GATE # 4: Integrated Customer Care and CRM Technologies

Customer Service begins with an intimate knowledge of your customer segments, then moves to a team understanding of what your target customers' wants and needs are related to your destination. That sounds simple, but have you picked up the phone lately or sent an email to your own customer service team? Most business owners and managers are shocked at what they find when they do.

Big destinations, like huge corporations, can easily spread their expenses over many properties or members. What chance do the smaller destinations and suppliers have to compete? The Internet is changing this one time advantage, and now Internet distribution options and highly segmented channels to market are driving new economies of scale which are finally starting to drive make affordable distribution for even the smallest of properties and destinations.