Travel giant Expedia has appointed Feefo to generate reviews for them from their customers’ experiences across its UK, French, German and Dutch sites.
The partnership follows a trial which saw customer reviews on Expedia (visible via Google search results) increase by more than 4000% in just 14 days.
Expedia will use Feefo to gather customer feedback on the service they receive from the various European websites. The move reflects the company’s commitment to leveraging customer insight and feedback to build an ever-improving experience for its customers: a key part of Expedia’s “People Shaped Travel” philosophy.
The immediacy of the reviews will allow Expedia to react quickly, responding to and correcting any customer concerns. In addition to the customer service benefits, Expedia anticipates the deal will also attract new customers, as 83% of travellers1 consult reviews as part of their purchasing decision, and Feefo’s partnership with Google allows them to generate gold stars in search results for their members, which increases site traffic.
Stuart Newman, Director of Customer Experience EMEA for Expedia said “Every day thousands of people travel and book with Expedia. So, finding a suitable partner to offer a level of engagement and insight with our customers, which reflects these volumes has been a challenge for Expedia. The Feefo system is simple to use and hugely effective, with the return on our investment easy to see, even in such a short time period.”
The Feefo customer review system guarantees 100% genuine feedback, as only customers who have bought products and services from its clients are invited to comment. During Expedia’s recent 14 day trial the Quality Score from its customers was 92% (those customers that rated Expedia Excellent/Good).
“Online travel is an immensely fast-moving business and the ability to build on and anticipate customer needs is critical to our continued success. The Feefo Team share Expedia’s immense belief that all feedback provides valuable insight to drive business improvement with the scale and immediate visibility necessary to maintaining a market-leading customer experience. Having offered verified hotel reviews for many years, we understand the importance of being able to guarantee 100% genuine feedback as Feefo does. Our 92% Quality Score is a true testament to our continued commitment to improving the customer experience and, together with Feefo, we will be able to build on this further and faster in the future,” added Newman.
Although this initial phase concentrates on four of Expedia’s major European markets, further roll-out to more of its territories is planned for the future.
Matt Eames, Sales Director for Feefo, said: “Our ratings and reviews offering has been embraced by the travel, hotel and restaurant industry who want to hear and share customers’ genuine feedback, not bogus comments. We are delighted that Expedia, the world’s largest online travel company, recognises the benefits of our cost-effective and efficient solution and look forward to helping both them and their customers leverage the maximum benefit from reviews over the coming months and years.”
Expedia will continue to gather customer reviews on their hotel experiences through its existing technology
