BROOKE CARMICHAEL
P3 CUSTOMER SERVICE IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM
DESCRIBE THE CUSTOMER SERVICE SKILLS REQUIRED TO MEET CUSTOMER NEEDS IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM CONTEXTS
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Communication in travel and tourism takes place in many ways such as over the phone, face to face, in writing and by email. Businesses that use a variety of communication skills are most successful as different uses of communication are needed in different situations such as:
E-mail is used for quick replies to customers and to get information across speedily. Electronic communication has become the most popular use of communication in the travel and tourism industry and is used in almost every organisation for something. Wedding planners and events organisers, travel agents and resort reps all use electronic communication to communicate with either other employees or customers.
Face to face communication is used to double check decisions and to convince customers they are making the right choice. Face to face communication is used a lot in the travel and tourism industry between employees and customers in establishments such as attractions, hotels and resort reps. When using face to face communications employees have to be sure to: smile when they greet the customer, listen, make eye contact, look interested, call the customer by their name, use good manners and make sure you don’t interrupt the customer. The benefits of face to face communication are that it’s the best way to create a positive impression with the customer and the employee can see the customer’s reaction and can study their non-verbal communication. When using face to face communication effective listening and questioning is vita, the employee must face the customer and give eye contact, smile and nod, stays focused on the customer and doesn’t get distracted and looks for non-verbal communication to understand what the customer is feeling.
Letters aren’t used as much now as communication in the travel and tourism industry often use email but letters are a more formal way of communication. Witten communication used in the travel and tourism industry include letters, memos, brochures, leaflets, reports, notice boards, posters, articles, timetables and manifests. When written communication is used it is necessary to make sure that spelling and grammar is correct, message is effective, made clear who it is too/aimed at, clearly legible and the language should be used towards the right audience.
Telephones are used for enquires and questions in which either the company need to ask the customer or the customer needs to ask the company. Communicating on telephones is essential for travel agents and customer service advisers at travel agents. Telephones are used within businesses to communicate to other members of staff and customers can use the telephone to book a holiday. Call centres have become more popular as customers believe it’s quicker, convenient and cheaper. Large travel and tourism organisations use large call centres for their customers to contact if they want to book a holiday over the phone. When using a telephone to communicate with a customer employees have to make sure they answer calls quickly (less than 5 rings), greet the customer with their name,