Customer Relations in a tourism sector tested by the crisis

Within a context severely affected by the health crisis, how are customer relations redefined within an industry where people matter most?

Cancellations, grounded planes, border closures… The Covid crisis has brought its share of travails to the tourism sector.

Brands, travellers and customer advisers alike have faced an unprecedented situation. Regarding customer relations, the proliferation of travel restrictions and health safety rules has made information management and transmission processes much more complex.

As a result, advisers’ adaptability and flexibility have been tested more than ever before.

How has the health crisis reshaped the interactions between travellers and travel agencies, companies and platforms? A dual dynamic has been established, characterized on the one hand by the acceleration of digital exchanges and on the other by the need to maintain human contact.

Digital tools gaining traction

The update of digital technology in the tourism sector has been rather heterogeneous. Since the advent of the Internet, travel research and booking processes have largely migrated online. This has led to the development of research and booking applications. Many customers have nevertheless remained attached to direct contact through agencies, dedicated shop spaces and advisers. This is partly related to traveller habits and experience: some appreciate a fully digitalized process, while the ritual of going to the travel agent or telephone contact remains essential for others. Unlike in other industries, brands within the tourism sector did not perceive digitalization as a necessity to stand out or interact with travellers.

The pandemic has nevertheless forced non-digitalized organizations to embrace new means of communication and customer relations management. While large groups and airlines had already gone digital, especially through their applications, small and medium-sized organizations had to radically adapt to branch and desk closures and traditional channels’ inability to keep up with demand.

Beyond the need to explore new possibilities, a real opportunity to optimize customer relationships emerged.

Nevertheless, the current constraints are, above all, contextual. While some trends will last, others will remain specific to the crisis we’re currently experiencing. With many other industries rapidly transitioning towards “all-digital”, is this just a phase for the tourism sector?

Digitalization is indeed a new way for brands to connect with their customers and respond to their requests, sometimes facilitating processes. It should nevertheless be considered an addition to a whole ecosystem of various interactions.

A reaffirmed need for human contact

Although we’ve seen a proliferation of digital interactions, immersing us in a remote, virtual context, the human touch has never been so important. The period we’re going through has complicated exchanges and, more than ever, demonstrated the need for direct technical and human expertise.

Even in the pre-pandemic context, expert customer advisers in the tourism sector faced a multitude of external profiles, expectations and events – whether climate-related, political or economic – forcing them to be flexible and responsive. Family holidaymakers, business travellers and adventure seekers made for a broad spectrum of demands. Travel advisers’ expertise was therefore strongly linked to their ability to address the various stages of the customer relationship, along with a wide variety of needs, from simple requests for information to crisis management. Managing the before, during and after of every trip – something that differs for each traveller – is the crux of these customer advisers’ expertise. They’re constantly facing complex and emotionally charged situations.

The period we’re going through is very much in line with this: exponential call flows after every official announcement, uncertain travel plans, changing national and international guidelines, etc. The new health constraints and restrictions have radically changed the priorities of both customers and brands. Pre-pandemic needs centred around practical situations related to ongoing trips, or journeys that had already been made or booked.

By shifting the issues more towards the abstract and hypothetical realm, the health crisis has enshrined the role and importance of client advisers, particularly given the instability of situations. For over a year now, interactions have been based heavily on reinsurance and the taking and giving of ever-changing and complex information, sometimes learned on the fly.

Explaining, confirming and managing anxieties and constraints are, more than ever, part and parcel of advisers’ day-to-day considerations. They must juggle procedures and regulations that differ from region to region and manage requests usually made face-to-face. Therefore, customer support has shifted towards a balance between mass digitalization of interactions and the need for human contact. 

Digitalization has accelerated on all sides, whether as a forced move given the current context or as a drive to follow the latest trends. The importance of direct human expertise has nevertheless been propelled to the forefront by the complexity of contextual issues and customer requests. So while it’s impossible to predict the sector’s future, it’s already clear that some trends stemming from the current difficulties will be reflected in travellers’ habits.

Travellers’ expectations, along with the customer experience, will be affected by new health-related constraints, but also by new and growing concerns, such as the environment and climate. Brands will need to evolve accordingly, and their advisers’ expertise will develop as what were once marginal issues and practices become pressing requirements. Digitalization will play a role in the development of this expertise, but the variety of means of interaction between brands and customers will continue to contribute to the richness of their exchanges.