Hot tips from the experts
The web matters: it gives you credibility!
We wanted to look at the web again because it grows and changes almost by the day and now plays a more important role than ever in all our businesses. And who is at the centre of every business? The customer, of course. Consequently, the customer (present and potential) has to be at the heart of every website.
To find out more about websites in general and the influence they have on customer retention as well as customer acquisition, we spoke to Steven-Dean Joseph, web expert with Amadeus Madrid.
Q: Hello Steven, let's start at the beginning: why, in your opinion, is it so important that Travel Agents have websites?
A: I'll use a little story to illustrate why Travel Agents operating in today's industry should consider having an online presence that is efficient and user friendly:
I recently wanted to book a trip to Cape Town, South Africa, for the Christmas season. I thought I'd easily find a specialist travel agency in Madrid, but drew only blanks. The logical next step was searching on the internet. And, because I'd heard that Cape Town is dangerous, I looked for an agency that could provide me not only with the basics - the flight itself - but ensure my safety as much as possible and make the appropriate travel arrangements.
Amongst the travel agencies I found on the Internet, one seemed particularly suitable and able to fulfil my requirements. Unfortunately, the agency's website didn't quite work, making it impossible to get in touch with them. Looking further, I found a specialist in in-bound tourism. They had pictures of staff (which made me feel reassured I was dealing with 'real' people), and they provided links to the relevant information which proved their legitimacy.
I ended up booking with this agency, and I am off to South Africa for Christmas!
Q: So, what's your advice to a Travel Agency for a website that works?
A: First and foremost, the website needs to look and feel professional. What customers are looking for is a legitimate business (over the years, reports of internet fraud has scared many potential users), and the website should project professionality and credibility. Next, the website needs to be fully functional (whatever the level of technology) and the agency has to check its own website regularly and make sure that any faults are fixed rapidly. A website that doesn't work is like an agency that doesn't open for business, and customers are going to move on.
Credibility and functionality are the two 'must-haves' if the agency wants its website to communicate a solid and positive image and be 'open for business'.
Q: In which way does a website influence an agency's customer behaviour - from becoming a customer to remaining a faithful customer?
A: Well, it's quite simple, really. If a customer comes across an agency's website, likes what it offers and finds it easy to manage, he/she more than likely will decide to try that agency and find out whether, in 'flesh and blood', they keep their virtual promise. Then, if the booking process has been smooth and easy, the trip successful, and the price was right, it's more than probable that that person will repeat the experience and recommend the site to friends. I would certainly recommend the agency with which I booked my trip: because of they way they 'presented' themselves to me and therefore created trust, and then because they made booking easy.
Being able to check prices on a website certainly helps the customer with his/her decision-making and may well be something they won't find on other agencies' sites.
Q: Thank you for your time and your good advice, Steven. Just allow me to sum up what you have told us: a website, essentially, is an excellent platform for independent agencies to project their professionalism and demonstrate their legitimacy. If that's done effectively, and the website is easy to use and open for business at all hours of the day and night, customers have every reason to do business with that agency and to come back again and again as well as recommending the site to their friends.