CUSTOMER RELATIONS IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY 6.05 Explain key factors in building a clientele.

Clientele Those customers that organizations rely on for repeat business Positive word-of-mouth advertisingPositive word-of-mouth advertising Repeat businessRepeat business Increased sales volumeIncreased sales volume

Techniques in building a clientele Employee trainingEmployee training Empower staff to deliver satisfactionEmpower staff to deliver satisfaction Consistent products and servicesConsistent products and services

Employee training Must have a human resource management program that selects, orients, trains, motivates, rewards, retains, and empowers the best people to represent the organization.Must have a human resource management program that selects, orients, trains, motivates, rewards, retains, and empowers the best people to represent the organization. Effective training contributes to effective customer service; quality service contributes to repeat business.Effective training contributes to effective customer service; quality service contributes to repeat business. Lack of courtesy or help from employees is major reason customers give for not returning to a business.Lack of courtesy or help from employees is major reason customers give for not returning to a business.

Empowerment Giving employees the authority to identify and solve guest problems or complaints immediately and to make improvements in the work processes if necessary

Empower staff to deliver satisfaction Dissatisfied customers do not return and they share their negative experiences with others.Dissatisfied customers do not return and they share their negative experiences with others. A major challenge is converting dissatisfied guests into satisfied guests.A major challenge is converting dissatisfied guests into satisfied guests. Employees do not tell a customer, “I’m sorry, it’s company policy” or “I’m sorry, that’s not my job.”Employees do not tell a customer, “I’m sorry, it’s company policy” or “I’m sorry, that’s not my job.”

Develop policies which enable employees to create a climate in which customer service thrives.Develop policies which enable employees to create a climate in which customer service thrives. Find ways to say, “yes” to customers.Find ways to say, “yes” to customers. Offer 100 percent customer satisfaction guarantee policies.Offer 100 percent customer satisfaction guarantee policies. Assure customers of quality service.Assure customers of quality service. Empower staff to deliver satisfaction

Consistent products and services Essential elements to success in the travel industryEssential elements to success in the travel industry Nothing makes up for poor service.Nothing makes up for poor service.

Relationship marketing Building, maintaining, and enhancing long-term relationships with individual customers; making the individual customer loyal to the business, destination, or organization

Customer lifetime value Treating the individual as an asset rather than a commodity; having a long- term interest in individual customers

The goal of relationship marketing efforts is to make customers feel special and to make them believe that the business has singled them out for extraordinary attention.

Relationship marketing Train employees to treat customers as individuals.Train employees to treat customers as individuals. Provide customers with incentives or inducements to encourage repeat business.Provide customers with incentives or inducements to encourage repeat business. Give “extras” to repeat customers.Give “extras” to repeat customers. Offer special prices or rates to repeat customers.Offer special prices or rates to repeat customers. Maintain a customer database.Maintain a customer database. Communicate with customers.Communicate with customers. Follow-up with customers.Follow-up with customers.