Voice Channel bookings increase by 838%
Ring2Travel 29/05/2020
Julián Alcolea, Customer Experience Manager of Ring2Travel, has participated in the AEDH Experience "Revenue Management for the New Reality". In his presentation he highlighted the value of the Customer Experience Center at this time, also providing very positive data for the month of May.
Julián Alcolea served as hotel director for eight years. A profession that requires, in his opinion, doses of passion and happiness in equal parts. After working at the Idiso Call Center, he joined the Ring2Travel team, Paraty Tech's Customer Experience Center, as Customer Experience Manager. Today it constitutes a fundamental pillar of the Paraty World group.
He opened his presentation with a series of data, as a brushstroke, about the current state of Ring2Travel. These serve as a preview of the report that we will publish next week. In the meantime, we take them at their word, and we hold tightly to the positive trend they reflect. He himself stated how "we have gone from answering calls, almost exclusively, for cancellation requests or requests for information in April, to converting many of those calls into reservations during the month of May."
- Number of calls answered: +127%
- Number of reservations: +838%
- Market: 90% National
- Typology: 95% Vacation
- Category: 4 and 5 Stars predominantly
The voice channel, the great forgotten
In his opinion, the voice channel is the great forgotten one in distribution, something that he considers paradoxical, taking into account that it is a channel "that gives a lot of joy" and that offers a conversion rate much higher than that of other more popular ones. such as, for example, the website.
Furthermore, the voice channel "allows us to be where the customer is, where they feel most comfortable" and, due to its characteristics, allows the development of specific revenue management strategies, "ideal for breaking parity in favor of sales directly and from the hotel establishment".
The voice channel, the great forgotten
In his opinion, the voice channel is the great forgotten one in distribution, something that he considers paradoxical, taking into account that it is a channel "that gives a lot of joy" and that offers a conversion rate much higher than that of other more popular ones. such as, for example, the website.
Furthermore, the voice channel "allows us to be where the customer is, where they feel most comfortable" and, due to its characteristics, allows the development of specific revenue management strategies, "ideal for breaking parity in favor of sales directly and from the hotel establishment".
Omnichannel
The services of a Customer Experience Center are characterized by their omnichannel nature. This means that we can be present in all the channels where customers are: Whatsapp, web, blog, chat, telephone, etc. The heterogeneity of clients is indisputable and, depending on the type of client we face, it is likely that they will feel more comfortable in one channel than in another, and it will be precisely in that channel where they will convert the most. Obviously, this issue is directly linked to its degree of digitalization. That is why it is essential to be on as many channels as possible.
Higher Conversion Rate
The Voice Channel has a much higher Conversion Rate than the rest of the channels. Thus, if on a website, for example, we consider a 5% conversion as a total success, at Ring2Travel we register a conversion rate above 20%. A fact that has a lot to do with the client's willingness to book. When you call, you are already reflecting that purchase intention. If, in addition, you are attended to in your language and in your time zone, there is a high probability of converting that call into a reservation.
Opaque Channel
The Voice Channel is revealed as ideal to break parity due to its opaque nature. It perfectly supports the development of your own Revenue Management strategies, completely tailored and very precise, and totally invisible to the rest of the channels. "To give an example, if a hotel chain has, say, three establishments in the same city, and the revenue of one of them does not evolve favorably, it will be easier to redirect customers to that establishment, or boost its upselling, through the phone, which offers them a much more personalized experience and provides a greater degree of trust.
Higher reserve value
The value of the reservation through the Voice Channel is also much higher than that of the rest of the channels. With a customer predisposed to buy on the other end of the line, it is much easier to persuade them to upgrade, or purchase an additional service that improves their experience. Upselling increases greatly by telephone, and with it, also the value of the reservation.
Brand reinforcement
The Voice Channel is a fundamental reinforcement for your brand. "We have been able to confirm this perfectly during this crisis, in which closed hotels have diverted their calls to us, and we have strengthened their branding by offering answers, support and understanding to customers, despite not being open. We cannot forget that the first contact with a brand is born with the voice".
Loyalty
Customers tend to return to places where they had a good experience and the Customer Experience Center greatly stimulates loyalty efforts. In this sense, outbound campaigns work extremely well. "Instead of waiting for a customer to call you, you pick up the phone and call them yourself. You remind them where you are, when you're coming back, you inform them of the protocols and measures you've adopted, you improve their points program balance, etc. In short, you call him to remind him that you have him in mind and to show him that you are proactive."
The client, Julián concludes, trusts in the good work of that hotelier who has given him so much joy in the past, and during this crisis, he will leave his own safety and health in his hands.
