In today’s crowded travel market, providing personalized travel experiences and exceptional service will help agencies thrive.
To remain competitive, business owners need to make sure they offer leading-edge products, state-of-the-art technology and amazing customer service, says Joakim Johansson, vice president of advisory services for American Express. “Travel is a service industry, and the agencies that provide quality customer service and unique travel opportunities are the ones that differentiate themselves.”
Melissa Teates, director of research for The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA), agrees. “Agencies’ number one way to differentiate is by providing the individualized service that consumers crave.”
Carve out a Travel Niche
Superior service and unique products go hand-in-hand, as agents look for ways to create memorable, customized travel opportunities to delight their customers. ASTA’s 2013 Niche Markets Report found that only 27 percent of agencies considered themselves to be leisure generalists. The rest focus on niche areas, such as cruises, all-inclusives, luxury and corporate travel, where agents can provide extra support and value to their customers.* “These are all travel areas where knowledge is imperative for customers to experience the trip they desire,” Teates says.
Multigenerational travel is one major niche that continues to be strong. “Multigenerational vacations now represent half of all vacations taken by both grandparents and parents”, plus “multigenerational travelers use the services of traditional travel agents much more often than other leisure travelers,” according to a recent multigenerational travel study conducted by the Preferred Hotel Group.
If your niche is destination-specific, Ruthanne Terrero, Vice President/Editorial Director of the Questex Hospitality + Travel Group – which includes Travel Agent Central, suggests that you “balance your portfolio of specializations” so that “if the one destination you’re an expert on faces a crisis such as Ebola, for example, you’ll have others to sell in its place.”
Constant Customer Service
Delivering superior customer service is not only a way to differentiate yourself from your competitors but also from the Internet, and it seems to be working. In a 2014 American Express Travel survey of its U.S. Representative Travel Network, “74 percent of travel counselors say the guidance their customers are asking them for is the “whole package,” to shape their entire trip.” The survey shows that “six in ten (60%) travel counselors describe their typical customer’s attitude as overwhelmed by options on the Internet and need expert help. Travel counselors are equipped for these consumers given 61 percent provide the distinct value of personalized attention, followed by experience (17%), efficiency (16%), and savings (6%).”
A Trouble-Free Customer Booking Experience
Technological investments can impact customer facing experiences, as well as back-end operations. “Agents need to be able to communicate in the ways each client is comfortable within a world of choices,” Teates says. That means offering multiple points of contact, more efficient payment systems, and mobile enabled websites. “They have to be prepared for every group,” she says. “Phone or face-to-face for Baby Boomers who are still old school, efficient email and phone for busy Gen Xers, and text, Facebook, and instant messaging for Millennials.”
To support these multiple touch points, travel companies should also consider a WiFi-enabled customer relationship management (CRM) system, Teates says. “Agents need access to their CRM and tools 24/7, so WiFi enabled products with files on the cloud are essential.”