How Heathrow partnered with Salesforce to build a customer-service AI agent

In a bid to enhance the travel experience for millions, Heathrow Airport has launched an AI-driven customer service agent named Hallie. This innovative tool was developed in collaboration with Salesforce, marking a significant milestone in the airport's ongoing commitment to improving customer service amidst rising passenger numbers. As one of the busiest airports in Europe, Heathrow welcomes nearly 85 million travelers annually. With an increasing volume of inquiries such as security wait times and terminal locations, the need for efficient customer service solutions has never been greater. Peter Burns, Heathrow's director of digital, e-commerce, and marketing, emphasized the necessity of adopting technology to meet growing demands. The partnership with Salesforce, which began in 2009, has evolved over three years to include Salesforce's generative AI capabilities. In early 2023, Heathrow initiated trials of these advanced tools, culminating in the launch of Hallie in March 2025. This AI agent, accessible via WhatsApp, can autonomously address a wide range of traveler questions, significantly streamlining the customer service process. Gartner Research's Vice President, Bern Elliot, noted that the adoption of AI in customer service has become increasingly prevalent since the introduction of ChatGPT in 2022. He highlighted that customer contact centers serve as ideal environments for AI implementation due to their clear metrics for measuring return on investment, including time savings and improved response quality. However, integrating AI into customer service systems is not without its challenges. Elliot pointed out that AI models must be trained on current company data to avoid inaccuracies. The initial investment in Salesforce's tools laid the groundwork for a unified database essential for Hallie's functionality. This foundational work allowed Heathrow to harness the full potential of AI technologies. Heathrow's AI journey began with internal applications in January 2023, focusing on automating responses to customer inquiries and creating summaries of interactions. This ongoing refinement has led to the incorporation of Salesforce's Agentforce platform in their contact center, which assists human agents by drafting responses and generating case summaries, thus easing their workload. Collaboration between Heathrow and Salesforce has been continuous, with regular meetings to evaluate workflows and identify opportunities for AI enhancement. O'Sullivan, Salesforce's senior vice president, stressed the importance of teamwork among various departments to ensure that the AI tools deployed are effective and up-to-date. Hallie's debut has already led to a remarkable reduction in phone inquiries, with the proportion of customer questions handled by phone dropping from 70% to just 10% by March 2026. Looking ahead, Heathrow plans to extend Hallie's capabilities beyond WhatsApp to its website and app, as well as explore additional applications for the AI agent within the airport. Despite its capabilities, Hallie is currently limited in scope, drawing information solely from Heathrow's internal resources, which ensures accuracy but restricts its ability to answer certain personalized queries. As the airport continues to develop Hallie, the goal remains to provide travelers with reliable and timely information, ultimately enhancing their experience at Heathrow.