France's SNCF in the Forefront of Digital Travel
[ 11.03.2015 ]
Already the leading travel site, Voyages-sncf.com ups its game with guaranteed response times
National rail company SNCF has long been a pioneer of digital services. Its subsidiary Voyages-sncf.com, launched in 2000, is a collaboration with digital travel firm Expedia, selling tickets and passes for European rail travel. It also provides real-time information on specific trains and routes, including track maintenance updates.
Fifteen years after its launch, Voyages-sncf.com seems in no danger of losing its pre-eminent position as France’s leading online travel destination. Some 5.98 million unique visitors came to the site in December 2014 and spent an average of 20 minutes, 16 seconds there—compared with about 12 minutes in December 2013—according to Médiamétrie//NetRatings.
Staff at Voyages-sncf.com advised 1.3 million customers directly in 2014, the company reported, using telephone, email, online chat and social networks. Eight in 10 queries were dealt with in less than a minute. Last year, telephone assistance was the most popular option, used by 40% of clients. But many consumers wanted more digital help channels—hence the launch of a new service, guaranteeing an answer in less than 2 hours to any question posed on the brand’s Facebook page or via its customer relations Twitter feed. The guarantee will apply every day of the week, between 8am and 10pm.
This pledge is just one outcome of a January 2015 study undertaken by SNCF in collaboration with the Institut CSA to gauge the expectations of digital buyers in 2015. An SNCF press release noted that the company would be focusing even more on its digital clients this year, in order to “better understand their perception of the market, their notion of what makes an ideal online merchant, and what motivates a consumer to choose one of several providers. Behind the screen, a digital client expects the human touch.”
See more at: http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Frances-SNCF-Forefront-of-Digital-Travel/1012154/2#sthash.MD39iyFS.dpuf
www.emarketer.com
National rail company SNCF has long been a pioneer of digital services. Its subsidiary Voyages-sncf.com, launched in 2000, is a collaboration with digital travel firm Expedia, selling tickets and passes for European rail travel. It also provides real-time information on specific trains and routes, including track maintenance updates.
Fifteen years after its launch, Voyages-sncf.com seems in no danger of losing its pre-eminent position as France’s leading online travel destination. Some 5.98 million unique visitors came to the site in December 2014 and spent an average of 20 minutes, 16 seconds there—compared with about 12 minutes in December 2013—according to Médiamétrie//NetRatings.
Staff at Voyages-sncf.com advised 1.3 million customers directly in 2014, the company reported, using telephone, email, online chat and social networks. Eight in 10 queries were dealt with in less than a minute. Last year, telephone assistance was the most popular option, used by 40% of clients. But many consumers wanted more digital help channels—hence the launch of a new service, guaranteeing an answer in less than 2 hours to any question posed on the brand’s Facebook page or via its customer relations Twitter feed. The guarantee will apply every day of the week, between 8am and 10pm.
This pledge is just one outcome of a January 2015 study undertaken by SNCF in collaboration with the Institut CSA to gauge the expectations of digital buyers in 2015. An SNCF press release noted that the company would be focusing even more on its digital clients this year, in order to “better understand their perception of the market, their notion of what makes an ideal online merchant, and what motivates a consumer to choose one of several providers. Behind the screen, a digital client expects the human touch.”
See more at: http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Frances-SNCF-Forefront-of-Digital-Travel/1012154/2#sthash.MD39iyFS.dpuf
www.emarketer.com