The Travel & Leisure Sector is Facing Modern Challenges That Call For Cutting-Edge Solutions

According to a recent report by Exceltur, the Spanish tourism sector is expected to close out 2020 with the same levels of tourism activity as 25 years ago; a slump which has affected at least 595,000 individuals.

Tourism and the travel and leisure sector has been one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. According to a recent report by Exceltur, the Spanish tourism sector is expected to close out 2020 with the same levels of tourism activity as 25 years ago; a slump which has affected at least 595,000 individuals.

While the industry as a whole is feeling the consequences of these staff cuts, it has been perhaps most noticeable in customer service departments. The number of bookings has indeed fallen, but the number of customer enquiries across all channels has actually increased, mostly due to pandemic-related queries.

As in other sectors, the current situation has accelerated digitalisation, with many customers having used digital channels to contact tourism service providers for the first time.

The good news is that today’s customers prefer to receive services via digital channels, and Zendesk stands out among the solutions that best fit to solve these challenges.

The company’s most innovative platform uses Amazon’s services in the cloud (AWS) to connect and contextualise customer data across all channels. It adapts to the particularities of each company so to offer a personalised quality service to its customers.

Zendesk Sunshine is even more effective if used in conjunction with Klint, our Robotic Process Automation platform driven by A.I. It connects customer conversations in messaging services with CRM software.

Consolidating a trend

The main shift experienced by the tourism industry over the last two decades has been the exponential growth of the B2C market, in which customers enjoy greater autonomy to manage the services they need thanks to the role of large digital booking platforms.

This new context has forced the hotel and catering sector to redirect its strategy towards consumerisation, focusing on the customer as opposed to the product.

Shifting the focus to the customer as consumers demand a personalised and efficient service from brands, an expectation that extends from the first search when planning the trip until they return home.

The current crisis, defined by social distancing and the role that uncertainty plays in the immediacy of customers’ decisions, has further consolidated this consumerisation trend in a sector in which users expect a fluid, all-round experience.

This requires adopting state-of-the-art CRM tools to achieve a comprehensive view of consumer interactions across all departments, and to be able to offer an experience that combines human and automated relationships. These tools collect data that enables us to better understand customers and their expectations, and to adapt to the changing needs of the market.

“Cognitive conversations” to enhance and humanise the customer experience

It is no secret that customer service has a direct impact on brand image and, therefore, on financial performance.

Cognitive conversation platforms, which integrate artificial intelligence and messaging services, not only reduce the possibilities of human errors but also help agents go one step further and provide that human and personal touch that defines excellence in customer service.

In the hospitality sector, which is characterised by enthusiastic activity and numerous customer reviews on social networks and rating platforms, it’s therefore vital to offer these kinds of quality interactions that result in customer satisfaction.

With the unavoidable staff cuts in customer service centres, automation and artificial intelligence tools are now indispensable in resolving routine queries and maximising the efficiency during available working hours. Investment in AI makes it easier to monitor trends and customer emotions while ensuring that agents’ efforts are focused on providing first-class personalised service.

Zendesk + Klint: the winner solution

By integrating with Klint, our RPA platform, Zendesk provides a cutting-edge solution that combines the application of AWS-integrated CRM tools with artificial intelligence and robotic process automation technology.

Zendesk is an open, flexible and powerful CRM that easily integrates AWS services to deliver customised customer services. With Zendesk, businesses can collect and analyse customer data across multiple channels, supporting sales and customer service departments.

Klint is our brand-new innovative platform which connects customer-messaging applications with CRM systems such as Zendesk or Salesforce. Using the most advanced artificial intelligence technology, Klint is able to analyse customer requests and automatically drive responses from information in the back office systems or escalate the conversation to an agent, resulting in a more effective service. The platform brings together RPA, ML and AI technologies in one single solution.

The combination of Zendesk and Klint facilitates an increase in service quality while making more efficient use of the existing resources, responding to the staff cuts caused by the current crisis.

Put yourself in the hands of the experts

Although these are high-tech solutions, the implementation and training process can be carried out quickly and efficiently.

At redk, we can help you implement your CRM solution and adapt it to your specific needs.

We have more than 15 years of experience in technical CRM consulting and can help you deliver world-class customer service to maximise your results.