How can agents ensure the right passenger is booked on the right ship?
Tuesday, 23 Dec, 2009
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CruiseMole Comment by Giles Hawke, Carnival UK sales director
As we approach the end of the first decade of the 21st century, we find ourselves in a very different trading environment to ten years ago, and it is remarkable how the travel industry has adapted its approach accordingly.
Although the cruise market is growing and has proven to be more recession-resilient than other areas of the holiday market, it does still represent a relatively small percentage of the UK travel market – and this to me means one thing: opportunity.
The cruise product is typically high-end from a price perspective and, whilst not always ultra-luxury, is not your bargain basement, last minute deal, and so should not in theory be susceptible to such a 24-hour, price driven market.
Surely cruise passengers need guidance, advice, a helping hand to steer them in the right direction?
In the past. Yes, but not anymore. The plethora of cruise and holiday review websites that now exist mean that customers come to their own conclusions and find all the information (and more!) that they could ever possibly need.
Furthermore, much of this information is now readily available from other customers who have very recently traveled on the ships and have first hand, unbiased (largely) and up to date information.
So in this environment, how do we make sure that the right passenger chooses the right ship, the right destination, has the best possible time, and most importantly for the agent community – comes back again?
It would be foolish to think that customer loyalty is not as important as it has always been, drawing in first time customers to our websites is one thing – and can be done through competitive pricing, a user friendly site and a good level of functionality – but how do we get them to stay, get them to come back, and earn their loyalty? How do agents ensure that they are creating loyalty through a website which does not actually talk to or create a real relationship with the customer?
The agent on the high street has the advantage of face to face contact; they can build the relationship and establish the role of ‘trusted advisor’ with the customer.
So how can online compete with offline? While the majority of our trade business still comes through offline agencies, be it via the phone or the high street, the proportion of online sales through agent, is steadily growing.
Many are finding ways to build this relationship and blend online and offline and create a bond which will bring people back.
If somebody has already made their choice and indeed their purchase online, any personal contact comes purely as a customer service call if an agent chooses to make it – “how did you find our site? Have you got everything you need? Is there anything else we can help you with” etc.
This is an area in which an online agent can really add significant value and cement a relationship without even needing to sell anything except themselves.
Online shouldn’t be viewed by agents as a threat or a way to avoid customer contact, but as a way to enhance that relationship in a way that would never have been possible ten years ago.
Phil Davies
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