How to ask customers for travel reviews during COVID-19

With everything that’s been going on, it might seem like a really inappropriate time to reach out to customers and ask them for a review. Especially if you’ve had to process a lot of refunds and cancellations. Times have certainly changed, but collecting customer reviews is still super important for your business. Some may argue it's even more important now than in the pre-covid era. Any potential travellers who are building up the confidence to book holidays again will want evidence that they are in safe hands, should anything happen. Travel reviews can showcase your fantastic customer service for things like your refund policy, how you handle complaints, COVID-19 measures, etc. So we’ve shared some useful ideas on how to ask for reviews, while still being respectful of what your customers may be going through.

Make it personal

In a world of automation (which we’ll get onto shortly) it may seem impossible to adopt a personal approach when you’re reaching out to a mass audience to ask for feedback. On the other hand, who has time to personally email all their customers? Strike a balance by adding details into your email campaign system such as:

• Name
• Destination
• The dates they travelled

This will also make your email look genuine and avoid it looking like spam. Remember to let them know how grateful you were for their booking, regardless of how long ago it was. It also helps encourage customers to leave a review if you show enthusiasm and add a human element to your emails - e.g. ‘we can’t wait to read your review!’

Be direct, but not pushy

Can you imagine what some of your customers might be going through right now? The last thing they need is another pushy sales email. Instead, acknowledge that you know they’re busy and dealing with a lot during coronavirus, but politely ask them to please review their experience if they have a few seconds. Emphasising what you want and how quickly they can complete a review is more likely to encourage them to do it there and then, rather than abandoning your email and forgetting all about it.

Offer an incentive

Times are tough financially for both customers and travel agencies, but if you can, offering an incentive can increase the rate of your reviews drastically! Even offering reviewers the chance to win a £20 Amazon gift card can boost your review collection process. Just remember to choose a deadline and announce a winner, and make sure you follow any GDPR guidelines relating to competitions and giveaways.

Automate the process

This is where we get into the good stuff! If review software and email campaigns all sounds a bit much, you can automate the process! We offer a FREE Service Review solution for travel agents, where you can send as many automated (and manual) email invitations as you like each month. If you’d like to collect more information and full product reviews for hotels, cruises, flights, transfers, and attractions, that’s also an option, thanks to our Product Reviews solution. We can help you set up and collect all your review data in one handy dashboard, making it very easy for you to maintain. We also have a signature widget for you to display on your site, showing customers how awesome you are!

Be patient & follow up in a few days

It can be easy to get carried away and send out loads of replies but can be disheartening when no one replies. Don't take it personally if you haven't heard back from anyone. Everyone is busy and they might have completely missed your email. Send out a reminder in a few days and if you don't hear back, do not harass your customers. Let it go and focus on the positive reviews that will soon come flooding in! If you'd like to find out more about any of our solutions, get in touch today.