Travel is a 24/7 business. Customers don’t stop needing help because it’s after business hours—especially when flights are delayed, reservations are missed, or plans change unexpectedly. For travel and hospitality leaders, the challenge is delivering round-the-clock support without creating an unsustainable cost structure.
Why 24/7 Support Is Non-Negotiable
Travel customers expect:
- Immediate Assistance: When you are stranded at an airport at 2 AM, “waiting for normal business hours” is not an option.
- Real-time Updates: Passengers need to know about gate changes or cancellations the second they happen.
- Human Support: Chatbots are great for FAQs, but they cannot rebook a complex itinerary during a storm.
Failure to deliver fast support leads to frustration, negative reviews, and lost loyalty.
The Cost Trap of Domestic 24/7 Coverage
Maintaining overnight and weekend shifts domestically often results in:
- High Overtime Costs: Paying 1.5x or 2x for night shifts destroys margins.
- Agent Burnout: High turnover on “graveyard shifts” leads to constant recruiting costs.
- Inconsistent Quality: Often, the night crew has less training and supervision than the day crew.
Nearshore as a Sustainable 24/7 Model
Nearshore locations with aligned time zones (like the Dominican Republic or Trinidad) allow travel brands to:
- Cover Extended Hours: You can run a “late shift” or “overnight shift” at a standard rate, not a premium overtime rate.
- Maintain Consistency: Senior agents can work these shifts because they are standard business hours or desirable shifts in the local market.
- Scale Coverage: Easily add headcount during peak travel seasons (holidays, summer) without long-term commitments.
Final Thought
In travel, availability is part of the experience. If you aren’t there when they need you, you aren’t really their travel partner.
Evaluate whether your current coverage model balances availability and cost.
