How CRM enables travel brands to stay ahead of their competition

With the increase in disposable income and desire to travel among millennials, the travel sector is evolving at the rate of knots. Understandably, competition has increased too, which has lengthened and complicated the consumer’s decision-making process. They click on hundreds of websites, browse through social media, online booking engines, review sites, mobile apps and so on, before eventually choosing a travel brand to buy from.

This can be a Herculean task. But CRM is making it increasingly easier for travel brands to not just engage with leads across various touch points, but also to convert them into loyal consumers.

Here are 4 ways in which CRM is enabling travel brands to delight their consumers and increase their own revenue in the process:

1.Powerful and relevant storytelling

As mentioned above, the consumer’s decision-making has become lengthier and more intricate, and is spread across various platforms, especially mobile. Capturing data and engaging with consumers in a relevant manner quickly gives a brand a leg up.In a survey by Adobe, 81 percent of marketers said that mobile sites were extremely or very important to their marketing strategies, and 69 percent said the same about mobile apps.

An effective CRM enables a brand to not just connect with consumers, but also present them with relevant stories. For instance, a consumer traveling on a family vacation today may travel next month for business. With in-depth insights about their demographics, spending habits and behavior, travel brands can serve powerful stories to consumers and stay relevant.

2.Building meaningful relationships

Today’s travelers are looking for personalized, authentic, purpose-driven experiences. According to an October 2016 Accenture newsroom survey, 56% of consumers are more likely to engage with brands that recognize them, 58% more likely to make a purchase when relevant recommendations and offers are presented, and 65% more likely to continue engaging with a brand that remembers them and can refer back to their purchase history.

CRM tools enable brands to record consumer preferences, customize their experiences accordingly and build human relations beyond numbers and algorithms.

3.Using data to create personalized experiences

Personalization is a powerful yet underutilized aspect for brands to engage consumers and keep them coming back.

CRM tools help analyze data and present consumers with relevant information to address their pain points. For instance, a customer logged into an app can get quick information like the closest gas station, or eat out recommendations based on personal and geo-location data.

But brands can do much more with data. According to Limesh Parekh, founder of Enjay CRM, brands can “use CRM to garner insights like knowing the places customers have traveled to, the type of services they regularly avail, how much they’re willing to pay, their frequency of travel and so on.” This, according to Parekh, combined with data on other aspects like demographics, behaviors and affiliation, enable brands to create a level of personalization that grabs customer’s attention.

4.Implementing effective loyalty programs

Building traveler loyalty and long-term relationships with consumers is pivotal for brands to survive today considering how much consumers are flooded with information daily.

CRM tools enable brands to categorize their consumers. Based on this, they offer consumers meaningful rewards—both large and small—through loyalty programs. This makes consumers feel recognized.In return, they voluntarily share additional data about themselves which is worth its weight in gold for travel brands. It also encourages them to provide references, which are a terrific source of revenue for travel brands.

“Follow-ups were challenging in our environment which is done in a robotic manner, thanks to Buddy CRM” says, Vatsal Karia, Director, Best Tours and Forex Ltd. “Service on time in the service industry is always a task, not anymore, thanks to Enjay family. The full-fledged extended helping hand as CRM is proved to be has become a healthy addiction and has boosted our business a lot. The initial resistance from the team has turned to the need of upgrading for individual specifications. I am sure once the same is utilized by the whole team in a proper manner and seriously, will start gifting its hidden benefits! Thanks, team Enjay for the beautiful CRM product that you’ve created for the Travel industry”. He continues.

“The travel industry is no longer about giving the consumer a standard itinerary,” LimeshParekh says. “It’s about offering each consumer a personalized experience at an affordable price. But customization for each consumer will become unviable for a business. That’s why CRM tools are useful. They help brands draw patterns and analyses to understand which factors consumers prioritize, and create models accordingly. CRM tools can substantially bring down the cost-per-acquisition and at the same time increase the per-customer revenue, for travel brands.”