Why personalised services are rising in the digital age

In any customer-centric industry today, ideas of convenience and accessibility' of services have become synonymous with digital. In the context of the travel industry, consider the simplicity of this idea: no matter where you are, you can avail services for the entire travel cycle from the palm of your hand, customised to your unique requirements, most often via your mobile phones.
Right from the 'inspiration' stage, when prospective travellers research which destinations they want to visit, to applying for a visa, to booking flights, hotels or getting forex, or even making daily itineraries in real time - it's all at your fingertips, literally.
Research by Dubai Tourism shows that 80 per cent of hotel searches and 60 per cent of travel searches in the Middle East and North Africa region are made using mobile phones, demonstrating the importance of a digital, social and mobile-first strategy when designing booking platforms.
Travellers from around the world are maximising the power of technology to get services tailor-made to the most varied of tastes, with utmost ease and convenience. It's a way of life that many of us have almost come to take for granted, in less than a decade.
In fact, 83 per cent of Dubai hotels currently have an Internet booking tool, with 78 per cent already implementing a digital marketing strategy, reinforcing the industry's increasing online presence. Through this digital revolution though, one thing has remained the same: the customer's needs reign supreme, and companies must remain agile enough to provide utmost convenience at every oft-changing demand.
For companies to stand out from the rest, they must offer what no one else does, or at the very least, offer a better version of what everyone else has.
That also means offering bespoke options for unique needs.
One size does not always fit all
With digital maturity a hugely significant factor in tapping into today's generation of technologically advanced travellers, the UAE aims to facilitate and promote disruptive technology as set out by the government's 10x Initiative.
Recognising the demand for more bespoke services, traditional travel companies have begun investing in omnichannel (offline and online) platforms to reach out to the new consumer. Airlines, hotels, travel agencies and even visa sections of governments, are integrating digital channels and personalised services along with the more traditional one-size-fits-all offerings.
Even in a visa application process which has clear requirements by governments, personalised services should be at every turn.
These ensure that customers find the process convenient, efficient and easy and to give applicants security and a good feeling to be right during the visa application process. Personalisation in product and service, easiest enabled by technology, is not just an option, it has become a necessity in every consumer-facing sector.
In fact, in a perhaps not-so-surprising finding by Deloitte Consumer Review, almost 50 per cent of the consumers polled said they were willing to wait longer for personalised services, and majority said they would be willing to pay more for such a service.
An example of the popularity of personalised services in the visa industry is our 'Visa At Your Doorstep' service, available in most regions around the world, including the Middle East. Visa application submission and biometric enrollment is done at the applicant's home, office or a location of choice, and is popular with large groups of travellers, corporates, celebrities and families seeking privacy and an exclusive service.
Personalisation a necessity
Data by Dubai Tourism highlights the positive revenue impact that increased digital maturity will have on hotels and other sector service providers, empowering stakeholders to offer personalised, timely and differentiated customer service experiences.
These features are identified as top priorities for the modern-day global traveller, with 86 per cent of consumers preferring personalised communication in e-mails, 84 per cent seeking recommendations based on their visit history and 81 per cent looking for geo-targeted offers and services.
No doubt personalised services can be a tall order. But not incorporating them in your offerings could risk losing revenue and customer loyalty.
This may seem obvious, but for many large companies, the attention to detail required at the front-end of service delivery for personalised services tends to become an Achilles heel, sometimes because of the very size of these companies.
Customers know and notice the smallest details - this should compel us to push the boundaries of service excellence, no matter which sector we are in.
Sensitivity and understanding of client needs, and using that knowledge to offer clutter-breaking services, can become key differentiators for companies, ensuring they are remembered, even in a fast-changing marketplace.
The writer is regional group COO for the Middle East, South Asia and China at VFS Global. Views expressed are his own and do not reflect the newspaper's policy.