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Introducing WhatsApp Travel Management Service

22 March 2022  |  Travel Blogs

The only group you’ll actually want to be added to 😉 

In this article, we’re going to talk about some of the features of the WhatsApp Business App and introduce to you how it benefits our travel management service and improves your customers experience.  

If you don’t already know, echo.bravo is a frequent flyer club for business travel. Along with a long list of club benefits, our service lets Gold members book and manage flights and hotels over WhatsApp messenger. Boarding Passes, e-Tickets, and reminders are just some of the benefits available, all outside of traditional office hours.

Managing travel at the touch of a button provides our members with a personalised and hassle-free experience. 

With over 2 billion active users on WhatsApp, it’s undoubtedly the most convenient form of communication. It works similarly to your normal WhatsApp app that you use to connect with your friends and family. Additionally, WhatsApp for business comes with several more features:

  • Quick replies 
  • Business profile 
  • Broadcasts 
  • Labels 
  • Automated messages 

The biggest benefit of all is convenience. We either have it in our pockets, or installed on our PC at work. We can create group chats or keep conversations private.

Group chats can help to keep your staff aligned with travel arrangements. No back and forth emails, eliminating all that stress. Private chats allow for personal documentation to be shared Ie passport details.  

Here’s how we’re using it.

Angel eyes on your staff

As over 70% of travellers prefer to be notified via messaging, broadcasts are a great way to keep all our clients up to date on changes in the industry. 

Our accessibility to live FCDO government updates (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) means we are able to see first when changes are made in the industry. I.e countries going onto a red list. This means we can alert our club members before any changes hit the public news, allowing us to be reactive and keep our travellers as safe as possible.

Document sharing

Sharing Boarding Passes and e-Tickets just became a whole lot easier! WhatsApp allows you to send PDFs, documents, spreadsheets, slideshows and more, up to 100 MB, without the hassle of email.

Travel documents can get lost and archived, and email notifications can remain unread for hours, especially when clients are on the move. So to have all your vital documentation sent via an app you’re likely to already be on, proves to be much more favorable. 

Say it, don’t spray it! 

As much as I am reluctant to record these myself, voice notes seem to be the way forward. Perfect for those situations where it’s “impossible to explain over text”. 

First introduced to 2013, but have really taken off over the past few years. 

  • They offer convenience
  • They’re great for when you’re in a rush
  • They can be friendly and fun, all without the pressure to engage on the spot

However, the convenience can be a little one sided. Not so convenient when the receiver is in public or at work with no head phones.

With calls increasing in the travel industry, it’s inevitable that so are wait times. 

According to Infinity Call Tracking, calls to the travel industry are already up by 123% compared to January 2021. 

Whilst it’s great to see the industry bouncing back, are we prepared for the boom? I think by introducing WhatsApp (and voice messaging), we can still have that friendly interaction and important conversations, but faster and more efficiently. 

And don’t forget the best part, you can see when someone’s listened to your voice note. 

Quick replies

The last feature that we’re currently using is quick replies. They are there to help you just as much as they help us and can provide you with instant FAQ’s to help deliver a better customer support experience. 

More now than ever, travel is unpredictable and changes, delays and reroutes are expected. So it’s vital for me to be able to contact my clients in the most convenient and efficient way.  

In addition to new WhatsApp and messaging support, echo.bravo will continue to serve members via email, telephone, and social media channels: Linkedin and Instagram. 

Learn more about our benefits here

Thank you for reading,

Chris | Founder | echo.bravo