Customer Communication: Part 3

Written By: Joanie Ogg CTC, MCC

This month we will continue with our 3-part series on Customer Communication. In our May Issue of Travel Professional News we talked about the importance of maintaining consistency communication with customers.  In the June Issue we covered the art of managing difficult conversations with our customers.

Part Three – The Art of Delighting Your Customers!

In the goal to delight customers it is so important to really listen and take the extra time to understand what they are trying to communicate to you. What do they really want? It could be that what they think they want is not the best travel experience for them. You are the guide to getting them what they need as well as what they want.

1. Your experiences as a travel professional puts you in the position of being the expert and they need your honest guidance and suggestions. What they ultimately want is a great travel experience. Perhaps they researched online and found what they really believe is the perfect cruise for them. What they don’t know is what you know. You have the opportunity to help them make the best decision, which may not in fact be what they thought they wanted. Asking questions and receiving input from your customers builds the relationship and generates trust. That trust in you will help you guide them to the best travel experience solution.
2. Adding the FUN element when communicating with your customer can prove to be a real success building your relationship. How many times have you received an email from a colleague that sincerely gave you the feeling that they were happy and anxious to share that with you? When you use a carefully selected emoji that is spot on, you can make a huge impact in the receipt of your communication. Did you know there is actually a Emojipedia that is the home of Emoji meanings? You will know which customers are likely to respond favorably and which others may not. The use of exclamation points introducing a sense of excitement can also have a great impact on your messaging.
3. Sometimes unfortunate things happen that are seriously out of your control. Is it worth it to try and fix problems that are not your fault? While you may not be able to actually fix it, you can at least try to help them understand the situation better. Perhaps you can help by directing them to resources to solve a problem that is something you simply cannot fix. The key is here to try. Be a good listener and show your concern and make efforts to be a problem solver for your customers.