Navigating the Waves of Customer Experience (CX) Challenges in the Travel and Hospitality Industry

It’s summertime and the one thing on everyone’s mind is vacation. Nearly 165M Americans are setting aside an average of $5,300 for their dream trip (IPX1031), and with that spend they demand the best experiences long before they make it to their destination of choice.
Lots of individuals are looking to earn loyalty points and every brand wants to grow platinum members. To do so, brands in the Travel & Hospitality industry will have to overcome these waves of CX challenges, particularly during the summer and holiday travel seasons.

1. Handling Surge in Customer Inquiries and Bookings

With three-quarters of Americans planning to take a vacation in the next 12 months and nearly two-thirds of these travelers doing so before the end of year (MMGY), brands need to be prepared. Surges in contact volume can overwhelm customer experience teams, leading to longer wait times and decreased customer satisfaction. Efficiently managing this increased demand with flexible support and intelligent resource management is crucial for maintaining high service standards.

2. Managing Staffing Challenges

Staffing becomes particularly challenging during peak travel seasons and can quickly become a complex science. Insufficient staffing can lead to burnout among available employees and reduced service quality, while overstaffing can increase operational costs. Efficiently managing schedules to ensure optimal coverage without overburdening employees is crucial as right-sized staffing levels can increase travel sales by 10% (MIT Sloan School of Management).

3. Customer Expectations for Personalized Service

Contact centers often serve customers from around the world, dealing with different languages, time zones, and cultural expectations. Where 79% of consumers believe personalized service from a travel brand holds more significance than personalized marketing (Gladly), delivering that personalized service can be challenging. Companies must gather and analyze vast amounts of data, ensure privacy, and integrate information into real-time interactions.

Arise successfully navigates these challenges and makes it look easy.

Arise offers a unique customer experience platform that ensures travel and hospitality brands can navigate these challenges with ease. With best-in-class technology, unmatched operational efficiency, and exceptional service quality, the world’s most recognized brands tap into the Arise® Platform to not only smooth the waves, but generate results.

Handling Surge in Inquiries: The Arise® Platform connects brands with a network of skilled customer service agents, allowing for quick-scale customer support during peak seasons. Moreover, Arise’s virtual learning programs ensure that agents are well-prepared to handle customer inquiries, maintaining high service standards.

Managing Support Levels and Scheduling: Powered by its proprietary Starmatic^® Scheduling System, the Arise^® Platform allows agents to schedule in 30-minute increments, offering an unprecedented 200% intraday and 600% seasonal flex. This not only ensures adequate support during peak times but accommodates the agents’ personal schedules as well. This flexibility leads to a more satisfied and productive workforce, which translates to better customer service.

Leveraging Technology: The Arise® Platform leverages highly secure technologies and best-in-class data management systems to store and analyze comprehensive customer information. Proactive customer service, sentiment analysis, and AI toolsets help to tailor interactions effectively and transform customer engagements.