Customer Service for Tourism Industry: Tasks You Can Outsource to a Call Center

Customer experience can make or break businesses in the tourism industry. Traveling is highly unpredictable and easily affected by inclement weather and other uncontrollable factors. With much room for error, you need a solid customer service team on standby to smooth over any possible hitches that could impact your clients.

As the sector bounces back from the pandemic with a renewed force, let’s find out how you can elevate your customer service for tourism industry for 2023 and beyond. 

Why Invest in Outsourced Customer Service for Hospitality and Tourism Industry

Before we delve deep into the many customer support services travel businesses can outsource to call centers, let’s first tackle why good customer service is important in the tourism industry. 

Customer service can make or break a person’s travel and tourism experience.

Today’s travelers always look for exceptional deals when booking flights or hotels. They want the best value for their money and know how to get it.

In this cutthroat market with evolving customer expectations, you need exceptional service to set you apart from the competition. It will determine whether your passengers will book their next trip with you or ultimately avoid your business. 

A solid customer service that focuses on customer needs can make all the difference in avoiding missed flights and accommodation issues.

A recent study revealed that good customer service is the most critical consideration for high-value travelers, with the majority (60%) saying that it matters most when choosing a travel business.

Offering excellent customer service can boost your agency’s reputation.

Travelers, especially tourists, are visual storytellers. They document their memories on social media with photos, videos, and vlogs. One study even found that as many as 89% would post about travel destinations, 83% about great accommodations, and 67% would post about their transport experience. 

Tourism businesses seeking to broaden their reach can thus leverage the strong substantial media influence on the traveler demographic to their advantage. As experts argue, word-of-mouth referrals remain to be one of the most effective marketing strategies as it organically helps build brand awareness. 

But how do you create a travel experience worth posting about? The key is exceptional customer service. 

Think of every successful touchpoint as an opportunity to tap the personal networks of your clients; moreover, using your brand hashtags in their posts directly drives traffic and engagement for your account.

Customer service isn’t just about addressing your customer’s needs. It’s also about establishing your credibility as a brand and strengthening customer loyalty through your interactions with guests.

Outsourcing can help tourism agencies deal with the holiday rush or seasonal demand.

Demand spikes during certain times of the year are challenging for travel businesses. Holidays, special events, and peak travel seasons can all lead to a surge in bookings and strain businesses struggling to keep pace.

Whether it’s summer, Thanksgiving, or winter, people typically want to go home and visit or travel with their loved ones. So businesses can expect increasing customer calls about booking rates and deals. 

While this can be overwhelming for your in-house team to handle alone, you can outsource your customer service to ensure every client gets the quality customer service they deserve.

Working with certified customer service experts can help relieve the burden from your in-house team so they can focus on more critical aspects of your travel business. 

Read More: Celebrating World Tourism Day: How Outsourcing Can Help the Travel and Tourism Industry Rebound Post-Pandemic 

What Customer Support Services Can Tourism Agencies Delegate to Call Centers?

Booking Flights and Itineraries

When booking international flights, there are other things that passengers are looking for other than an affordable ticket. A recent study found that travelers find customer service, food, schedules, and the brand’s reputation more important than the price.

Travel is often viewed as a luxury; for many people, it is a chance to escape the stress of daily life and create lasting memories. As such, they are often willing to spend more on things like comfortable seating, good food, high-quality service, and unique experiences they will remember for years.

Some might even be willing to pay more for services that provide convenience, such as faster check-in, priority boarding, or personalized services that make the travel experience more pain- and hassle-free.

Since this entails more frequent and complex touchpoints, it’s essential for tourism agencies to invest in their customer service. With the right call center, your clients can receive guidance and assistance when booking their flights, hotels, itineraries, transportation, and other travel packages.

Proactive Communication on Safety Protocols Through Email Support

Traveling is already a cause of significant anxiety for many people, but since the pandemic hit, more travelers are now concerned about their safety and well-being. 

Clients need constant reassurance that they will stay in a safe environment that adheres to recommended health guidelines. Otherwise, they might end up canceling their bookings.  

While communication is a simple yet effective strategy to avoid such unwarranted cancellations and travel disruptions, a recent study found that almost half (40%) of travelers are unsatisfied with the safety protocol communication they get from travel businesses.

Get ahead of the competition and build client trust by working with an outsourced team that prioritizes transparency for a safe and memorable travel experience for all.

Working with an offshore customer service team helps your clients stay updated on important protocols and travel advisories that could impact their plans. An outsourced CS team can also inform travelers about your safety, cleanliness, and sanitization measures to help alleviate guests’ concerns in the post-pandemic era.

Finding Directions and Travel Routes

Travel businesses and airlines typically deal with a lot of international clients. 

For instance, a US tourist agency may have to book trips for clients who want to travel to Latin America or Asia. Clients expect your staff to be familiar with local attractions in their destination. This includes booking agents and customer service representatives, not just front desk officers.

While your in-house staff members can just as quickly research their destination, having someone from the area can play to your advantage. Fortunately, you can work with global outsourcing companies such as SuperStaff, which has a nearshoring office in Colombia and an offshoring location in the Philippines. 

SuperStaff can provide your clients with valuable first-hand information and recommendations so they can make the most of their stay and create memorable experiences. We can also provide your clients with maps, brochures, and other resources to ensure they know the area.

Additionally, having team members in the area will surely put your clients’ minds at ease, knowing that if something goes wrong, they can contact someone locally.

Multilingual Support

Since it is inherently international, multilingualism is critical in the travel industry. It elevates the travel experience for clients who come from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. 

By speaking in their client’s native or preferred language, travel businesses can ensure smooth communication with their customers – and ultimately, avoid misunderstanding when it comes to booking.

Multilingual customer support also promotes cultural sensitivity as it shows respect for the client’s culture and customs. Moreover, speaking multiple languages can help you reach a broader market since travelers are more likely to book with a company that can communicate with them in their native tongue.

Multilingual services also show that you are customer-centric and committed to the exceptional client experience. 

As much as 71.5% of customer service leaders report that multilingual support has helped improve their customer satisfaction rates, which would lead to positive reviews and a more excellent bottom line.

Omnichannel Support

The expectations of this generation’s tech-savvy travelers are rapidly evolving.

When it comes to customer service in the hospitality industry, they want speed and convenience in a platform of their choice.  

If businesses want to succeed in an increasingly competitive market, they must build a strategy that puts the customer’s needs at the forefront of their operations. This means carrying customer support across various channels – phone, email, social media, and chatbots.

Since omnichannel technical support is crucial for client satisfaction, businesses can differentiate themselves from competitors and build a strong foundation with exceptional customer service skills toward long-term success.

Level Up Your Customer Service for Tourism Industry

Since customer service is critical for success in the tourism industry,  businesses can elevate their customer interactions and maintain a steady stream of loyal customers with SuperStaff’s top-notch 24/7 support.  

Apart from ensuring that your clients can reach you anytime, anywhere, we also feature a full suite of business and knowledge process outsourcing solutions designed to drive your efficiency and boost your profits.  

Contact us today and explore how SuperStaff can take your business to the next level.