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Calling the right shots Customer service was at the heart of Cruise118.com’s ethos right from the start, according to director Mal Barritt. “On the whole, customer service is poor in this industry,” he explains. “Most travel companies don’t even deliver an acceptable level of customer service, and in cruise sales it can make all the difference. “People don't know what they want when they call, and they need someone to make good suggestions. Also, it’s a complex, high value purchase, and customers need to trust and get on with the person on the other end of the line.


“So, we don’t have agents but concierges whose role is to give our customers exactly what they want, and they’re supported by our phone system in doing that.” The system is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), an internet-based phone


technology knowledge


system from NewVoiceMedia that allows customers to always get the same concierge, and for that concierge to immediately see on screen all the information Cruise118 has about that customer.


If the concierge is not available the customer can leave a voice message that is immediately emailed to their concierge, or speak to someone else who will be able to see the full background to the call on screen. It might sound expensive, but Barritt says it is cheaper than a traditional one. What is more, he is convinced it has contributed to the company’s success.


“Most travel agencies measure customer complaints,” he says. “But we don’t have any, so we measure commendations instead, and 8% of our sales result in an unsolicited commendation. Much of that is down to our people, but their work is underpinned by the phone system.”


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Thomas Cook is targeting online customers with more relevant offers


Knowing what customers want It might have more than 3,400 owned and franchised travel shops across Europe, but Thomas Cook is making more and more of its sales online. It has recently invested in technology which it says allows it to deliver a personalised service to all of its customers. Finbar Hage, director of Thomas Cook Netherlands, where the technology is being trialled, explains: “The average website visitor who is searching for a holiday looks at 13 offers before making a decision. The relevance of those 13 offers dramatically influences conversion rates, so we needed to find a way of showing the most relevant offers to each customer.”


The team consequently implemented SDL’s SmartTarget technology, which automatically displays the most relevant promotion for each website visitor. How does it do this? It is fed new infor- mation on the customer with every click, and so makes a better informed decision about the most relevant promotion. “The results are excellent,” says Hage. “Not all our websites use the system, so we can clearly see the impact. The sites with SmartTarget have 50% higher conversion rates than those without it.’’


Trailfinders has personalised its Shangri-La mail campaign 3


Standing out in the inbox In recent years people have become increasingly immune to email marketing. It can still be a highly effective channel, but emails have to find a way of standing out in a cluttered inbox.


Golfbreaks.com has done this by using technology to personalise its emails to its 3,000-strong mailing list. Customers are now addressed by name, only see the most relevant offers and are told what they are able to buy with their loyalty points. Managing director Andrew Stanley explains: “If we know from past bookings and survey responses that someone doesn’t play golf in the UK in the winter, then we might suggest a trip to Spain or Portugal. If we know that someone only has the time or money for a one-night golf break, then we only send them relevant special offers.” He says there is little additional cost to this sort of personalisation, and is certain that it produces results.


“In July we sent an exclusive Aphrodite Hills offer to a small group who had booked something similar in the past. The open rate of the email was more than 50%, and the click-through rate was 23%. The average for this type of email is 25% open rate and just under 10% click-through rate.”


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Being personal and relevant Trailfinders has recently worked with customer management


agency Snowball to create a personalised direct-mail campaign promoting Shangri-La Hotels. It used digital print to insert information relevant to individual recipients in each pack. The front cover showed the last Shangri-La hotel the recipient had stayed at, while the words on the cover varied according to whether they had visited a Shangri-La hotel before.


“The text inside the pack mentioned the recipient’s most recent hotel booking, and gave a telephone number directing them to specifically-selected sales advisors. “Digital print is a powerful tool when used correctly,” says Trailfinders director Louise Breton. “As consumers in the travel sector have numerous variable preferences, it is a fantastic area for making the most of it. We can’t wait to see the results.”


CONTACTS


cruise118.comnewvoicemedia.comsdl.comthomascook.comgolfbreaks.comtrailfinders.comsnowball.co.uk


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