Ms. Jenkins

Website / Online Mechandising / SEO

Creating a Seamless Customer Experience For Your Web Site and Call Center

By Cid Jenkins, Vice President, ATG's eStara

Consumers are consistently turning to the Internet to book their travel accommodations, so now more than ever it is critical to create a seamless experience for them. Over the years, the Web has grown to be one of the greatest resources for travelers looking to compare options, explore potential destinations and research accommodations. Yet because booking on the Web is so easy and there are so many competitive sites available, hotels and resorts must ensure their Web sites provide customers with a memorable experience not only to gain their business, but also to keep them coming back for more.

According to a study from Forrester Research, over 80 percent of respondents say that improving the usability, usefulness and 'enjoyability' of the online experience is more important in 2008 than in years past - proof that the time is now to invest in the Web. Advancements in technology have paved the path for hotels to improve the way they interact with customers across multiple touch points to create consistent and relevant customer experiences. A major opportunity that has yet to reach its full potential in the hospitality industry is the ability to strategically include click to call capabilities on Web pages, tying the internet to the call center.

Call centers are often operated by hotels or outsourced to another separate company to handle incoming support or information inquiries from consumers. There are many reasons why hotels need call centers, including helping with inquiries that arise from customers browsing the company's Web site and experiencing the following:

• they are confused about availability for a particular date
• unsure of the rates during a season
• curious about the quickest method to book their trip
• hesitant about their next step
• need assistance to book their trip
• additional options for assistance should they have trouble booking online

The common tie

More and more hotels are implementing new technology such as click-to-call, when they are in need. Click to call helps tie the Web site and call center together and give customers a seamless booking experience. Click to call lets users click an HTML button embedded on a Web site, e-mail, banner ad, search engine or online directory listing, and immediately launch an automated call between the consumer and the contact center.

From there, shoppers are able to voice any questions or concerns they have with a contact representative. In a survey conducted by Red Lion Hotels, full service hotels known for caring service and comfortable accommodations catering to the corporate and leisure traveler, 62 percent of respondents revealed that click to call drastically improved or improved the Web site experience.

Some of the reasons that hotels are turning to click to call to enhance their Website experience are because they want to identify trouble spots on their site and prevent customers from abandoning their reservations by connecting them directly with a customer service representative if they needed assistance.

Competitive edge

In order for click to call to improve the consumers Web site experience and for a hotel to gain advantage from the next; the interaction between customers and the representative must result in a positive, yet helpful conversation. More so, the representative from the call center, who is speaking on behalf of the hotel, must characterize the hotel's brand attributes.

What can hotels gain from implementing a seamless customer experience between their Web site and call center? The results are profound:

• obtain customer information (demographics, gender and so forth)
• reduce Web site abandonment
• enhance customer service offerings on key points on the Web site
• gather valuable customer feedback, throughout the conversation (on their thoughts about the Web site, what they liked etc.)
• generate incremental sales

More proof

Previously, we have discussed the short-term benefits of click to call technology - as exemplified with the Red Lion Hotels, which found that the addition of click to call technology to its Web site has been a key factor in driving a 68 percent growth in the company's online revenues. Click to call does not just work in isolated cases. Recent survey results from hotel and airline companies implementing click to call and click to chat services prove that these technologies create more satisfied and loyal customers by delivering more personalized and relevant experiences. Increasingly, travel and hospitality companies are investing in fuller-featured, user-friendly Web sites to regain customer loyalty as they scale back many of the previously offered amenities.

The survey included up to 21,000 Web site shoppers who had visited hotel, resort and airline sites that had implemented click to call and click to chat services. Research from the survey found that:

• 49 percent of nearly 21,000 respondents from hotels and airlines used click to call because they needed web site assistance
• 74 percent of just under 15,000 hotel shoppers surveyed said click to call and click to chat were much easier than traditional customer service options such as email or toll-free numbers
• 67 percent out of nearly 19,000 respondents from hotels and airlines would have called a 1-800 number without click to call, which is typically a significantly more costly customer service option for businesses
• 76 percent of more than 6,700 respondents from one particular hotel revealed they would be more likely to return to the Web site in the future because of the availability of a click to call service on the Web site

Long term results

It is no secret that as hotel companies continue to invest in new technologies, while also committing to unparalleled customer service on its Web site and call center, they are seeing an expanding customer base. Providing customers with exceptional customer service with the capabilities of human interaction is instrumental to their success.

Customers on hotel Web sites with any hesitation or question are proven to be more likely to return to the Web site in the future because of the use of click to call. Since the rise of the Web as a resource for travelers looking to compare options, explore potential destinations and research accommodations, competitors are ramping up their efforts to keep a consumers attention and keep them coming back for more.

What's more profound is that the expanding customer base continues to come back and spread the word to their friends and family. With a seamless customer experience for a hotel's Web site and call center, customers will grow an affinity for the brand leading to a lifelong customer.

Cid Jenkins oversees strategic sales initiatives. For nearly a decade, Ms. Jenkins has been instrumental in developing eStara’s strategy in the travel and hospitality market while garnering extensive experience driving revenue for eStara's partners, which include companies like Continental Airlines, Hotels.com, Red Lion Hotels and Starwood. Ms. Jenkins' career began as Director of Business Development at GraciasDoctor.com. Her international business knowledge started at the Consulate General of Chile and International Sleep Products Assocation. Ms. Jenkins can be contacted at 703-648-8296 or cid.jenkins@estara.com Extended Bio...

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