Report by John Lavabre
INTERNET-BASED travel companies must offer customers a
personal service to survive, members of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Travel
Industry Group have been told.
Speaking at a CIMTG dot-com seminar, held in London last
night, Dreamticket.com chief executive Lawrence Hunt said Web sites must match the
product to the customer by using methods such as personal travel files.
He also stressed the importance of customer call centres. “Only
15% of sites have call centres behind them. Customers want someone to talk to
when making the most important discretionary purchase of the year,” Hunt
commented.
ThomasCook.com marketing director Alexa Clark and former
uTravel.co.uk project director John Whitaker, both of whom also addressed
delegates, agreed with Hunt that Internet companies need a strong brand name.