Online travel company Orbitz is to begin beta-testing of OrbitzTLC Live Chat support for customers searching for vacation packages.

Published: 10 Oct 2006

Online travel company Orbitz is to begin beta-testing of OrbitzTLC Live Chat support for customers searching for vacation packages.

Through the new initiative, the company proactively queries customers who might need additional support when searching for, selecting or booking a vacation package on Orbitz.com.

In its test phase, Orbitz customers who appear to be having difficulty searching for or booking a vacation product will be prompted and given the option to try the “live chat” service.

The beta test is powered by a select group of specially trained Orbitz teleservice experts who will support customers via the new instant message service.

Randy Wagner, chief marketing officer for Orbitz Worldwide, Americas said, “OrbitzTLC Live Chat is another dimension of the high-tech, human touch solutions that Orbitz gives customers, in this case, to make sure people can save a lot on our great vacation packages.”

Some of the criteria that could generate an offer for a customer to experience OrbitzTLC Live Chat, include: Customers receive some type of error message on site when searching for a vacation; Customers’ credit card information is not processed at the close of the vacation booking path on site; Customers experience longer than normal search session times when seeking a vacation package.

“This technology serves two purposes for Orbitz.com. First, the communication service enables our teleservice experts to operate more efficiently in serving customers in need, and second, OrbitzTLC Live Chat will help our business grow by completing bookings,” said Bahman Koohestani, chief information officer for Orbitz Worldwide.

The company has already introduced OrbitzTLC Mobile Access, Orbitz Insider Podcasts, RSS Feeds and the well known OrbitzTLC Alert System in the past.

Orbitz has chosen to partner with LivePerson, a provider of hosted online conversion solutions, including live chat, live call, email and self-service knowledge database, for this strategic initiative.