“A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all” – Michael LeBoeuf
The travel industry is one of the many that have been disrupted by digital innovations. The high affinity towards digital technology has changed the way travellers plan, research, book and spend for their travel. The millennial travellers expect a world of convenience abled by technology at their fingertips. Catering to their ever-evolving demands has become a necessity more than a facility for travel firms. Mobile technology, Social Media and Online Reviews have enabled customers to make better and informed flight shopping decisions. A study conducted by Huffington Post shows that 55% of consumers are willing to pay more for a guaranteed good experience and 86% of consumers are willing to pay more for an upgraded experience.
To travel businesses, customer communication and retention have become more important than ever. Travel firms that can deliver a holistic experience throughout the customer journey, stand the chance to capture and retain customers beyond the initial purchase. As more consumers are turning to an online marketplace, travel companies that adopt a proactive consumer service approach stand better chances of succeeding. This can be achieved by connecting with customers through various channels, offering real-time personalized experiences, incorporating latest technology trends, and most importantly, winning customer’s loyalty towards the brand.
The next question would be ‘How to win customer’s loyalty’?
Create packages that add organic value, those that wins the heart of the customer by offering unmatched service. Introduced by airlines 30 years ago, points-based loyalty systems revolutionized the travel industry. Over the years, the loyalty program evolved into something more than just enticing customers with discounts and free trips. Today, these loyalty programmes focus on rewarding shoppers for their actions and engagement with the business. Speaking more about driving value, Mystifly’s CEO Rajeev Kumar sheds light on how to strike the right balance between Price vs Experience Driven Value to serve the customers best.
Travel businesses could look to adopt other methods that expedite processes to deliver experiences and create allegiance with their customers. By offering a personalized digital experience, travel businesses can convert the lookers into bookers. Analysing customer behaviour to design intelligent experiences and quickly adapting to their demands and expectations will enable travel firms to earn the trust of their customers. This data-driven strategy will allow travel firms to convert user-generated content into actionable insights, making it possible to deliver travel products that will serve the customers requirement. This will also help grow the loyalty base of travel companies.
Travel businesses could also integrate the native language of the travellers so that they can access content without any hassle. Delivering a localized experience at every point in the customer’s journey will enhance customer satisfaction and boost the company’s brand value. Integrated web content management, dynamic media, and targeted campaigns are several other ways travel firms opt to deliver a rich experience to travellers.
Customer experience management is expanding with an ever-evolving technology adoption process. The novel possibilities of integrating new technologies are constantly being explored. While technology has enabled travellers to book journeys without any physical interaction, the need to keep travellers satisfied is essential for every travel company.
By connecting travellers to more journeys across the world and delivering delightful experiences, travel firms will be able to position themselves as the customer’s first choice rather than an alternate choice.
Align digital experiences with destination experiences – Be the traveller’s brand of choice!