How Tour Operators Should Engage Customers From Start to Finish

How Tour Operators Should Engage Customers From Start to Finish

Throughout the entire buying process, consumers want to be recognized as individuals, to get what they perceive to be good value, and to identify with brands they believe share their lifestyle values. So it isn’t just about the tour itself – you should engage customers long before the tour, right through it and continue long afterwards.

Here’s how to do it.

Engage customers before your tour

This is where you set your customers’ expectations with your professionalism and customer service.

Send the following emails:

  • Confirmation . Automatically generated by your booking system.
  • Thank you . Personalized to the sender, saying we value your business and look forward to meeting you.
  • Reminder email. You want them to show up! Keep the anticipation alive for your tour, and remind them of what’s in store.
  • ‘Remember to bring’. How many times have customers shown up with the wrong shoes? Remind them what they need to bring so they’re as comfortable as possible.
  • Upsell: If they didn’t buy the extras that you previously offered them, this is your second shot. For example, “It will get a bit wet out there – do you have a waterproof camera? We don’t want yours to break, so you can rent one from us…” You may even want to give them a coupon code that they can use to sweeten the deal.

Engage customers on the day

It’s the big day! Get them excited and make sure they’re prepared. Then, of course, deliver.

  • Reminder. Send this 1 hour before, with map, what to bring, and the guide’s contact details.
  • Take photos and videos. This is so you can upload them to your social profiles and notify your customers of it.
  • Ask for opinions and feedback. Your guide should ask customers for feedback on the spot, especially if you can tell that someone isn’t having a good time. Do what you can to make them happy.

Remember that customer service is everything, so make their experience awesome.

You’d be surprised how far a simple reminder email can go towards making your customers feel valued, looked after and important, especially if you personalise the emails. This creates a very positive impression of your business with your customers which can convert a lot of them into repeat customers.




automate emails engage customers




Engage customers after the tour

  • Follow-up email. Ask them how their tour was, and for them to rate you.
  • Notification of photos and videos. For example, “Your photos/videos have been added to our Facebook page! Check it out here.” Include links to your other social profiles and ask for a follow.
  • Special offers. Based on what you know about them, offer specific promotions for complementary products. You can include giveaways and free samples.

Many of your customers may be traveling and never be in the area again. That’s ok. Even a single review from them helps you build up your reputation, and besides, testimonials are the most effective form of advertising!




get good reviews engage customers




Automate the process with your booking system

With Rezdy, you can set up confirmation emails, reminder emails, and follow-up emails for each product. You can also connect Rezdy to MailChimp, if you’re a Premium or Enterprise customer.

To set up emails, go to Apps > Marketing > Advanced Emails.

advanced emails engage customersThen you can set up a bunch of emails.

Customised emails

This allows you to change how your emails look and feel.

customised emails engage customers

You can add custom text, images, show and hide features, and see how your email will look with orders you currently have.

Setup Customized Emails engage customers

Some ideas:

Reminder emails

  • Tell them what to bring, so they’re as comfortable as possible.
  • You can also use it as a second chance to upsell your Extras.





upselling engage customers




Follow up emails

  • Ask them for a review.
  • Give them a promo code to come back.





promotional campaigns engage customers




What’s Next?