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Travel websites score low on customer service
Online agents are abandoning customer service according to a recent survey, and fail to do simple things like reply to customer emails.
The survey found that 44% of travel and leisure companies contacted failed to respond to an email sent to a customer service address. Of the 66% who responded only 45% answered the customer’s question.
Responses by phone were no better according to the survey. The customer was kept waiting for more than 30 seconds in most cases, and in 14% of cases, the phone was not answered at all.
The independent survey, commissioned by CRM solution provider, Talisma, tested 110 UK companies selling travel online in June this year.
“This audit reveals an alarming level of complacency in the travel and leisure industry”, said Talisma managing director EMEA, Craig Gordon.
He added: “Travel companies are making significant investments in state-of-the-art e-commerce applications in a bid to increase online bookings, but are failing to integrate their website with the rest of their customer service operation, so that customers all too often and up in limbo.”
According to the survey 94% of customer service agents answering the phone did not have access to emails sent by customers.
Report by Ginny McGrath
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