Overview

Eurowings partnered with Ströer-X and Leaping AI to introduce voice AI into their outsourced call center operations. The goal was to improve customer response times and operational efficiency without disrupting established workflows or compromising service quality.

Within two months, the system went from initial concept to handling live customer calls. Six weeks after launch, the voice AI autonomously resolves approximately 10% of inbound inquiries while transferring 82% to human agents in a structured, efficient manner.

The business context

Eurowings operates in a high-pressure environment. Customers calling an airline are often under time constraints. They need answers about flights, bookings, baggage, or schedule changes. Wait times create frustration. Unclear information creates bigger problems.

The airline had already outsourced customer service operations to Ströer-X, a German BPO with deep expertise in airline contact centers. This partnership worked well, but both organizations saw an opportunity. Simple, repetitive inquiries consumed agent time that could be better spent on complex customer situations.

The question was whether voice AI for an airline could handle those straightforward calls without creating new friction points. Could it work within the existing BPO structure? Could it serve customers in multiple languages naturally? Could it deploy quickly enough to matter?

The challenge

Introducing voice AI technology into airline operations isn't straightforward. Several requirements had to be met simultaneously.

1. Time-sensitive customer interactions: Airline passengers don't have patience for systems that waste their time. Any automation needed to be fast, accurate, and capable of recognizing when to escalate immediately.

2. Variable call complexity: Some calls are simple information requests. Others involve multi-step processes across different systems. The AI needed clear boundaries. It had to know what it could handle and what required human judgment.

3. Multilingual support: European airlines serve customers across language groups. The system needed to deliver the same conversation quality in German and English without forcing customers through language selection menus or awkward transitions.

4. Integration with outsourced operations: The BPO model worked for Eurowings. Adding technology couldn't disrupt that relationship or create competing incentives. Ströer-X needed to be a full partner in the implementation, not a vendor being automated away.

5. No dead ends: Everybody’s been there: The worst customer experience is getting stuck with a bot that can't help and won't connect you to a person. That’s why any automation had to include a reliable, immediate transfer capability when needed.

The project needed more than high automation. It had to keep service quality, support the BPO partnership, and improve the customer experience.

The solution: Leaping AI's voice technology

Eurowings chose Leaping AI to automate their high-volume customer service calls. Rather than replacing the Ströer-X partnership, the voice AI augmented it by handling straightforward inquiries and routing complex cases to human agents efficiently.

This approach aligned perfectly with Eurowings' goals of:

• Reducing customer wait times for simple inquiries.

• Improving operational efficiency without sacrificing service quality.

• Maintaining the successful BPO partnership with Ströer-X.

• Scaling customer service capabilities across multiple languages.

• Delivering immediate answers 24/7 without staffing increases.

How the voice AI works

When customers call Eurowings, Leaping AI's voice AI:

• Answers immediately with a professional greeting in the customer's language.

• Understands inquiries in both German and English naturally.

• Accesses Eurowings' FAQ knowledge base to provide accurate, brand-consistent answers.

• Handles common questions about flights, bookings, baggage, and schedules.

• Transfers complex cases to Ströer-X agents with full context preservation.

• Maintains conversation quality that matches customer expectations.

The voice AI makes sure that customers with straightforward questions get instant answers, while those with complex needs reach human agents quickly without repeating information.

Voice Agent Implementation approach

Eurowings, Ströer-X, and Leaping AI structured the project as a true partnership from day one.

1. Aligned incentives: All three organizations shared the same goal: better customer experience and more efficient operations. No one was trying to eliminate the BPO relationship or maximize automation at the expense of quality. This alignment eliminated the tension that often derails these projects.

2. Conservative scope definition: The teams identified specific call types where the AI voicebot could add clear value. Common informational requests. Standard FAQs. Straightforward booking inquiries. These became the initial scope. Complex scenarios, complaints, and situations requiring judgment stayed with human agents.

