Is Customer Service Still Relevant for the Travel Industry?

Over the last few years, the travel industry has undergone a massive upheaval. While the significant boom that the industry saw towards the start of a new decade was overturned by the coronavirus pandemic, the scenarios are pretty much changing now. The US Travel Association found that in 2020, the travel sector lost $492 billion compared to 2019. Besides, there has been an annual decline. Also, international travel spending fell by 76%, and corporate travel sharply fell by 70%.

Indeed, the novel coronavirus pandemic has been the worst-hit industry, and a significant number of businesses had to go for a complete shutdown. However, things seem to be transforming. More number of global travelers are likely to travel like before after the fulfillment of complete vaccination.

While consumers are slowly and steadily starting to resume travel, companies are now slowly experiencing customer engagement. Now you must have understood that things are getting pretty competitive. Besides, at this point, your business can utilize a comprehensive customer management strategy in order to handle your clients. Besides, with the rise in technology, more number of customers are apprehensive, and businesses need to stay ahead in the competition.

Excellent customer service

Remember, modern travelers are tech-savvy. Outsourcing services for travel can help you with booking services at incredible ease. Customers want a single platform for all their planning, booking, and travel needs.

When it comes to customer service, travelers want to use channels of their choice and get issues resolved quickly, fairly, and with zero hassle. When your customers know that you can meet all the requirements, this is likely to enhance their customer satisfaction. Besides, you can earn yourself a loyal customer base.

As per Harvard Business Journal, airlines that responded to a customer’s Tweet in five minutes or less earn $20 more from that customer on a future airline ticket.

Today’s travelers won’t take things at face value. They need to run their own research and compare options for the right travel partner. Moreover, customers are more likely to do business only with companies they trust. The call center in Manila has long-term experience in managing customer service. Therefore, personalized and meaningful customer service has become critical for travel businesses.

Overcoming customer support challenges

Call centers in the Philippines primarily focus on the digital shift with their own set of challenges. However, with comprehensive services, here’s what you can specifically focus on.

Planning and booking

Over the years, booking has changed. While customers tend to surf the internet and make the booking, prospects have a couple of options. Outsourcing services for travel agencies include a proactive team. Once the customer lands on the website, the live chat option that the call center in Philippines helps start a conversation and guides them to what they are looking for.

You may also utilize bots to handle the routine questions. For example, it is possible to proactively start a conversation and guide them to what they are looking for with live chat software.

Lack of Multi-channel support

Travelers generally have limited access or get restricted when using specific communication channels. However, that should not stop your customers from approaching you.

When you have the option to provide omnichannel support for travelers, you can gain the most out of it. For example, if the customer raises a ticket, the call center in Manila can seamlessly manage all your concerns across the globe.

Focus on personalization

Ensuring customers feel special is the ultimate deal in the long run. Understanding your likes and dislikes helps you put your business in the top position. First, however, you need the right tool and technology for it.

Your outsourcing services for travel will identify patterns that provide the support team with managing customer requests effectively. Having all the customer information with the agent while communicating with the customer empowers them to manage the overall interaction efficiently.

Crisis Management

The travel business is pretty hectic. There are managing documents, packing, arranging transport, and more. If some unforeseen incident happens, it creates panic.

A professional service provider will run a hotline and connect with the support staff. Its highly essential customers can contact directly and connect with an agent when there’s a case of an emergency. When you can handle the crisis effectively, it adds a sense of trust in the customer’s mind.

Conclusion

After going through the article, you must have understood how essential is the customer engagement process for the travel industry post-COVID-19. Remember, customer care is the basis of any industry. You can develop a loyal customer base and enhance the relationship with other customers. This helps your business bring greater return as you reach higher market dimensions.

Also, tourism is a vast industry. Customers have other alternative options for follow-up. When you offer excellent customer service, it enables you to potentialize your dimensions. Moreover, it’s all about understanding customer needs, making them feel unique or essential.

For the travel industry, customer service is the core. It’s essential when it comes to growth. Fusion BPO Services helps build customer retention with expertise in inbound call centers’ complaint and query handling.