Written by: Forrester Research and Sponsored by: Art Technology Group, Inc. In 2008, contextual, task-related help means more than a toll-free number on a booking page or a FAQ section on your Web site. It means being more relevant and personal and helping travelers in the channel they prefer immediately so they aren't driven to other channels - or worse, a competitor's site.
For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals Includes data from Consumer Technographics®
November 10, 2008
Why Interactive Support Is Essential For Travel eBusiness Success by Henry H. Harteveldt and Elizabeth Starkwith Kate van Geldern
Executive SummaryIn 2008, contextual, task-related help means more than a toll-free number on a booking page or a FAQ section on your Web site. It means being more relevant and personal and helping travelers in the channel they prefer immediately so they aren't driven to other channels - or worse, a competitor's site. Travelers' ages influence the channel they prefer to use for customer service and support while interacting with a travel Web site. For example, around 66% of Seniors prefer to call a contact center for help, although just 42% of Gen Y travelers prefer that channel. In contrast, 18% of Gen X travelers appreciate interactive chat, but just 8% of Younger Boomers do. Travel eBusiness and channel strategy professionals should integrate interactive chat into their customer support strategy by following the three steps detailed in this report.
call center help is most common now, but interactive support is the futureAs travel organizations look for ways to further improve their eBusiness operating performance, rethinking how they serve travelers is one of the things that need to be toward the top of the list. Web sites help reduce the need for travelers to call, but they don't totally eliminate the questions travelers may have due to nonexistent or difficult-to-find content or functionality. Plus, between global economies that are as solid as quicksand and softening travel demand, customer support becomes more critical as travel eBusiness and channel strategy professionals strive to keep online travelers both in the channel and with their brand.
Use Your Online Customers' Ages To Guide Your Customer Service And Support StrategyThe claim "one size fits all" rarely works with items like clothing, and it certainly doesn't work for travel. Yet today, most travel firms serve their travelers with the same tools - generally FAQs, Web site help sections, and contact centers. That's service? Fortunately, you don't have to invest in every new customer service tool that exists. Instead, use your travelers' ages to help guide your investments. Why? Data from Forrester's North American Technographics® Retail, Travel, Customer Experience, And Financial Services Benchmark Survey, Q3 2008, reveals that different generations of US online leisure travelers prefer different forms of help on travel Web sites.
· Travelers would rather make the first move when they need help. When US online leisure travelers have a question when using a travel Web site - such as "Can I book more than one hotel room at a time?" or "What are the fees for checking an extra piece of luggage?" - 53% prefer to initiate contact with a travel company themselves, while just 30% prefer to have a prompt appear
HeadquartersForrester Research, Inc., 400 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139 USATel: +1 617.613.6000 . Fax: +1 617.613.5000 . www.forrester.comWhy Interactive Support Is Essential For Travel eBusiness Success 2For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals
asking if they need assistance (see Figure 1). The youngest generation of travelers - Gen Y (ages 18 to 28) - is the least likely to feel this way (46%), although it's not the group most interested in having a prompt appear - Gen X (ages 29 to 42) is. Seniors (ages 64 and older), of whom only 51% are technology optimists, are the most likely (59%) to prefer reaching out to a travel company when they need help.
· Calling the contact center is more popular with older generations. It's no surprise that the most common channel that travelers currently use to receive help is the phone. It is noteworthy that while around two-thirds of leisure travel Boomers (ages 43 to 63) and Seniors prefer to speak with a representative over the phone if they have a question when planning a trip, that number declines to 51% among Gen X travelers and falls further, to 42%, for Gen Y travelers (see Figure 2).
Figure 1 Half Of All Leisure Travelers Prefer To Initiate Contact With Travel Companies
"Imagine that you have a question or encountered a problem when using a travel Web site. Which of the following would you prefer for assistance?"
To initiate contact with the travel company yourself <... [download for more]
