A online travel case study on how to use technology to improve customer relationship management and distribution. The presentation was created for eyefortravel conference in sydney, Australia.

1. Integrating CRM
Technologies to Improve
Your Distribution Strategy
Chloe Lim, Managing Director
HotelClub.com

4. Of the world’s population have
access to the Internet
Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

5. The estimated value of the global on-line
travel industry
USD$250
Billion
Source: PhoCusWright Major Travel Markets of the World 2007

6. The Asia-Pacific online travel market is
greater than
USD$30billion
per year
Source: PhoCusWright Major Travel Markets of the World 2007

7. So….
What does this mean?

8. 2
3
Online travellers say search engines
influence their decision

9. travel related searches
Undertaken by customers to
make an online booking
Source: 2007 Google and comScore Study

10. Customers Visit
Websites whilst making
their booking
Source: 2007 Google and comScore Study

11. Customers Take
Days to make a purchase decision
Source: 2007 Google and comScore Study

12. The online travel industry is
very profitable however ……
OUR
CHALLENGE
…Is to meet the needs
and desires of the
consumer

13. Today will cover…
Who is HotelClub.com?
Integrating CRM into your distribution
strategy
Steps to attaining customers online
HotelClub.com Membership Program –
A Case Study

14. Who is

15. Established in 1996
Accommodation Specialist
Over 35,000 hotels (in 120 countries)
Consumers in 230 countries
12 Languages, 14 Currencies

16. Who is HotelClub?
HotelClub is a global online accommodation specialist
with over 10 years experience.
We do our best to get our customers the best hotel
stay…at the best rate…and reward them for it.
HotelClub has over 5 Million members and provides a
choice of accommodation in over 120 countries.

17. Who is HotelClub?
Accommodation Specialist
Global Content
Real Rewards
Service
Competitive Pricing

18. Who is HotelClub?

19. The Question of the day
How to integrate CRM
technologies to improve your
distribution online?

20. What is
CRM

21. Customer Relationship Management
{ provides businesses with the
opportunity to enhance or build
their relationship with customers. }

22. CRM allows an organisation:
A. To understand customer behaviour
and purchasing patterns
B. Build Trust and engage with
customers
C. Enhance the customer experience
through localisation of product

23. …the internet has given the travel industry
the opportunity to
Build and enhance our
relationship with customers.

24. KEY FACTS
A. Customers have too many choices
and too little time
B. Most offerings have similar quality
and features
C. We tend to base our buying
decisions on prior experience

25. CRM can be used to improve
your distribution strategy
and build customer satisfaction

26. { }
A Distribution Strategy defines how
an organisation creates and satisfies
demand for its products; markets its
products from creation to purchase;
and how to develop and maintain
customer loyalty and satisfaction.
.

27. CRM
A. Provides an organisation with the
opportunity to TALK to their customers
B. Effective CRM allows the customer and
the organisation to be in a dialogue
C. Part of an organisation’s overall
distribution strategy
D. Drive customer satisfaction

28. { Customer Satisfaction is the degree
to which a product or service meets
a customer’s expectations. }

29. CRM Does Not
Guarantee Repeat Business
But
Customer Satisfaction does

30. BUT

31. It can be the cornerstone to
Customer Satisfaction if there is
emotional connection
But

32. We define there are
5 key disciplines of building customer
satisfaction Online

33. Discipline 1:
GET YOUR PRODUCT RIGHT

34. If a product or brand looks like a duck
but swims like a dog….customers will
distrust it!

35. Discipline 2:
KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER

36. HOW?
Registration
Search profiles
Surveys
Market research

37. Discipline 3:
CREATE A DIALOGUE WITH YOUR
CUSTOMERS

38. SENDER MESSAGE RECEIVER
The traditional communications model is a
monologue

39. SENDER MESSAGE RECEIVER
The new communications model is a
dialogue

40. Discipline 4:
CREATE TOOLS TO WIN LOYALTY

41. News
Keep it SIMPLE….Keep it REAL
Flash!

42. The customer must perceive
VALUE

43. Discipline 5:
TRACK YOUR CUSTOMER

44. It’s not just knowing who your
customer is

45. It’s knowing what they do.

46. Achieve all this and you get…
Customer Satisfaction

47. Do all of these REALLY well and you have
TRUST

48. { Trust comes from meeting and beating
customer expectations every time.
}

49. Achieve all this and you get…
Customer Retention

50. { }
Customer Retention is what occurs
when a customer feels enough
confidence in a product or service to
purchase time after time.

51. HotelClub.com Membership
Program – A Case Study

53. 2.7 Million Australian households
are Active members of FlyBuys
using 6 million cards
2 points for $5

54. 2 points
for $5
FlyBuys Customers earn every time
they make a purchase

55. So….
Rewards in FlyBuys can be hard to achieve
Too much money spent for little rewards!

57. Of today’s consumers have at least one
loyalty card

58. HotelClub.com’s Membership Program has over 5 Million
members globally…
Started in 2000
IT’S FREE!
Growth rates of 195% year on year
Real tangible rewards
Up to 4% of booking value return in
Member Dollars
Use of Member Dollars – up to 3 years

59. 12-15
times
HotelClub.com Members are
more likely to purchase than any
other consumer

60. HOW does HotelClub.com
achieve satisfaction and
repeat business?
Get Our Product Right
Know our customer
Create a dialogue with our customers
Create tools to win loyalty
Track our customer

61. How do we get the Product right?
Provide a fast easy to use website
Provide content that customer want
The right hotels at the right price
12 Language options
Personal contact options in 10 global
customer care centres

62. How do we know our customer?
Registration
Surveys
Search Patterns
Travel wants & needs
Market Research

63. How to create a dialogue with
customers?
Customer generated hotel reviews
Best Hotels and Resort Survey, Guides and
Awards

64. Tools we use to achieve loyalty?
Unique & Free Membership
Program
US$1= 1 HotelClub $
Create VALUE
SAVE on future bookings with
HotelClub
Referrals
Exclusive deals

66. 4%
Of a customer’s total booking is
given back to the customer
= VALUE

67. How do we TRACK customers?
Where users are making bookings for
When users are booking
How often users are booking
Why users are booking
How users are booking

68. Join the Club today!

69. Contact Details:
Chloe.Lim@hotelclub.com
http://au.linkedin.com/in/ChloeLim