Last week we saw our Chief Commercial Officer, Michael De Jongh talking about customer journeys and loyalty with Avvio customer Roomzzz Aparthotels and Cendyn, the provider of customer-focused software solutions to the travel industry.
The partnership between the three companies has showcased just what can be done when the right software and a drive for customer delight come together.
Robert Alley, COO of Roomzzz talked about how Roomzzz aparthotels have been trusted by business and leisure customers alike in providing comfortable, accessible short and mid-term accommodation for 15 years. He mentioned that previously, the company’s strength had been in its people and city centre locations, but how he wanted to be able to deliver much more for customers, especially loyal ones, through the introduction of a customer loyalty scheme that would allow Roomzzz to compete on a more even playing field with the larger chains.
Perkzzz’s loyalty was built on Robert’s vision. Working together, Avvio and Cendyn developed a solution to seamlessly manage the guest’s experience from the initial enquiry through to confirming the booking, upselling and all the way to post booking reviews.
Nicky Graham, Senior Director of Global Marketing at Cendyn explained how Perkzzz could help evolve the customer experience, firstly through providing a CRM solution but also by building out the customer journey throughout their stay.
But before Roomzzz could get to work on the customer experience, they had to convert enquiries into customers, and that is where Avvio and Allora, our AI-powered booking engine came in. By understanding the guest’s digital journey, we were able to help Roomzzz tailor specific messages linked to the Perkzzz loyalty scheme to show the customer the benefits they would be entitled to through booking direct with Roomzzz. This gave a powerful advantage when guests were comparing a booking at Roomzzz with an alternative location – especially if they were an existing Roomzzz customer.
Even despite the lockdown, since Roomzzz launched Perkzzz in October 2020 over 2000 people have signed up and over 15% of previous loyalty scheme guests have activated, with some already reaching the top tier. Robert explained that Perkzzz is simple to use and understand which helps – with more bookings leading to more points which takes users up the ladder of benefits.
Nicky from Cendyn explained how enabling the connectivity between Cendyn and Avvio allowed Roomzzz to create an effective and smooth experience for their customers. She said: ‘By allowing the technology platforms to speak to each other we have removed any hurdles that may have been in the way of a simple and effective, customer-focused solution.’
Michael talked about how Avvio and Allora.ai have enabled Roomzzz to take back some market share from online travel agents and allowed them to compete on better terms with some of the large chains where a reward scheme is so important. He talked about how the hospitality industry has traditionally been slower to adopt technology, but that loyalty and advocacy have actually been increased under the pandemic. He reminded listeners that each booking is ‘A signal of intent, not a confirmed purchase. Being able to interact with potential guests in a relevant way and using technology helps to lock in that booking and interact with the customer to make their experience a better one.’
The panel agreed that 2021 looks promising as the UK and Ireland start to think about life after lockdown, with demand for summer staycations already starting to rise.
So, if you want to ensure you’re getting (and confirming!) your share of bookings for summer 2021, speak to one of our team today and find out more about how you can leverage technology to personalize the journey of your customers and increase sales and revenue.
If you missed the webinar and you’d like to catch up, you can watch the recording here.
