How Top Travel Companies Optimize Their Contact Centers for Seasonality

The travel industry is a whirlwind. This sector is at the mercy of everything from geopolitical stability to climate change to trade regulations.

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Then there are the realities of fluctuating consumer demand.

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Summer vacations, holiday rushes, spring break madness — each season brings a unique set of customer service needs.

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How do top travel companies manage these peaks, dips and surges? 

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With smart, scalable contact centers.

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When you optimize your contact center for seasonality, you can manage demand, adjust staffing and maintain high service levels — no matter what comes your way.

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Let’s explore how contact center leaders at top travel companies like Booking.com, Airbnb and Delta Airlines master the art of seasonality — and how you can do the same.

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Booking.com: AI-Powered, Flexible and Scalable CX

Booking.com has mastered the ebb and flow of tourism. This company started in the hotel business and recently branched out to provide flights, car rentals, attraction bookings and more. 

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This expansion exposed Booking.com to even more seasonality challenges. But the strategy has paid off: in 2023, the company recorded nearly 20% more searches globally compared to the year before. Flight bookings increased by over 50%.

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Booking.com focuses on three strategies to stay ahead of the competition — and make traveling easy. 

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AI and Automation

In 2023, almost half of all room nights were booked on Booking.com’s mobile app — the most downloaded mobile app in the travel agency category.

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The secret? Advanced chatbots. These handle 30% of all queries — with an 80% success rate — and free up human agents to handle more complex issues.

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Flexible Staffing 

Covid-19 hit the travel industry. Hard. 

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Booking.com was forced to lay off 60% of its permanent contact center workforce during the pandemic. In 2022, it was forced to cut another 2,700 permanent contact center jobs to further adapt to changing travel demand.

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The company now uses a staffing model that combines permanent and temporary agents. This saves on operating costs and allows contact centers to stay flexible for seasonal peaks, dips and surges.

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Remote Agents

Booking.com has always acknowledged the benefits of remote work. 

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The company supports its permanent remote agents with a complete set-up for their home office, including ergonomic office furniture and IT equipment.

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Remote agents and flexible schedules allow Booking.com to quickly adjust to varying demand — without the cost and constraints of physical office space. 

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“It’s been a really busy peak period with higher volumes in June putting us under a lot of pressure. That was challenging but we managed to get on top of it with a few changes to the way we work and how we prioritize activity.” - Paul Downham, VP of Customer Service, Booking.com

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Airbnb: Epic 24/7 Support with Remote, Cross-Trained Agents

With over six million listings, Airbnb is one of the most successful online travel platforms. Its unique customer service model caters to both hosts and guests. 

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In 2022, Airbnb grew its year-over-year revenue by a whopping 40%. Last year, guests booked 448 million stays through Airbnb. And these numbers are only expected to rise. 

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If you’ve ever wondered how Airbnb sustains this kind of growth, here are three important strategies to understand.

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Around-the-Clock Service

With 24/7 support available in 11 languages, Airbnb ensures that help is available whenever travelers need it.

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Last year, Airbnb contact centers handled over seven million customer queries. And they still managed to answer most calls within one minute and most emails within 24 hours.

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Robust Training

Airbnb invests heavily in training its agents to handle a wide variety of issues, from technical problems to local regulations. Cross-training increases both agent and customer satisfaction.

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Remote Agents

Similar to Booking.com, Airbnb encourages remote or hybrid work because it cuts down on expenses and allows for greater flexibility and scalability. It also keeps agents happy and engaged. 

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Remote work is also in line with Airbnb’s mission to let people live and work wherever they want in the world.

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Delta Airlines: Friendly Skies with Flexible and Remote Agents

Delta Airlines has been around for almost 100 years. And this airline veteran is no stranger to the challenges of seasonality.

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How has Delta stayed successful for almost a century?

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By staying on top of recent trends and strategies in contact center optimization.

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Headed into its second century of success, Delta prioritizes three key tactics to keep our skies friendly.

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Cutting-Edge Technology

Delta was an early adopter of conversational Interactive Voice Response (IVR), implementing this technology all the way back in 2013. Today, the “Ask Delta” chatbot handles one in three queries. This has reduced inbound calls by 20% in Delta’s contact centers.

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Agent Flexibility

Delta uses an innovative system that shifts employees between roles based on fluctuating demand. Training agents to confidently and seamlessly handle multiple duties helps the airline maintain quality service during peak times and unforeseen changes. 

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Remote, U.S.-Based Staff

After the September 11 attacks, Delta faced huge losses and was forced to outsource its contact centers to India. However, by 2010, Delta had returned all contact centers to the U.S. This helped the airline maintain customer trust, support quality and data security.

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Delta offers remote work options for many of its contact center agents, providing flexibility and reducing overhead costs. 

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TL;DR — Actionable Strategies to Manage Seasonal CX

Running a successful contact center in the travel industry comes with unique seasonal challenges. Master them with four takeaways from our research.

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Tech integration: Investing in tech like AI and chatbots can significantly streamline operations and improve customer satisfaction.

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Remote agents: Leveraging remote work allows for flexibility and scalability. And it’s not just about saving money on office rent — remote agents are happier, more efficient and more likely to stick around.

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Robust training: Investing in training programs prepares agents to handle complex customer needs. This leads to significant improvements in service quality.

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Flexible schedules: Offering flex schedules for contact center agents ensures coverage during peak times and improves employee satisfaction. 

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How ShyftOff Helps Travel Companies Handle Seasonality

Booking.com, Airbnb and Delta Airlines show us how it’s done. From advanced tech to flexible staffing, these travel giants prove that preparation, innovation and flexibility are key.

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At ShyftOff, we understand that running a contact center comes with many challenges — especially in the travel industry.

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That’s why we use AI to screen our database for the talent you need to manage everyday operations as well as seasonal changes. All of our agents are U.S.-based and have the skills and expertise necessary to follow and stay up-to-date on everything from weather disruptions to changing trade regulations.

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We handle all the training. We also provide flexible scheduling and competitive pay. Our agents are engaged and passionate about delivering exceptional customer experiences so you can meet (and even exceed) your KPI and ROI targets.

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Ready to optimize your contact center for the next travel peak?

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Book a demo today to learn how ShyftOff can benefit your travel company — while saving 35% on your contact center operations.