Customer service has just reached unprecedented heights. British Airways (BA) has filed a patent for an "ingestible sensor" that will amazingly be able to monitor passengers' physiological states throughout their flights, according to the Telegraph. Data from this pill will then allow flight attendants to serve their customers accordingly. This is a technological breakthrough that that will majorly transform customer service and make it much more futuristic and sophisticated.
A digital pill swallowed to monitor customer satisfaction
Once swallowed, the tiny transmitter will wirelessly transmit information to the flight attendants. This information will include passengers' vital signs, including heart rate, internal temperature, sleep patterns, stomach acidity. Measuring these physiological responses will indicate whether the person is hungry, nervous, awake, asleep or too hot/too cold and will allow the crew to better serve the customer. For instance, if you're parched, the flight attendant may pick up on it before you do and will get you a glass of water.
What's the purpose of this technology? It is to personalise the travel environment for individual customers and improve passenger wellness and wellbeing while flying, the patent application sent to the Intellectual Property Office stated. The application also emphasises its potential to lessen the negative effects of jetlag.
Other "environmental conditions" that the flight attendants will be able to adjust are sleep and meal times, in-flight entertainment, seat position, lighting and air conditioning based on the data.
The competitive advantages of a patent
Patenting your invention could give you a significant competitive advantage.
BA will be placed at a distinct competitive advantage with this incredible technology. They're not the only ones that have tried to alleviate jetlag and make customers more comfortable with technology though.
In the patent application, BA mentions other companies that have done this. For example, they cited the "Jet Lag Fighter" app from Virgin Atlantic that allows users to enter personal data to acquire a programme to alleviate jet lag as a similar approach to customer wellbeing in the industry.
However, BA's technology takes the in-flight experience to a whole other level. Never before will the customer experience have been so well quantified or the service requirements made so accurate.
The BA sensor goes to show that patenting your invention could give you a significant competitive advantage and deliver unprecedented levels of service to your future customers. Contact Alder IP to learn more about the benefits of patents and to receive expert legal aid when applying for a patent.