What creates customer loyalty in this market?
It is all about the experience. Bad experiences linger and the good ones are seen as par for the course!
Airlines have to focus on the traveller, communicating clearly to them what they should expect for their money and delivering on it 100%.
Often the airlines do not come into contact with their customers until the flight itself, so using their intermediaries and ensuring that they have the most relevant and up-to-date information is vital.
Travel agents and corporate travel managers are a key source of information and trusted suppliers to the market.
They have the one-to-one relationships with travellers and can really make a difference to the experience, so keep them informed and remember how influential they are at the point of sale.
Although budgets are being squeezed and travel policies are more stringent, the welfare of travellers is still at the top of the agenda.
As a result, new technologies will become increasingly important to the whole experience.
In the not-too-distant future, we expect to see the arrival of virtual travel assistants which accompany the traveller and assist them throughout their journey via mobile and email.
This means the business traveller could explain what he or she wants and a system, using artificial intelligence, would automatically build trip proposals.
This would synchronise with airport, airline, and hotel systems around the world, meaning that the traveler could seamlessly transition from one place to another with no hassle or worries.
The companies which help drive this streamlining process will be the ones which create a real competitive advantage.
NB: This How To is authored by Tim Russell, UK and Ireland MD for Amadeus.
About Special Nodes
Some have been waiting for virtual assistants for quite a while as the most effective solution to the information overkill not reduced by most of today’s search functionality. This will be fascinating to follow as technology evolves to make this possible. A true Ask Jeeves with the brains to match would be a killer app for many, especially in travel and trip planning.
You have to remember Milton Friedman!
1. You can spend your own money on yourself. When you do that, why then you really watch out what you’re doing, and you try to get the most for your money.
2. You can spend your own money on somebody else. For example, I buy ticket for someone. Well, then I’m not so careful about the airline, but I’m very careful about the cost.
3. I can spend somebody else’s money on myself. And if I spend somebody else’s money on myself, then I’m sure going to have a good flight!
4. I can spend somebody else’s money on somebody else. And if I spend somebody else’s money on somebody else, I’m not concerned about how much it is, and I’m not concerned about what I get.