(Originally published in TOURISM)
A tool developed by a Calgary firm takes tourism industry websites to a new level of on-line customer interaction. The Live Chat System created by Strategic Direct Marketing Group (SDMG) allows visitors to websites like those of Tourism Saskatchewan and Coast Hotels & Resorts to “ring a doorbell” and instantly get in touch with an agent.
Explains managing partner Scott Martin: “When visitors arrive at the web site, they have the option to click on a button that might say “click here for live chat” and a chat window opens up. An agent comes online, introduces him/her self and asks how they can be of assistance. A live chat application allows agents to express some of the more experiential aspects of products and destinations that are harder to convey otherwise. Someone looking at a hotel package may seek additional information; through Live Chat, an agent can dynamically show them that page. This becomes then ‘guided selling’”.
The agents can actually see what page visitors are on, says Martin: “They see how many times they have visited, the last conversation they have had at the site with any other agents; and if they can’t find what they are looking for, the agent is able to take control of their browser and take them there. They can push a link or even a PDF file. They can follow you around and see what you are looking at.”
For Coast Hotels and Resorts, the use of Live Chat has helped increase sales in the form of online reservations, and by introducing high margin products that typically require some interaction (better rooms, SPA packages, meeting/event products). It has lowered call center costs over time because one agent can talk to five people or more on the site at the same time. And it give a competitive advantage by providing a “white glove concierge” type service that differentiates the company from its competitors.
Sherry Baumgardner is director of marketing at Coast Hotels & Resorts: “It is really closing the customer service gap because if you are calling someone on the phone you can ask any question you want, but when you are going online you are really limited to whatever happens to be there. That creates a gap. The Live Chat’s co‑browse feature ensures the agent is on the same page as the customer," she says. "It is adding that presence and is actually helping close more sales. It is giving the customers the reassurances they need to make the booking. If they have any lingering questions, this solves it for them and gives them that personal contact.”
Research seems to confirm the effectiveness of this type of program:
* 62% of customers seeking help online prefer a live chat program (highest of all support channels) according to Modalis Research.
* 57% of customers say the speed of a retailer’s response affects their decision to make purchases, according to Jupiter Media Matrix.
* There is a 22% increase in revenue, 18% increase in retention, and a 20% increase in satisfaction on sites that use CRM/Chat, according to the Aberdeen Group
* Customers are 22% more likely to make a purchase and there is a 6% increase in order‑value by customers who use chat, according to Land’s End.
Some chat systems are already available free of charge to web developers through Open Source channels, recognizes Martin: “These systems will be perfect for the small operators who exist throughout Canada. The difference between those and ours is the technology we use – the way we set it up for the call centres – so it is more “call centre managed” with an administrative console that manages multiple agents. And we pay close attention to strategic deployment in terms of how the customer information acquired is used. It is that much richer," he says. "And in chat, everything is pre‑scripted. Agents are able to take the prepared answers and bring them over to the chat window; 80% of the dialogue used is already prepared.”
Given the current human resource challenges in the tourism industry, anything that can help staff become more familiar with the product is likely to bring some welcome relief.
A tool developed by a Calgary firm takes tourism industry websites to a new level of on-line customer interaction. The Live Chat System created by Strategic Direct Marketing Group (SDMG) allows visitors to websites like those of Tourism Saskatchewan and Coast Hotels & Resorts to “ring a doorbell” and instantly get in touch with an agent.
Explains managing partner Scott Martin: “When visitors arrive at the web site, they have the option to click on a button that might say “click here for live chat” and a chat window opens up. An agent comes online, introduces him/her self and asks how they can be of assistance. A live chat application allows agents to express some of the more experiential aspects of products and destinations that are harder to convey otherwise. Someone looking at a hotel package may seek additional information; through Live Chat, an agent can dynamically show them that page. This becomes then ‘guided selling’”.
The agents can actually see what page visitors are on, says Martin: “They see how many times they have visited, the last conversation they have had at the site with any other agents; and if they can’t find what they are looking for, the agent is able to take control of their browser and take them there. They can push a link or even a PDF file. They can follow you around and see what you are looking at.”
For Coast Hotels and Resorts, the use of Live Chat has helped increase sales in the form of online reservations, and by introducing high margin products that typically require some interaction (better rooms, SPA packages, meeting/event products). It has lowered call center costs over time because one agent can talk to five people or more on the site at the same time. And it give a competitive advantage by providing a “white glove concierge” type service that differentiates the company from its competitors.
Sherry Baumgardner is director of marketing at Coast Hotels & Resorts: “It is really closing the customer service gap because if you are calling someone on the phone you can ask any question you want, but when you are going online you are really limited to whatever happens to be there. That creates a gap. The Live Chat’s co‑browse feature ensures the agent is on the same page as the customer," she says. "It is adding that presence and is actually helping close more sales. It is giving the customers the reassurances they need to make the booking. If they have any lingering questions, this solves it for them and gives them that personal contact.”
Research seems to confirm the effectiveness of this type of program:
* 62% of customers seeking help online prefer a live chat program (highest of all support channels) according to Modalis Research.
* 57% of customers say the speed of a retailer’s response affects their decision to make purchases, according to Jupiter Media Matrix.
* There is a 22% increase in revenue, 18% increase in retention, and a 20% increase in satisfaction on sites that use CRM/Chat, according to the Aberdeen Group
* Customers are 22% more likely to make a purchase and there is a 6% increase in order‑value by customers who use chat, according to Land’s End.
Some chat systems are already available free of charge to web developers through Open Source channels, recognizes Martin: “These systems will be perfect for the small operators who exist throughout Canada. The difference between those and ours is the technology we use – the way we set it up for the call centres – so it is more “call centre managed” with an administrative console that manages multiple agents. And we pay close attention to strategic deployment in terms of how the customer information acquired is used. It is that much richer," he says. "And in chat, everything is pre‑scripted. Agents are able to take the prepared answers and bring them over to the chat window; 80% of the dialogue used is already prepared.”
Given the current human resource challenges in the tourism industry, anything that can help staff become more familiar with the product is likely to bring some welcome relief.
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