Kuoni video service to target special occasion travel
Tom ParrySpecial occasion travel will be the focus of Kuoni’s new virtual appointment service – launched this week amid rising consumer demand for video calls during lockdown.
Boss Derek Jones said: “What was seen as strange and awkward a short while ago is now commonplace. Attitudes [towards video calling] have shifted massively in a really short space of time.”
With its 48 high street stores and John Lewis outlets closed at the moment, customers can now book a video call with a Kuoni travel consultant on its website, while a new promotional film has been released online encouraging consumers to talk to an expert and plan ahead.
In January, Kuoni saw a 10% rise in the number of personal appointments year- on-year, with the majority of honeymoons booked this way, according to the operator.
Kuoni said early indications showed “strong demand” for the video service, in particular among couples planning weddings, honeymoons or anniversary trips, with appointments already confirmed for the coming weeks.
Jones added: “Meeting someone face-to-face, even by video, creates a rapport and a genuine understanding about the type of trip we can create. If there’s one thing we’ve learnt from this crisis it’s that customers value having a real person to talk to.”
'I got to know clients better than just over the phone'
Jemma Allerton-Griffiths (pictured), a travel consultant with Kuoni who helped trial the service, said: “It was really easy to set up, we just sent an email introduction beforehand with a link to the zoom meeting so we all connected straight away.
"As it was a honeymoon booking, we talked about some of the destinations they were considering, including Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Costa Rica and South Africa.
"I felt like I got to know the clients better than I would have done just on a phone call and they were able to chat between themselves as well. I was also able to share the screen to show videos of some of the places we were talking about.
"The next stage is that we’ll meet again on a zoom call next week and talk through some of the ideas we’ve created for them which we hope they’ll be excited about."
Tom Parry
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