The Covid-19 crisis has forced the travel industry to face digital disruption head on. And the extended, end-to-end customer journey is the result.
Digital engagement starts the second a prospective customer asks, “is it safe to travel, or should I stay at home?” Travel businesses can only breathe a sigh of reputational relief once that traveller has enjoyed a completely hassle-free trip.
That is a long and winding path to follow. And not everyone has embarked on this journey.
Travel businesses may have reaped the benefits of pay-per-click advertising for years – with programmatic embraced quickly as it emerged more recently. But the creation of a much broader, more dynamic, integrated communications framework rather than opting for simple advertising can create real obstacles— particularly when it comes to its integration with customer interfaces, back office systems and a variously skilled in-house workforce.
The goal might be to achieve a seamless, fulfilling and relevant online customer experience – before, during, and after a trip. The problem is that the vast majority of travel businesses are only now taking the first significant steps towards making it happen.
When customers’ digital experiences are not optimised, the risk of business failure is real. Digital evolution and transformation are essential, and to perform and compete online, a committed cycle of system, process and content improvements are required to retain brand visibility and market share.
If the pace of the pre-coronavirus world was fast, the luxury of time has now disappeared completely. Businesses that once mapped digital strategy in one-, two-, or three-year phases must now scale their initiatives in a matter of days.
McKinsey and Company summed up the current climate in its Digital strategy in a time of crisis report when it said: "Strange as it may seem, it is in this moment of crisis that you must advance this digital agenda."
Clear, responsive messaging on safety, financial security and booking flexibility, sent to every device-type, protects reputations. Not only that. It saves businesses from a flood of permanent cancellation requests.
Crowd designs and deploys digital campaigns that address the ever-changing desires of digital audiences around the globe. We have built an international team with some of the brightest minds in the digital communications and strategy space, and as technology fast becomes a utility, users become ever more demanding of the digital medium. We work hard to stay ahead of the curve – always exploring effective and innovative ways to build brand presence and understanding.
By establishing trend monitoring, creating organic and paid media campaigns, optimising social media and building award-winning websites, we deliver measurable ROI to your clients.
We have worked with airports, hotel groups and international tourist boards for over a decade, guiding digital transformation in steadier times. With the post-Covid window of opportunity, rapid digital transformation and campaign preparation has never been more important.
Leisure travel trends are pivoting in unpredictable directions and business traveller behaviours are influenced by corporate safety policies. In such a complex landscape, we can help companies find and implement the right customer interface and the most agile digital marketing frameworks.
If these systems can respond to the current crisis, they will sing in calmer times.
For further insights, see our full Amplify Travel & Tourism ebook here. To speak to Jet, contact her via LinkedIn here or email her at jet@thisiscrowd.com.
