Self-service – the main channel for booking travel in future?

Self-service technology is on the brink of moving from being one of many channels for transacting business to becoming a dominant one in many markets. 

A report by Amadeus exploring the “extraordinary growth” of self-service technology predicts that in many industries, including travel and aviation, this rise in adoption will make it a dominant channel for buying goods and services.

While self-service within the travel industry is still only at the beginning of the adoption curve, many companies are discovering that offering travellers more control and choice over their travel plans is helping to increase revenue and improve customer satisfaction ratings.

The report also found that self-service is increasing consumer loyalty by enabling companies to better understand their customers’ needs.

But the adoption pattern varies greatly due to cultural, geographical and generational influences.  

Amadeus found an increased blurring of the borders between business and leisure travel as travellers demand the same level of functionality from the technology they use, whether booking a holiday or planning a business trip.

Meanwhile, simplicity of use is the key to the adoption of self-service technology, but travellers increasingly want to carry out more complex transactions.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the ‘one-size-fits-all’ policy does not work in the self-service environment and firms are beginning to market on almost a one-to-one basis, the report said.  

Amadeus marketing vice-president Ian Wheeler said: “Companies implementing self-service technology find that the factors which make relationships with customers successful in the person-assisted environment can be extended online with great success. 

“Understanding this concept is key to the future adoption of self-service technology and will be key for business development.”

The introduction of high-speed internet access is also helping drive use of self-service technology as travellers are no longer frustrated by sites taking too long to load over a slow connection.

The report contends that the self-service option will become as prevalent in the travel industry as the use of ATMs in the banking sector. Self-service options are becoming an accepted and integrated part of normal working life, no more remarkable than executives using a PC to write an e-mail rather than dictating a note to their assistants to type up.

Report by Phil Davies