Ctrip, the second largest online travel agency in the world and the largest in Asia, has enjoyed rapid growth, thanks to its customer-oriented service philosophy, which attracts a large number of loyal customers.
The Ctrip Call Center in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, has more than 12,000 employees providing 24/7 customer service, making it the largest call center in Asia and giving Ctrip the confidence and soft power to go global.
After a decade of handling the Spring Festival travel rush, Ctrip has never lost its original focus. During this year’s Spring Festival, thousands of passengers were supported by the 12,000 customer service staff, who were the heroes behind the scenes. Lv Zhixia is a typical customer service supervisor who has experienced the Spring Festival travel rush for 10 years. In her opinion, the Spring Festival is not only “a big deal”, but also “a challenge”, because the call volume surges during this time.
During the Spring Festival this year, a customer from Hong Kong, Ms. Wang, called the Center in tears. She needed to return home immediately because one of her parents was seriously ill, but the scheduled flight was cancelled. Hearing this, Lv Zhixia immediately contacted various parties, and after a series of ticket changes, cabin changes and re-bookings, Lv finally managed to get a ticket for Ms. Wang. “I was glad to see how happy Ms. Wang was when I helped her to get back home with her kids,” Ms. Lv said.
But Lv Zhixia still feels a little sad because she has to work during every Spring Festival. In the last few years, on New Year’s Eve, sometimes she couldn't go home till 11 pm. Nevertheless, Lv Zhixia has never changed her mind and continues to stay on duty.
Due to the self-discipline of every customer service employee, Ctrip has received praise for its service quality and won the highest domestic call center award for many years – the Golden Mic Award.
The core competitiveness of “globalization” lies in service. Ctrip is expanding its global footprint with its forward-looking philosophy, with a view to bringing the excellence of Chinese customer service to the world.
Since 2016, we have invested in MakeMytrip, an online travel website in India, U.S. local tour operators Tours4fun, Ctour Holiday and Universal Vision, and Skyscanner, a popular travel search engine in Europe. In 2017, Ctrip launched the first global “Travel SOS” rescue service system, which was widely praised for its convenience, flexibility and 24/7 seamless service.
Ctrip’s rapid development has also received global attention. In 2016, Ctrip was named the Global Growth Company by the Davos Forum. In 2017, it was listed in Fast Company’s 10 most innovative companies in China and the world’s 10 most innovative tourism enterprises. It was also included in the Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Innovative Companies and the Fortune Global 500 list. That year, Ctrip’s net annual operating income was $4.1 billion, up 39% year-on-year, showing a strong momentum for growth.
Liang Jianzhang, Chairman of the Executive Board of Ctrip, said he is proud of Ctrip’s achievements and will always strive to achieve more. Based on its high-quality services, rooted in China, Ctrip will take steps toward globalization.