Online Marketing in Travel SpecialBeing relevant to a customer, protecting customers' privacy and data security, and technological considerations are some of the practical challenges while designing and implementing a more personalised approach in eCRM.

Published: 08 Jul 2008

Online Marketing in Travel Special

Being relevant to a customer, protecting customers' privacy and data security, and technological considerations are some of the practical challenges while designing and implementing a more personalised approach in eCRM.

In the online world, customers expect their loyalty to be recognised, rewarded, and nurtured when they go through social media sites.

According to Natasa Christodoulidou, Ph.D. California State University – Dominguez Hills, customers prefer assurance from the company.

"Lot of customers need to be constantly assured that their information is kept safe, confidential and not shared with the third parties without their consent," says Christodoulidou, who was recently in Chicago for EyeforTravel's Online Marketing in Travel 2008 conference.

Christodoulidou spoke to EyeforTravel.com's Ritesh Gupta about eCRM and how it can blend together with social media. Excerpts from an interview:

Ritesh Gupta: How can CRM and social media blend together to depict how you care about your customers?

Natasa Christodoulidou: CRM has taken new dimensions with the way the self-service technologies are integrating the customisation to the customer's end. Social media can assist the customer in increasing awareness of what is available to them before the property or the airline familiarises them with the options available. Therefore, the supplier does not have to worry about the customer going through a learning curve since the customer already has been through it on their own through the various social media channels.

Ritesh Gupta: Do you think there is an opportunity to turn your loyal members into your evangelists via using their experiences and comments posted on supplier-owned or intermediary-owned social media site into emailers sent to different set of customers?

Natasa Christodoulidou: Your loyal members can be your evangelists more than ever in a society where customers love to share their experiences through the social media sites or other interfaces such as Second Life. The emailers to be effective would need to be sent in a customised fashion and can be effective if sent from the customer's email rather than the intermediary's or supplier-owned email.

Ritesh Gupta: In this context, do you think there is a room for CRM team and social media team to interact on a regular basis?

Natasa Christodoulidou: The CRM team can identify a dozen or so evangelists that appeal to the general customer population and then have them report to the customers about their experiences, perhaps in the form of an electronic or even paper-based newsletter.

It is important for the customer to volunteer to receive that information otherwise it can end up as spam in their mailbox. The evangelists in order to be credible and work on a regular basis with the CRM team should not be on payroll as an unbiased opinion would be more credible if they do not work directly for the CRM team.

Ritesh Gupta: CRM team can provide insight into segmentation, profile and customer preferences to social media team. In turn, social media team can highlight specific content for different set of customers. Result: Facilitating the decision making and converting information seekers into bookers. What's your take on this?

Natasa Christodoulidou: This needs to be done very carefully and the social media team can really benefit from this information. The conversion rates of information seekers that can be turned into bookers can be high if it is done in a customised manner and the customer does not feel that his or her privacy can be penetrated.

Ritesh Gupta: If the greatest focus of CRM initiatives is and will continue to be allowing guests to customise their experiences with the brands, can social media be used to exemplify this?

Natasa Christodoulidou: Social media can definitely be used to exemplify this since it is adding a new level to the existing customisation. If guests can customise their experience with a particular brand and feel that they can share their experiences and also receive that information from an "unbiased" source just like themselves, then that certainly will enhance the overall experience.

Ritesh Gupta: Are suppliers and travel intermediaries incorporating elements of their own social media initiatives into e-mailers? In your opinion what can be the main do's and don'ts for the same?

Natasa Christodoulidou: The e-mailers should contain concise information and again, I stress the information regarding the social media initiatives should be formulated so that the consumer believes it is truly "unbiased". I also feel that we should incorporate customers outside the travel industry to give their opinion in social media sites.

Ritesh Gupta: An online travel agency recently launched a blog, powered by its employees. Should intermediaries or even suppliers look at driving audience from e-mails to their own web 2.0 sites like these and strengthen affiliation with the brand?

Natasa Christodoulidou: The employee blog is a curiosity that many customers take a look at on a regular basis. Suppliers (with permission) can drive the email on their web 2.0 sites and even on their emails as an additional level of customer interaction. This will strengthen the affiliation with the brand especially if some type of contact information is included for the person who wrote the email/comment.