The travel industry is one of the largest industries in the world and is growing each year. Revenue in the Travel & Tourism market is projected to reach US$539,936m in 2021. This also means that there is huge competition in the market.
With travelers looking for smoother and more personalized experiences, WhatsApp Business API-based SocialEpoch can prove to be the solution that the travel industry needs. SocialEpoch connects travelers and travel agents through the world’s most popular instant messaging platform- WhatsApp
Whatsapp: A Need Of The Hour For Travel Industry
In today’s time, there is a separate app for everything. Such as flight bookings, train bookings, bus rides, hotels, and more. For a person juggling between multiple apps, planning a holiday trip can be quite a hassle.
With WhatsApp, travel agencies can take care of all travel bookings and more all through the messaging app. This makes it extremely convenient for travelers to plan a holiday and get everything sorted with a few text messages. Not just that, they can also receive booking confirmations, tickets, travel updates, and a personal one-to-one conversation with your travel agent through the same app.
By being on WhatsApp, you can be more easily reachable to your clients. You can further use the platform to provide more efficient customer service making you a winner among competitors.
How can you make the most of the SocialEpoch In the Travel Industry?
Here are a few ways SocialEpoch can be used in Travel Industry making it an absolute necessity:
1. Personalized Alerts and Travel Notifications
SocialEpoch allows real-time alerts for your clients. You can use it to add a personal touch to make your client feel special. Travel notifications such as flight delays, cancellations, gate changes, or any other update can be shared through a two-way communication channel. This will allow your clients to acknowledge your notifications and alerts and engage in further conversations.
Giving your travelers the option to revert back, and ask for an updated itinerary, more information on a delayed flight, or alternatives to canceled trips will definitely give you leverage as a travel agent. Today, notifications must become two-way and conversational, to directly fulfill real-time customer service.
2. Effective Customer Service
SocialEpoch enables two-way communication between a traveler and a travel agency. This allows travel agencies to understand the travel requirements in detail and offer the best travel options and itineraries for them. WhatsApp also allows you to share various multimedia files, such as text, videos, audio files, documents, etc.
With SocialEpoch, you can set message templates for a quick reply or auto-response features. This will allow you to respond to every traveler’s query in real-time. By integrating the WhatsApp Business API to your contact center, you can ensure that replies to inquiries are sent out faster. You can easily provide travel information easily such as re-booked flights, and offer updated itineraries, offer new hotel reservations, provide early check-in and more.
SocialEpoch follows the same security protocols as Whatsapp i.e. end-to-end encryption and anti-spamming policy which makes it a secure platform for all kinds of information exchange. It also ensures that your confidential information such as booking details and payment information never goes to any third party for misuse.
3. Concierge Services and beyond
Booking tickets for travelers and assisting them with travel arrangements may be your core responsibilities. But it never hurts to go the extra mile to make your traveler’s travel experience a perfect one. With SocialEpoch, you can take last-minute concierge service requests from your travelers and instantly win them over! For most travelers, upgrading their bookings with paid concierge requests seems like a suitable option. While your travelers get the advantage of customization, you can have the benefit of additional income through concierge services. For example, your client can send a request that they want their transfer from the airport to be in a luxury sports car rather than a normal premium car.
With WhatsApp, you can easily offer concierge services to your guests and offer them a wonderful holiday experience. A digital concierge service enables travel brands to handle inquiries faster, and exceed customer expectations more consistently. Ultimately, it increases positive reviews and loyalty.
4. Get Early Check-Ins and Boarding Passes on WhatsApp
With SocialEpoch, you no longer have to visit an airline’s website or any third-party app to get your early check-ins- and boarding passes. You can get it directly on WhatsApp. This will not only make it a lot easier for your travelers but also save a lot of their time in getting through the process.
In today’s time, a lot of airlines are available on WhatsApp which makes it easier for travelers to get their boarding passes and stay coordinated with the travel agent, all on the same platform. The fact that WhatsApp has a secure data backup and synchronization further ensure that you always have all the important travel documents once you have them shared on WhatsApp. Even under certain circumstances, you lose your phone you can always restore all your conversations and important files on a new device.
Best Practices For Engagement on SocialEpoch
1 . Be precise with your message. Adding fluff or sending long text messages to customers is never appreciated.
2. Engage with your customers especially the ones who show interest in getting into conversations.
3. Sound human to make your customers would feel more appreciated. Not everyone likes to talk to bots. Hence, if your conversations are more personalized, it will make it easier for them to trust you.
4. Be creative with your messages. By sharing interesting creatives or catchy lines will ensure that your customers show interest and will result in better engagement.
5. Respond to customer queries immediately
6. Don’t spam your customers as it may lead to the risk of getting blocked by your customer.
7. Never sound too professional. Always maintain a casual but respectful tone for all your conversations.
8. Respect your customer’s privacy. Do not send messages at inappropriate hours of the day.
Concluding Statement
WhatsApp Business-based API, SocialEpoch can be a real game-changer in the travel Industry. While bringing ease and convenience for travellers, it provides and a channel for travel agents to establish a strong and personal bond with clients. It helps travel agencies provide superior customer services and more to earn loyal customers that will keep coming back to you!
