Matt Madd, Flickr (CC license)

Arranging a vacation is often categorized as a stressful activity – from the planning process to the booking and traveling, enjoying the “holiday of a lifetime” can be disrupted by a number of factors. Some factors are out of customers’ control, while others can be addressed by companies responsible for ensuring that your customers’ experiences match their expectations. Often the infrastructure, support and services relating to the provision of customer service can make or break the customer experience.

Let’s say the customer is planning on flying to a destination, staying in a hotel and perhaps even booking transport, tours and restaurants. Those activities all seem quite disparate, but each one carries pain points that can be addressed.

The flight of the customer

Customers who are flying may find that circumstances require them to change flight details. Airlines and travel agents should ensure that their customers are able to do this seamlessly, even if in another country. The entire process from researching flights, and the journey, to picking up luggage after arrival should be smooth and painless. For example, it may not be possible for customers on the road to print out contracts, vouchers or tickets – are digital processes set up to accommodate the customer and any last-minute changes that need to be made to an itinerary?

This also raises a broader question when it comes to catering for travelers – banks and credit card issuers, are your customers able to resolve any issues (such as a stolen card or fraudulent activity) remotely? If not, you’re placing them in the position of possibly not having access to funds while traveling – with devastating effects. They may not be able to call you via voice calls, so how can your customer resolve this efficiently and securely? Is an international toll-free number provided or an online chat facility available? A further consideration is time differences – in an emergency, does your customer have to wait for local business hours to secure their account or can they freeze their account immediately via a self-service option? Real-time interactions should be available and accessible to help your business provide the kind of service your customers expect.

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