Ways Travel Brands Can Improve the Customer Experience

---

As we all know, the travel industry is highly dependent on customer experience. Every company involved in the travel industry must ensure that its customers receive a satisfying service. In a survey conducted by DMA, about 59% of participants stated that they choose a travel company based on its value for money, while 58% choose a travel company based on the customer service. It is essential that travel companies plan a special experience for all their customers. Offering something of value, above what is already expected, can give the extra edge that travel companies need for their customers.

Here are some of the top strategies for travel companies for customer experience improvement:

1. Transparency

A great strategy to improve customer experience has been adopted by Delta Airlines for tracking traveler’s luggage. The Fly Delta mobile app allows travelers to see their bag’s last scanned location, helping to eliminate a common source of travel stress- the highly dreaded lost luggage.

2. Loyalty

Maintaining loyal customers is key in the travel industry. Many companies introduce a rewards system to retain their customers. The companies offer their frequent customers reward points that can be redeemed on future bookings. Some even let the customers use the reward points at other places such as restaurants or shops. Travel companies can capitalize on such reward programs and keep their customers satisfied.

It is essential that travel companies plan a special experience for all their customers. Offering something of value, above what is already expected, can give the extra edge that travel companies need for their customers.

3. Personalization

There are many ways in which travel companies can create a personalized experience for their customers. For example, airline companies can let their flyers choose their seat in advance and also have a look at who they will be seated next to. Flyers can also view and edit their in-flight meals before boarding. Other travel companies can specifically target their advertisements based on the customer. Locations, hotels and other details can be conveyed to the customer depending on their current location and other interests. Hotel chain Best Western saw a 143% rise in downloads of its app when it started geo-targeting its customers in emails.

4. Customer Engagement

A frequently asked question is- How can travel companies improve customer engagement? A great way to improve travel brands customer service is through various marketing campaigns. Expedia’s ‘Travel Yourself Interesting’ campaign in 2014 allowed Facebook users to make an infographic of their travels and share it on their page. Another marketing strategy for travel companies to engage customers is the one used by KLM. KLM created an interactive anniversary edition of their brand magazine iFly. The 50th edition of iFly allowed readers a chance to pick their 5 favorite destinations for a chance to win a trip to one of them. To seize the wonderful opportunity of a complimentary trip, a large number of users signed up for the magazine and entered their destination preferences. This way, KLM received a huge database of users for targeted marketing and created a highly interactive user experience for their customers.

Technology

Travel companies can make use of Virtual Reality to impress and engage their customers. To view the destination, hotel room or holiday activities are some ways in which 50% of the participants in the DMR research would like to make use of a VR headset. Many websites also use chatbots to quickly answer any queries that a customer may have during a booking or research process.

Keeping the customer happy and engaged is a major objective in the travel industry. Customers value good service and expect returns for their loyalty. Travel companies can make use of numerous tactics and campaigns to improve the experience of their customers in order to retain them and maintain a continued relationship.