Amadeus is a technology innovator that connects the entire travel ecosystem at every stage of the journey. Amadeus offers the hospitality industry solutions for reservations, sales and catering, property management and operations.
Introduction
Today´s word is personalization. Travelers want to find unique customer experience, even if they plan their trip as a self-guided. They know what they want and in other point they want customer service to help to know what they want.
This article “Delivering on Group Personalization” represents this topic and it´s meaning to tourism business. As I work already in tourism and the company I work highlights the unique experience in all their actions, and promises this in website and other marketing channels, this article might help me to understand its theory better. I think this is one of the most important topics while viewing statistics – You can understand what customer is searching and how they act before and after their travel experience.
First topic is that you need to understand what happens after positive travel experience.
Travelers will probably leave positive feedback in the channels that are easily offered them to give feedback. They share pictures and the most important – they tell at least for 6 friend/family/workmate about this memorable experience. They also most obviously come back and make new reservations.
In company where I work customers come to our destinations and activities with help of tour operator. Usually those tour operator’s same customers don´t come back but the point is that if tour operator had happy individual customers in the group, they continue co-operation with us and operate customized trips to our place with new customers next season. Tour-operated trips usually are once in a lifetime experiences
In contrast individual travelers want even more personalized service and I think it is the hardest work in my position. They are also the customers that might come back and truly gives the feedback for us and to people around them.
The second notice is that you need to get know your customer and anticipate different situations.
As we are in Airbnb-service with my husband, we are more and more understood better, that the most important work is already before anyone arrives. We need to think what the things that helps customer experience before their arrival, what are the things that make them feel more than just paying customer – we want to make them feel important guest who´s experience consists also the things we notice with them.
There usually matters:
- trip´s length
- customer´s age
- do they want more or less help with activities
- are they first time at the area
Behind all this is our own experiences – what we respect as travelers and what makes us feel as special? We give to our foreign Airbnb-customers a Finnish chocolate and a northern lights card when they arrive – how simple and not expensive way to welcome them. For Finnish customers we give coffee – this is example how to personalize experience based on nationalities.
In company I work we don´t do anything like this, but some of our tour operators want to leave welcome letter for example and of course we deliver it to guests. Company´s personalization is more in the overall experience starting from the first email and high quality services. Sometimes I feel our supervisors are saying too much “no, we don´t do that” for suggestions to make some special details to customer service.
The last notice is communication with clients and a realistic description about place and activities.
They really need to be in order – the best way is if clients are more surprised in a good way when arriving to a place that is seen only in website or other channel before trip. Never the experience should be the other way around.
Next steps to better personalization.
Interesting point – one point that I´ve been many times thinking through as an employee – is that how much I really can focus being a Customer Service Agent which is my title? This is my second season working there and usually I feel I cannot focus as much as I´d like to. There are always some busy things to do or replace someone else´s work.
In the article is said that 29% hotel innovators are allocating budget to hire staff that are exclusively dedicated to the guest experience – I really hope that my employer is soon one of these or realizes to let me focus on my work as a Customer Service Agent without pressure to “extinguish fires”.
This article was somehow like a confirmation for me that I really am on a right way as a Customer Service Agent or in my personal life making Airbnb-experiences. This also gives me a support to reach my next steps in my dream to make an own tourism business and service customers the best I can. .
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Sources:
ARTICLE: Amadeus. Delivering on Group Personalization
https://www.amadeus-hospitality.com/ Viitattu 30.1.2023
