RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange, recently introduced for the first time in the timeshare industry, RCI LiveStream, a visual remote selling system that allows its sales agents to connect directly with the new age digital savvy customer. Fiona Downing, senior vice president of Business Development and Operations for RCI explains the many benefits of this revolutionary new platform By Sudipta Dev
Which are the factors that attribute in making RCI LiveStream a groundbreaking technology initiative in the timeshare industry?
Since the inception of the timeshare industry, interactions around sales and education have mostly been confined to on-site conversations. This was hugely limiting as the best interactions required customers to actually visit the property, making for a very restricted time frame and providing a huge barrier to entry. RCI has been working on several ways to take aspects of the sales and customer service processes into the digital realm, and RCI LiveStream is a groundbreaking step in that direction.
With RCI LiveStream, our affiliates can communicate with their customers face-to-face through a cutting-edge video conferencing tool, providing a completely new outlet to interact with customers without the need for them to be physically on site. Instead of working within a one-week time frame when a customer is visiting the resort, this platform can be used virtually anytime from anywhere.
What are the benefits for the customers?
For timeshare owners, convenience is the biggest benefit. They are able to receive up-to-date information through real conversation with a customer service or sales representative from wherever they are, whenever they need it.
For our affiliates, who are timeshare developers and operators, this gives them a new communication channel to current and potential owners. It enables them to reap the benefits of a face-to-face interaction, like seeing the reactions of consumers immediately and fielding any questions, without having to actually be in the same room or capture consumers’ attention while they are on vacation.
How will sales agents leverage this technology?
Through the platform, representatives at our affiliated resorts can access materials they need for a typical presentation, ensuring that they can include the same details they would in an on-site resort meeting. They can play videos, use a scribble-pad, access documents and more. RCI LiveStream is also customisable by a resort, so that affiliate staff members have the information and tools they need to speak about their specific property or product.
In which markets will you initially launch this platform ? When will it be introduced in India?
The great thing about RCI LiveStream is that this works using the latest web technology and therefore is not limited to certain regions. As long as there is reasonable bandwidth and the audience speaks English, affiliates can use this technology regardless of where they are. In fact, we already have received interest for this tool from one of our affiliates in India.
What are your expectations on how this will transform customer interaction and lead to more conversions in the future?
Consumers are hungry for digital interactions that fit their lifestyle – which means being where they are, when they want to interact. For many, this is now through their digital devices from the comfort of their homes. By providing the type of communication they are looking for, resort staff are setting themselves up for a positive experience.
In terms of conversions, any way that we can give additional touch points to our affiliates to reach their owners or potential owners provides a new opportunity for them, and holds the potential to drive even more growth for the industry.