3. Document integration: Eurowings provided their customer service FAQ documentation as PDF files. Leaping AI integrated this content directly into the voice AI platform. The system could now answer questions using Eurowings-specific information, maintaining consistency with how human agents handled the same inquiries.

4. Transfer logic design: The team built robust handoff processes for Ströer-X agents. Transfers weren't treated as system failures. They were designed outcomes that ensured customers got appropriate help. The AI preserved context during transfers, so agents didn't have to start conversations from scratch.

5. Rapid Voice AI deployment: The entire implementation took under two months. Week one focused on requirements and scope definition. Weeks two through six covered system configuration, document integration, and initial testing. Weeks seven and eight involved refinement based on real call patterns. The system went live in production before month three.

This timeline was possible because Leaping AI's platform already included the core capabilities needed for airline customer service. Multilingual support, document integration, and call center workflows didn't require custom development. The teams configured and deployed rather than building from scratch.

Results after six weeks

The AI voice agent has been handling live customer calls for approximately six weeks.

1. 10% autonomous resolution: The voice AI fully resolves roughly 10% of inbound calls without agent involvement. These customers get immediate answers to their questions. No queue time. No waiting for availability.

2. 82% structured transfers: The majority of calls transfer to Ströer-X agents in an organized, context-preserving way. The voice AI determines that the call requires human handling and routes it appropriately. Agents receive calls with relevant context already gathered.

3. Maintained service quality: Customer satisfaction scores for AI-handled calls remain in line with historical averages. No degradation in how customers perceive their service experience.

4. Operational stability: The system integrates smoothly into existing workflows. No disruption to Ströer-X operations. No technical incidents affecting customer experience. Performance remains consistent across different call volumes and times of day.

The current numbers establish a baseline. As the teams review call data and identify additional scenarios where AI can help, both autonomous resolution and transfer quality should improve.

“Our successful collaboration is based on rapid implementation, excellent support, and a powerful voicebot product from Leaping.”

- Tobias Heinrich, Head of Voice Solutions, Ströer-X

Want to see how other teams are using voice AI? Explore more customer stories from Leaping AI.

What made it work?

Several factors came together to make the project a success:

• Three-way teamwork:  Eurowings, Ströer-X, and Leaping AI treated this like a group project (minus the debates). Everyone aimed for the same goal, and the common BPO vs. automation friction wasn’t there.

• Start small, win big: The first automation target was realistic. No overhyped promises, no AI meltdown over weird edge cases. Instead: reliable performance from day one.

• Speed wins: It took two months from idea to production. Problems popped up, got fixed, and the team kept on working while context was fresh. This way, momentum stayed high.

• A Voice AI Platform that gets it: Leaping AI’s team understood what an airline needs and implemented that right into the platform. Multilingual calls, call center workflows, tweaking possibilities for Eurowings.

• Transfers are fine: Calls that need personal human interaction? They are sent right over. Measuring success this way meant the AI passed calls it couldn’t handle, so customers got help quickly.

What's next for Eurowings?

The current 10% autonomous resolution is just the beginning. As the voice AI learns from more conversations and the teams refine what works, that number will climb. More call types become automation candidates. Transfer quality improves. New languages get added without rebuilding the system.

The beauty of this setup? It scales easily. What works at current volumes works at 2x or 3x the call traffic. Peak travel seasons, flight disruptions, and unexpected spikes - the system handles it all without breaking.

Eurowings, Ströer-X, and Leaping AI built something that grows with the business. That's the real win.

About Leaping AI

Leaping AI provides voice AI built for complex, high-volume customer service. The platform handles real conversations, supports multiple languages, and fits into existing call center and BPO setups. Teams use it to resolve routine calls faster, route the rest cleanly, and keep service quality consistent as demand grows.

Leaping AI supports teams across travel, healthcare, home services, and financial services.

See for yourself how voice AI can improve customer experience while reducing operational costs.

Schedule a free demo with the Leaping AI team