solution will enable MAB to reach out to more passengers, as WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging applications."We are extremely excited to be the first in Malaysia and one of the first few airlines in the world to offer this new service on WhatsApp. The new service will go a long way towards enhancing the customer experience for today’s always connected customers," he added. MAB joins companies such as Etihad Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Netflix in using WhatsApp to engage consumers.In July, MAB named its chief commercial officer Arved von zur Muehlen to the role of group CMO. In his previous role, he was tasked with developing a comprehensive and sustainable plan to improve the airline’s marketing, sales, products and customer service.Meanwhile, in a bid to reinstate and demonstrate that MAB is the national icon and represents Malaysian hospitality on behalf of the nation to all its guests and customers, the airline launched a new brand campaign in March this year titled “Malaysian Hospitality Begins With Us”. The new campaign is executed across TV, print, outdoor and social media platforms, and will also be expanded beyond Malaysia.Read also:WhatsApp Business solution: Are you ready to jump on the bandwagon?WhatsApp for business use: A way into the world of dark data?WhatsApp’s Business app to charge for marketing messages, unveils new features