Cebu Pacific: Delivering a seamless customer-centric experience with Viber
75%
increase in Net Promoter Score
CHALLENGE
Enhancing customer experience in a fast-changing digital environment
Cebu Pacific is the leading airline in the Philippines, operating across over 60 domestic and international destinations. Positioning itself as a value-driven and budget-friendly airline, it caters to price-conscious travelers by offering low fares and seat sales promoting through digital communication.
Although digital communication was key for Cebu Pacific, the airline faced significant challenges in the initial stages in ensuring timely, relevant communication with millions of customers across different stages of their journey.
Previously, the airline used email and SMS as the primary channels for communication. However, since the process was manual, they faced challenges in delivering the right message at the right time, leading to customer dissatisfaction.
Cebu Pacific needed a communications solution provider who could help them leverage digital channels to automate their customer experience and drive higher engagement.
Before Infobip, communicating with our customers was difficult. That is one of the reasons we sought out a communications partner. The world was getting more digital at that time, and we wanted to be resilient. We wanted to adapt to the times.
Jose Edzel T. Del Rosario V
Senior Manager – Digital Media Optimization, Cebu Pacific
SOLUTION
Creating seamless digital experiences leveraging Viber and SMS
After evaluating many companies, Cebu Pacific selected Infobip as its communication partner due to our platform stability and localized presence in the Philippines. A physical office in the Philippines proved to be a major differentiator as the airline company was looking for local support, which most other providers could not offer.
As digitalization and timely communication were key requirements of Cebu Pacific, we helped them leverage Viber, the most popular communication app in the Philippines, and SMS, the most trusted channel when it came to deliverability.
The onboarding process was completed very fast, and within a few days after the documentation process, they were able to get started. Our local sales team made the onboarding seamless by providing the required training and helped them roll out their first use case.
We looked at the amount of support that Infobip could offer before choosing a communications partner, and we would say that onboarding was normal. Any service connected to a telco should expect a ton of documentary requirements, right? It’s good to note that the Infobip team helped us 100% with all those, indicating the actual requirements and submitting them to the telcos.
Jose Edzel T. Del Rosario V
Senior Manager – Digital Media Optimization, Cebu Pacific
Viber + SMS: A combination that delivered results
We helped Cebu Pacific implement a holistic communication strategy by combining Viber and SMS to enhance customer experience. Viber was used as a primary channel for communication due to its rich messaging capabilities and ability to provide delivery reports. On the other hand, SMS was used as a failover option to reach out to customers who had not received Viber messages.
The airline leverages Viber for various promotional campaigns due to its core features, such as a high character limit and rich media support, which provide more creative freedom.
For instance, Cebu Pacific periodically runs seat sale campaigns on Viber to attract and engage customers using eye-catching visuals such as images and GIFs.
Viber works best for commercial or marketing use cases. So, every time there is a big sale, 11:11 or 12:12 or something to that effect, one of the choices for communicating those sales is Viber, at least from Cebu Pacific’s point of view. Viber is utilized every time there is a big sale.
Jose Edzel T. Del Rosario V
Senior Manager – Digital Media Optimization, Cebu Pacific
Besides promotional campaigns, Viber and SMS are used for regular passenger communication and updates, such as sending notifications about flight delays, boarding gate changes, or any other information about upcoming flights.
Automation and personalization: Key pillars for Cebu Pacific
Cebu Pacific gives prime importance to automation to drive operational efficiency and scale their campaigns. In one of the campaigns for existing customers, the airline has been automating and segmenting audiences to recommend the next best ancillary product to customers ahead of their flight.
For example, if a passenger has not added a checked bag while booking the flight, and historical data combined with automation show that passengers with similar profiles typically do, a targeted offer is sent to the passenger via Viber, SMS, and email.
This personalized approach is driven by a propensity model that leverages historical purchase behavior to predict which ancillary services a passenger is most likely to purchase.
RESULT
Achieved 75% increase in Net Promoter Score and higher business growth
By implementing Viber use cases powered by Infobip, Cebu Pacific has witnessed a continuous increase in the Net Promoter Score and a higher conversion rate for promotional campaigns.
As a data-driven organization with a strong culture of testing and learning, the airline conducts frequent experiments with Viber use cases. These tests have consistently shown positive uplifts in customer engagement and purchase behavior.
Here are some of the key results achieved:
- 75% increase in Net Promoter Score in 2024 compared to the previous year
- 6% increase in the conversion after running promotional campaigns on Viber, followed by SMS as a failover channel
For all our customers, everybody who has flown, a survey is sent out after their flight. We have an analytics team that looks after the results. Reading through all of the survey entries, we do see appreciation when it comes to the timeliness of when they receive information regarding their flights.
Jose Edzel T. Del Rosario V
Senior Manager – Digital Media Optimization, Cebu Pacific
Cebu Pacific is one of the few companies that conducts frequent testing, analyzes results, and takes improvement initiatives accordingly. Partnering with us has helped the airline successfully elevate its digital engagement strategy, ensuring timely, personalized communication at scale.
Infobip and Cebu Pacific, we’ve been partners for pretty much six or seven years, and I think the length of that partnership is a testament to the quality of service that Infobip provides to Cebu Pacific. From the six or seven years that I can recall, I don’t recall ever having a ticket to be filed. So, congratulations to you guys.
Jose Edzel T. Del Rosario V
Senior Manager – Digital Media Optimization, Cebu Pacific
COMPANY PROFILE
Cebu Pacific is the leading airline in the Philippines. Established in 1988, it is the largest airline in the country by fleet size, operating flights to over 60 domestic and international destinations across 14 countries, including China, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. The airline has been increasing its footprint in the Philippines and Southeast Asia by offering a safe, reliable, budget-friendly travel option.