Having a strong web presence has become an integral part of the hospitality as well as tourism industry allowing the businesses to directly reach out to the customers. According to a survey conducted by World Travel Monitor, online bookings account for almost half of the total worldwide bookings. Travelers are increasingly finding it more convenient to confirm their bookings for holidays etc online as compared to physically doing so through their travel agents.
The growth of online business has resulted in a sharp decline in office based bookings. While there is definite benefit of growth over the internet, the lack of personal support means, customers spend many hours trying to find services that suit them. The incorporation of a real time support channel is needed in the hospitality industry to provide prospective customers with solutions that they need and effectively market your products to them. Live chat provides this very service with Live Chat Operators who help customers while they are at the e-booking sites. Live Chat provides quick answers to customer queries and can serve to enhance customer’s online experience thereby improving the conversion rate.
While the hospitality industry as a whole is recovering after the economic depression, the online community provides new challenges as well as opportunities. The role of customer feedback on the major tourism information websites means that the customers have an easy way to rate the services they use. This in turn can be potentially useful or catastrophic for the company. Industry data shows that the hotels receiving higher reviews have more visitors and are able to charge a premium rate for their services. Trends also show, that one of the most frequent complaint is due to the customers not receiving the kind of services they expected based on their review of the services provided.
With Live Chat support, operators and customers can interact the same way they do during a physical meet up. This allows the service providers to know exactly what the customer wants and be able to better cater to their needs. On the other hand, it manages the expectations of the customers thereby leading to a more satisfying experience. Live Chat provides customers with the opportunity of accessing real time support anywhere at any time. Customers can reschedule flights, make travel plans and have their queries addressed far more quickly owing to the services of Live Chat Operators. Live Chat enables information collection giving the business a better insight into their customers. This allows more focused product development and marketing strategies leading to higher bottom line growth.
While there is overall tourism growth, hospitality services are getting more and more competitive. Businesses that can cater to their customer base and provide more unique and personalized services will be able to gain a long-term competitive edge.
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