Things Your TMC Should Be Doing for Top-Notch Customer Service

August 14, 2019 | For Travel Managers, For Travelers

Clients always remember when a company over delivers. This is the reason why the world’s leading brands invest into building their service reputation. Excellent customer service can significantly boost credibility and revenue.

In the travel sector, customer service is a priority as travelers always look forward to a memorable experience. But with price fluctuations, delays, and other constraints, the booking process becomes a little tricky.

A great way to mitigate organizations’ concern for stellar service is for their vendors to establish a Net Promoter Score (NPS). NPS is a method of measuring the satisfaction level of customers. This helps a corporate travel agency determine which of their services fall short, be it in transportation, hotel, or dining.

Here, we’ll discuss things to look for when it comes to your travel management company’s (TMC) customer service.

NPS for Travel Vendors Explained

NPS is a customer loyalty metric that allows vendors to measure how willing a customer is to become a repeat client. This is based on the level of products and services they received from a provider.

NPS scores can be as low as -100 or as high as +100.

Based on the general NPS Benchmark:

● Good is any “positive” score or NPS above 0 is considered “good”
● Excellent is any “positive” score or NPS above 50
● World class is any “positive” score or NPS above 70

How does the score translate to vendor performance?

● Good = Majority of the customer base is more loyal
● Excellent = Customer satisfaction is a high priority, resulting in more satisfied clients than dissatisfied ones
● World class = Score that top customer-centric companies receive because their clients give numerous positive word-of-mouth referrals.

What about travel vendors that score below zero (0)?

They need to start understanding the needs of their customers and to improve satisfaction levels in their products and services.

What are some of the travel and hospitality vendors that have the highest and lowest NPS?

Data below is provided by NPS Benchmarks.

● Kampgrounds of America = 90
● JetSuiteX = 90
● QA Travel = 87
● Wilderness Scotland = 86
● Tourism Cafe Canada = 84
● Travelzoo = 83
● Best Western Hotels & Resorts = 62
● Thomas Cook Group = 45
● Thomas Cook Airlines = 31

Why does NPS matter to your business?

Everyone wants to work with a trusted vendor. If you know that a corporate travel agency you’re working with has a high NPS, you know that you and your employees will travel safely and stress-free.

Benefits of NPS

NPS is one of the preferred customer experience tools today for many reasons.

With a range of -100 to +100, the NPS scoring system serves as a company’s KPI. This can help executives identify the weak and strong points of their organization.

With the data gathered through NPS, travel management companies (TMCs) can do the following:

a. Measure or predict brand loyalty
b. Create a clear service improvement strategy
c. Look at the big picture on how customers see the company as a single unit
d. Track changes in the service and customer ratings
e. Set a benchmark easily in relation to the competition

For TMCs, their NPS score is determined by one vital question – How likely is it that you would recommend our TMC to a friend or colleague?

Customers are asked to score their partner corporate travel agency based on a response scale, with 0 as “not at all likely” and 10 as “extremely likely”.

Responses are then categorized into 3 groups: Promoters, Passives, and Detractors.

Those who give scores of 9 or 10 are the TMC’s Promoters. They’re extremely likely to become a loyal customer. Passives are the ones who gave a score of 7-8; they’re satisfied with the service, but they may also consider other attractive offers from your competitors. Those who’ve given you a score of 1-6 are Detractors, or unhappy customers.

With this in mind, a TMC should be dedicated to building a solid relationship with its customers, regardless if they’re Promoters, Detractors, or Passives. A TMC will track its score and identify company strengths and weaknesses.

Through NPS, TMCs will have a reliable basis for improvement. As a result, TMCs can create incredible travel programs, giving customers a one-of-a-kind travel experience. Corporate agencies should continuously monitor their NPS to ensure no service, product, or department is falling down on the job.

Other Ways a TMC Should Provide Great Customer Service

Besides establishing a high NPS, a reputable corporate travel agency has other customer service obligations. Once a travelers’ trip is booked, the TMC is still a part of the equation. For example, if the hotel kitchen is closed when the traveler arrives, he or she will undoubtedly be confused about where to get food in a new city.

This is where the TMC steps in. Their corporate agency can provide tools and resources to make their trip better, even after hours. By being proactive during the trip, TMCs increase their NPS score. Add to that the promptness of issue resolution, which customers will really appreciate.

TMCs may also provide support to travelers who want to adjust their itineraries to accommodate other activities. In the long run, this unwavering assistance and support will translate into policy compliance and loyalty.

Experience top-notch customer service with Adelman

In the travel industry, the quality of customer service plays a huge role in a company’s sustainability. So for TMCs and vendors to stay relevant, integrating NPS in the system can help improve the services. For their customers, the NPS also gives them an opportunity to make their concerns known in an objective manner.

At Adelman Travel, we are proud to have an industry-leading NPS. We believe its thanks to our 24/7 support, on top of the mobile solutions and global service to completely cover the needs of business travelers.