1st August 2019 By Contributor
Black Cat Cruises’ virtual assistant, Kiri, handles up to 500 conversations a month.
Today’s visitors are savvy and, more than ever, impatient! When researching travel online, people want – and expect – immediate answers. Maverick Digital and Yonder outline five ways live chat can help you drive customer delight and increase direct bookings.
Immediate answers = immediate bookings
79% of customers prefer live chat because of the immediacy it provides. Even if that information is provided on your website, your customer may not want to take the time to find it. Live chat helps to nurture customers through the travel conversion funnel by addressing their questions immediately.
Personalise!
Chat allows you to welcome guests to your website, offer them help or give them further information steering them towards the perfect trip or experience for them. Smart chatbots can also achieve this same level of personalisation, ensuring your guests always experience a seamless customer experience.
Saves time for your frontline team
Live chat is known for reducing phone and email enquiries, however, running a live chat can be time-consuming and distracting for staff members or owner/operators. Let a chatbot pick up the repetitive common questions, giving your team more time for those who need it.
At Black Cat Cruises, Kiri (the name of their virtual assistant) handles up to 500 conversations a month, saving over 10 hours staff time each month.
No time zone issues
Offering chat 24/7 is a great way to encourage international visitors to book with you. Having a chatbot allows you to answer their questions immediately, reducing any delays to booking, and encouraging their confidence in your experience.
Insights and data
Get a better understanding of what your visitors are searching for and what their queries are around your offering – then optimise your digital experience to match their needs. Follow their journey on your website, see what pages your visitors are getting stuck on and help guide them in the right direction.
Maverick, an Auckland-based tourism marketing agency that works to empower operators through digital, has partnered with Yonder – automated tourism chatbot software that makes it easy to communicate with customers 24/7. The two companies work together to increase online sales for tourism operators.
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