While all businesses are reacting to COVID-19, few are feeling the impact quite like travel brands. Between canceled flights and dropping prices, the entire market practically transformed overnight. As marketers, the challenge is to find ways to support customers during an immensely trying time. What strategies are travel brands using to accomplish this?
Pivoting from sales to customer service
Within the past month, travel industry bookings dropped roughly 50% below expected demand forecasts, and that won’t improve anytime soon. It’s not enough to reschedule for later in the season — this is an unprecedented situation that requires a high degree of sensitivity to customer needs.
For many travel brands, that means upgrading customer service capabilities to offer a higher degree of support. TravelPerk recently accomplished this by transferring sales team members to handle the influx of new customer service tickets. Omino shared a similar experience, noting that its entire company was transitioning to support services.
While the loss of bookings is never good news, enhancing customer support benefits key retention markers. TravelPerk noted that its satisfaction ratings and service metrics have not dropped since the coronavirus outbreak. That’s an impressive feat in this level of disruption and makes it likely for customers to rebook with them in the future.
Emphasizing support and empathy in messaging
Maya Angelou wisely noted that “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Her words are now a common saying, but they absolutely apply to our pandemic-driven reality — many are isolated, scared, and genuinely concerned about their loved ones and livelihoods.
In these circumstances, travel brands can’t just hand-wave these concerns away with a discount or vacation deal. What they can do is provide empathy, support, and assurances for the future. Then, when the quarantine ends — and it will — customers will remember the quality of your service.
This approach is not theoretical. Approximately 96% of customers claim service directly impacts their brand loyalty, while 75% of Americans will spend more money on brands with a reputation for service. Optimove is already seeing travel brand clients forge renewed trust with this strategy. During this crisis, brand reputations will be tested like never before, but businesses that are understanding, supportive, and generous will ultimately benefit in the long run.
Supporting those who are still traveling
While these are dangerous times to travel by any method, some people will continue to fly despite the risks. For example, some individuals must fly for business, or to provide essential media support, while others are taking advantage of the opportunity to book cheap flights.
Whatever the reason, travel brands must still adapt to the new, post-outbreak reality we live in. Most importantly, they must communicate these realities to customers by outlining COVID-19 safety procedures, or warning of how travel options might be delayed or changed. Omio went a step further with messaging that made customers aware of cancellation policies throughout the buyer’s journey.
As difficult as it may seem, travel brands must show caution when marketing to customers in this challenging time. More than ever, this pandemic is a time to listen, support, and serve above all else. If you do so effectively, you can cultivate trust with customers who will rejoin you when it is right.