4 Times to Connect with Clients Post-Booking
So you’ve coordinated all of your client’s travel plans and made all the arrangements and bookings–now what? Sit back and call it a day before moving on to the next customer? Not so. Connecting and engaging with your clients is just as important post-booking as it is while you’re still in the booking phase.
2-3 Weeks Prior to Departure
The first and probably one of the most important times to connect with your client post-booking is around two to three weeks prior to their trip. This is typically when cancellations with airlines, hotels, and other services go into full penalty, so ensuring that there are no last minute regrets or issues on your clients’ end is incredibly important.
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While this might be a broad range of time, given that some companies might have more flexible cancellation policies than others (some even allowing you to cancel up to a couple days before), this gives you as the agent ample time to not only ensure that travel plans are set, but also to see if your clients potentially forgot to book anything.
In short, two to three weeks prior to departure is just a good checkpoint for both you and your client. It keeps you both on the same page, lets your customer know that you are on top of their trip, and potentially also gives your client the opportunity to book a last minute tour or maybe an excursion they’ve just heard about.
2-3 Days Prior to Departure
While being present and available on your clients’ departure day is an absolute must in order to be on top of any last minute snags, you also don’t want to add on to their busy, potentially stressful day by calling or emailing them. The best way to show that you’re with them and help counsel them on any final questions is to check in a couple days before their actual day of departure.
Additionally, this is a great time to go through that travel checklist to ensure they aren’t missing any important documents. Our own Customer Success Manager, Rob, who was a travel agent in a previous life, would use this checkpoint as an opportunity to remind travelers to check passports and any relevant visa documentation.
It is stressful, but from time to time it does happen that a traveler will only discover at the last minute that their passport is missing or already expired. If a client does have this happen, urgent pick-up (by end of next business day) and express pick-up (2 to 9 business days) are both available in Canada, and in the U.S, FedEx is partnered with RushMyPassport to rush a passport renewal. This service does come with a hefty fee, but for clients who have planned an extensive international trip, it’s definitely worth the price.
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3 Days After Travel
If you feel like sending your clients a ‘Welcome Home’ message on the day of is what they need, go for it! You know them best after all. But coming home can be tiring–there are flight delays, jetlag, luggage occasionally might go missing, and your clients might just want to go home and get some rest before dealing with the outside world.
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While this ‘Welcome Home’ message can certainly be automated and sent from your CRM or email marketing tool, for repeat customers it’s a great idea to just keep this personal. A personal touch does go a long way, so there’s no harm in sending a quick email or giving your client a call to see how everything went and whether there’s anything else you can help them with.
6 Months After Travel
This checkpoint is really just the icing on the cake, especially if you’re looking to gain repeat customers. According to a Shopify article, one of the pillars to follow in order to increase repeat customers is to focus on customer service. Clients that feel acknowledged and taken care of are far more likely to choose you when it comes time to arrange their next trip. Another pillar is using email to stay top of mind; you could deliver an absolutely amazing experience as a travel agent, but if your past clients can’t remember your business the next time they’re ready to travel, then no amount of amazing customer service can make up for that.
If you use a CRM or an email marketing tool, this is a great example of an automated email to set up, as six months is enough time since your client’s last trip to start dreaming of next year’s trip.
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To a certain extent, every client has their own unique needs and styles of communication, so while these guidelines may resonate well across a broad range of clients, you’ll still likely need to tweak your communications once in a while.
That being said, this is a good rubric to work off if you’re just getting started with your email marketing or your travel business in general. Knowing when to reach out to your customers and what the focus should be in each interaction is key in creating lifelong customers.
Curious about how Umapped can help you meet all of your clients’ needs?
Using digital itinerary solutions, like Umapped, travel agents can not only provide their travelers with a safe and secure way to access their itinerary and suggest activities for their clients to enjoy, they can also ensure that every single member of the group has their own personal copy of the itinerary.
See why more and more advisors are turning to digital solutions like Umapped by signing up for a free trial and joining one of our introductory webinars.