Creating Happy Travelers: Gathering Reviews, Trip Feedback and Developing Customer Loyalty

When you read this title, how does it make you feel? Is it positive like “I’m doing these things and it’s going great!”. Do you feel impartial? Or are you curious about how to continue to improve your customer happiness?

As a tour operator, one of your main goals should be to make your customers happy. After all, you are providing them with discretionary services, which when money gets tight, they are the first to go. Happy customers are more likely to highly value your travel services, come back again and recommend your tours or travel services to others. But how do you ensure that your customers are happy?

Customer service used to function on the ‘customer is always right’ philosophy. The ways to keep customers happy have changed over the last 20 years but also since the pandemic. It is no longer acceptable to provide a subpar sales or trip onboarding experience. Since competition has increased, in the travel and tourism services space and peoples pocket books are feeling the squeeze from inflation. You will have to work even harder to level up your customer service experience from start to finish to ensure you can stand out and stay top of mind.

As we navigate times of economic uncertainty, some businesses will rise and others will fall. A lot of what will determine who comes out on top will come down to who is delivering outstanding experiences and exceptional customer service.

How Important are Customers to a Business?

Customers are the lifeblood of any successful business. Not only do they bring in new capital as they buy your products and services. But they also bring new ideas, and constructive feedback and are the entire reason your business exists in the first place. 

Getting customers is only the start. Once you start acquiring customers you must keep them happy. Happy customers will refer your business and be an organic marketing engine as well as product developers and testers . When you create happy customers who love your services, they will provide you with a plethora of new problems to be solved, issues to be tweaked and ventures to embark on. 

Happy customers are the driving motivator that keeps any good entrepreneur going. 

But first, you must create happy customers.

How to keep customers happy

Listen to their wants and needs

Regularly gather reviews and feedback from them. This can help you identify areas where you’re doing well and areas where you could improve. It’s also a good way to build up a relationship with your customers and show that you care about their experience.

Respond Quickly to Reviews and Feedback

Like, within 24-48 hours, all reviews and feedback sent in via email should be replied to. You will experience negative reviews and critical feedback, reply promptly and with grace. Invite your traveller on a call and listen, then provide ways you can take action on your end.

Reward Loyalty

In travel, loyalty doesn’t have to be discounts but instead bonuses. Offer a private room upgrade on their next trip, pay for a meal at a nice restaurant or include a massage. This will show them you appreciate them and they will continue to refer and provide positive energy towards your business.

Create Engaging Content

Whether this is through blogging, emails or on social media, you have to keep TALKING to your customers. This ensures you stay top of mind and can keep your customers informed. Engagement also allows you to learn more about them and their needs, which supports listening to them.

Commit to Being Disruptive

In an age of digital noise, increased competition and economic shifts, you have to be committed to innovating and being a leader in your niche. This is all about EXCEEDING your client’s expectations and knowing your industry better than anyone else.

  • How can you make your booking process even easier?
  • Where can you increase communications with travellers?
  • How can you make the information collection process easier?
  • How can you digitize things like waivers or intake forms?
  • How can I go above and beyond to support my travellers?

Benefits of Providing Outstanding Customer Service

A happy customer is a loyal Customer

This is something that hasn’t changed; they will be loyal, they will provide you with recurring revenue, and they provide lifetime value.

What does loyalty look like? Loyalty means they refer people to you, they write reviews, they travel with you multiple times, they engage on social and they provide you with quality, constructive feedback.
Loyalty leads to recurring revenue, where they use your services perhaps annually or even more frequently. Their lifetime value should be captured in your CRM software, so you can have data about who is a true VIP client, and then you can treat them as such.

Companies that are going to stay relevant over the next 10 years, will have to be working towards convenience and consistency, ensuring clients are always top priority and ensuring your clients feel heard.

KPI’s and Metrics to Watch to Ensure Your Customers are Staying Happy.

Return/ repeat customers – low chun rate, for example, if 30% of your travellers this year travelled with you last year and next year it’s 30% again or higher, you’re winning in this category.

  1. Increase/high social media engagement and positive interactions – these metrics indicate overall happy customers and an audience who wants a connection to you and your experiences.
  2. Referrals – tracking which leads came from existing customers is a huge indicator and a lead type often not tracked. Loyal customers who recommend you is one of the fastest ways to grow your business.
  3. Positive reviews on google & trip advisor – travellers trust reviews more than ever. This method of social proof is non-negotiable in the digital age, especially if you are a newer business.

What is the most direct cause of customer loyalty?

Provide Outstanding Customer Service, Every Time.


At a base level, you just need friendly, helpful, organized and easily accessible people available to support your travellers. People expect to be GIVEN immediate access to all their trip details at the point of sale and most see automation as a sign of sophistication and professionalism. This obviously supports your brand.

If the client has to call in or send multiple emails about their trip for basic details, you’re missing the mark. Our 25 Things you can Automate e-book is here to help.

When travellers do call or email, they must have the most enjoyable experience. This means; no waiting, easy solutions, and happy, friendly service. Every.Single. Time.

Providing a traveller portal, knowledge base and using live chat are innovative ways you can provide more information, easier and allow clients to self-serve.

Conclusion

Providing outstanding customer service is key to keeping customers happy and maintaining a successful business. By monitoring the right metrics, you can ensure that your customers are satisfied and more likely to return in the future. There are many ways to keep your customers happy, and we hope these tips will help you get started. Share your experiences with providing great customer service?

Leave us a comment below!