Ctrip’s virtual team managers, or VTM, served more than 10 million of the online travel agency’s 300 million registered members in 2017.
China’s largest online travel company reports that one in 10 independent travelers used the service, which operates as a virtual tour guide for users, in more than 150 countries and 800 destinations across the globe.
VTM allows travelers to ask questions via Ctrip’s app or WeChat interface to customer service representative and local tour guides.
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Through the VTM SOS service, customer service reps respond within two minutes to requests ranging from lost item inquiries to updates on emergencies such as earthquakes. More than 8,000 guides support VTM to recommend attractions and provide travel tips.
Since launching in 2015, VTM customers have increased over 15 times and the number of countries with the service has almost doubled from 80 to more than 150 in 2017.
The social platform Party Animal, another component of VTM, last year saw more than 260 local guides in 54 destinations hold more than 6,000 parties for 30,000 people.