We, the infamous Y generation, love to use messaging
applications on our mobile phones to communicate with our friends and family.
Even if we saw our friend only 30 minutes earlier, we feel the need to share our
information (feelings, thoughts, questions, videos, photos and many more) in
real time. As one of the most popular messaging applications in the world (with
a user base of up to 1 billion as of February 2016), Whatsapp is starting to be used by the tourism industry to be
in contact with customers.
Skift’s regular information and reasoning on new startups in the
travel industry include a particularly recent Spanish based search engine in
the name of CorreyVuela. This service
offers potential travellers the opportunity to book flights using WhatsApp.
How, you ask?
© CorreyVuela
1. The WhatsApp user must add CorreyVuela’s number
2. Tell them where and when you want to go. Example: “Nice – London. 15 March
to 18 March for 1 person return.”
3. CorreyVuela searches for the ideal flight from over 30 search engines and
offers the best option with flight details and price as well as a link where
the customer can pay safely.
If you don’t want to spend hours researching flights and having to make
decision after decision for your travels, this new service will enable you to
save time only with a few messages, save money due to economic prices
and it’s all stress-free! However…if you say that such a service is too early
to be trusted, then let’s see how else WhatsApp can help in enriching customer
service in travel.
Another new service has been initiated by the airline KLM offering passengers to rebook their cancelled flight through WhatsApp at
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. If your flight has been cancelled, you must walk down to the
Transfer Centre 6 in the airport where you can find a WhatsApp number. Now, all
you have to do to be rebooked on the next available flight is to send your name
and booking code. Then a self-service check in machine will give you your
boarding pass! Less time queuing & barely any arguments with the staff!
Skift mentions this type of real time opportunity interaction between businesses and
customers through messaging channels as “The Post-App Economy”. It is identified with easy
engagement, multi-channels where customers utilize more than 1 type of
messaging application and high signals where a new message on these apps grasps
immediate attention. Even though this new trend deserves to be recognized with
more than 2 examples, particularly with the ever increasing usage of WhatsApp,
there needs to be a discussion on the level of trust customers may have for
initiating transactions through these applications.
WhatsApp may be great for customer service, content and media sharing but are
we really ready to buy flight tickets or book hotel rooms with only a message
sent through WhatsApp? In our opinion, it is not ready to pass to a level of mass use for such transactions. Data protection risks provide an unreliable image of the application in being used for commercial purposes.
If you happen to go to the ITB in Berlin this year and you are interested to
learn more about the ways WhatsApp can be used in the tourism industry, do not
miss a talk by the Consultant and Managing Director of Tourismuszukunft, Michael Faber on March 9 between 14:30 - 15:00 in Hall 6.1!
By Gizem Tudes and Tomasz Wawrzeniec
References:
By Gizem Tudes and Tomasz Wawrzeniec
References:
- https://skift.com/2016/02/22/5-new-travel-startups-building-new-platforms-to-solve-old-problems/#1
- http://www.klm.com/travel/it_en/about/news_press/travel_news/Use_Whatsapp_to_rebook_your_cancelled_flight.htm
- http://skift.com/2016/01/11/how-the-post-app-economy-is-changing-the-way-travel-brands-engage-with-customers/
- https://mdk.io/whatsapp-and-business-a-new-love-story/
