Omni-channel communication between travel agencies and their private consumers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4000/cp.6928Keywords:
omni-channel communication, tourism services, consumer, travel agenciesAbstract
This article aims to address omni-channel communication between provider and consumer in tourism services, more specifically between travel agencies and their private consumers. The omni-channel approach, which aims to integrate online and offline communication, is driven by the synergistic management of channels and consumer contact points, enabling the consumer to enjoy a more complete and optimized cross-channel shopping experience, which translates into a consistent and continuous shopping experience across multiple channels, be it communication or distribution. The objectives of this study are: i) to identify customary omni-channel communication practices between agencies and their private consumers; ii) to understand the omni-channel communication attributes that private consumers value most in their relationship with travel agencies; and iii) to suggest service procedures to the travel agencies in order to make their service more effective. We used participant observation in travel agencies with different market positioning and interviews with their leaders, in order to identify their service practices. Subsequently, interviews were conducted with travel agencies’ private consumers to determine which aspects of interpersonal communication were most valued by them. The results suggest that interpersonal communication is the most effective in creating a greater proximity and a better relationship with the consumer (being privileged by both travel agencies and consumers), while nonverbal communication validates the trust that consumers can place in the agent and in the travel agency. However, it should be noted that while agencies are aware of some procedures they can take to make their service more personalized and in accordance with their positioning (and consumer demand), they have not yet put them into practice.
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