Chasing the Summer Sun with Live Chat Software
The summer holidays have ended for the majority of us and the nights are starting to draw in, with many people longing for a last minute holiday in the remainder of the summer sun. Travellers are turning to online travel agents to find the best deals for the short amount of notice.
An ABTA survey found that 76% of respondents booked their holidays online, compared with 21% over the phone, 19% in person (in store) and 11% booked by someone else.[1]
It can be frustrating for travellers with set requirements such as flight dates, to not be able to find the holiday to suit them. They do have a choice to contact the company via email or phone call however, they are more likely to try another site.
Instant Communication Channel
Travel agents can easily encourage visitors to enquiry through live chat software on their website. Having the communication channel available can instantly connect the traveller to a representative to have their questions answered.
Operators can handle more than one enquiry at a time, enabling them to increase their level of productivity compared with telephone and email. Being able to oversee more enquiries at a time increases the chance of conversion.
For example, if one conversion roughly happens every 6 calls which all last 10 minutes, a conversion is happening every hour for that representative, most operators can handle 3 enquiries comfortably (some situations may vary due to the complexity of the chat) however, in this case, an operator could get a conversion every 20 minutes therefore tripling their rate.
Increasing Customer Satisfaction
Visitors prefer chat over traditional methods of communication such as phone and telephone due to the instant nature of the channel. They can enquire with the company at a time that suits them without the risk of being overheard, for example, if they are on their lunch break at work it will prevent colleagues from knowing their plans and budget.
To assist visitors who have preferred requirements but cannot find an exact match, the operator can suggest alternatives within chat, if the visitor wants more information about the representatives suggestions, the operator can automatically redirect the visitor’s browser to the relevant informative pages, which opens in a new tab so that it doesn’t disturb the visitor’s current browsing session.
Having experts on the other end of chat that are familiar with the destinations, packages and flights etc. can help assist the visitor in a speedy manner. Their satisfaction will increase if they feel their requirements are being listened to and met, they will also feel valued if alternative options are provided that match their needs and is a great deal.
For those travellers searching for a great deal, the company can present their latest offers in the form of Promotions on the website. This proactive tool presents as an image on the visitors browser, based on pages viewed and/ or time-based. A URL is attached to the image, so if it is accepted the visitor is automatically redirected to the relevant page with further information on their offers and deals.
Increasing customer satisfaction is great for brand awareness as customers enjoy sharing their holiday experiences and snaps across social media, including Facebook and Instagram. They are likely to mention stories from their time away including details of which travel agents they went with and where they stayed etc. It’s free advertisement for destinations and packages that can attract additional traffic to the website.
Having a strong web presence and easy booking system with live chat available for visitor enquiries, can improve your conversion rate. And not just for those chasing the sun but all year round for all types of holidays and breaks.
Click4Assistance has been providing live chat software to the travel and tourism industry for over 10 years. For more information on our live chat solution contact our team on 01268 524628 or email theteam@click4assistance.co.uk.
[1] ABTA Holiday Habits Report 2016
