Travel & Tourism Technology Trends

In a previous article titled “When You Just Can’t Get No Satisfaction” I wrote about some last resort options for getting resolution to customer service issues.  The Better is Business Bureau is really, in my mind, a last resort and frankly if a company is having to deal with a complaint through the BBB then something has gone terribly wrong with their customer service process.  To that end, I have discovered a site called GetSatisfaction.com which is a fantastic tool for managing customer expectations and to build and foster an open and transparent customer service environment.  At first glace it would probably make many companies cringe.  Think about it… a place where your customers can all gather and talk about you in public.  Well, I for one am excited about the concept, because it increases accountability and keeps you aware of what your customers are saying about your product.

Over the last year I have had the opportunity to speak to many groups ranging from hoteliers to destination marketers.  In almost every event I have received the following question:

What if someone writes something negative about me or my company, what do I do?

As scary as this may be, I always use the same response.  I ask:

What would you do if someone complained about something to your face?

The answer, of course, is that you deal with the complaint in a professional manner and you try to resolve the issue.  In other words, you try to satisfy the customer.  That doesn’t always mean giving them something for free or kissing up to them, it means apologizing if appropriate and taking necessary steps to ensure the issue doesn’t recurr.

I see the concepts that make TripAdvisor.com so popular crossover into GetSatisfaction.com, only the reviews, ratings, and discussions go beyond just travel related companies.  I would even go so far as to say that GetSatisfaction.com could be a TripAdvisor.com killer.  There, I said it, and here is why:

• With GetSatisfaction.com, you (the customer) interact directly with the company on the GetSatisfaction.com site.  There is no moderation or intervention from GetSatisfaction.com.
• The company has the ability to assign employees or reps to the site to handle issues, resolve problems, and update customers.
• The site is very clean and simple to use and there is no booking engine, advertising, or distracting marketing.
• The company (in this case a hotel, dmo, travel agency, etc.) can embed a feedback form directly on their own site and encourage customers to leave praise or submit a problem. Although the company cannot moderate the topics directly, they can comment and interact directly without having to go through a management response process.
• Companies can embed topics on their own site and engage visitors and customers to interact directly with them.
• GetSatisfaction.com has a very well developed API which means that we could start seeing booking engine companies embedding GetSatisfaction.com ratings and topics into their displays.
• GetSatisfaction.com works for any company, not just hotels.  Whether or not you want them to, eventually your customers will start using sites like this to talk about you.  Here is a perfect example for British Airways:

Why it is different from TripAdvisor.com and perhaps NOT a killer?

• TripAdvisor.com is, ofcourse, travel focused and designed to compare properties directly.  So while you’re looking at one property, you are being presented with other possible choices.  This is great for the consumer but has little value to the company.
• There are few, if any, hotels in GetSatisfaction.com.  I did a search for Fairmont, Marriot, Hyatt, but alas there was nothing.
• This is not a tool for comparing companies but rather a way to communicate more effective with a company once you have done business with them.  It is also a way to get an idea how responsive they are to customer concerns and could be a great research tool.
• It would need some work to embed the GetSatisfaction.com value proposition injected into the travel purchase lifecycle.  For example, would it be used as part of the planning and buying phase or for the reminisce phase?

Whether GetSatisfaction.com gets picked up by the travel community remains to be seen.  At the end of the day consumers will find this site and start leaving topics of discussion about companies that will either go unanswered or be dealt with by other consumers.  The question then becomes whether or not you want your customers doing your customer service for you.  In the end, if you don’t, then your customers will do it in order to Get Satisfaction.