*As seen in The Logbook. January 2019.
The fully owned tour and safari company Elisomi Tours, which offers world class tours across Tanzania and East Africa has had a very busy 2018. We caught up with founder Elisa to discuss what is going to define this new year and how his company is going to lead the way in customer focus while providing their “African experience.”
2019 will mainly be defined by CRM, Elisa says, “Elisomi tours has planned to remarkably improve services and ensure more competitive prices to its customers.”
He explains that with high quality service that meets and exceeds customer expectation as their priority, they are going to be applying discounts on many of their offers and opening this up to their established customers as well as new and potential ones.
Having the highest standards has always been important to Elisa who took almost a year to build up his business at the start. This was because he was very particular regarding the administration, legality and logistics of his business. He wanted to lay the groundwork for the perfect safari trip for his clients who are mostly foreign travelers from the likes of USA and UK.
Providing affordable tailored packages for their clients, Elisomi Tours specialize in identifying the key component that a client or group of clients, are looking for. Then they piece them together into a smoothly flowing well-orchestrated adventure holiday. Including game safaris, mountain climbing, beach holidays, cultural tours and volunteering packages. As part of their plans to achieve greater CRM this year Elisa has looked at all aspects of their business to see where developments can be made.
“We have made several decisions to increase our marketing and customers’ satisfaction in 2019,” he says, “We want to be among the leading companies in social and environmental responsibility. Which allows the client to know that not only are their safaris and tours an opportunity for them to see Tanzania in it’s great glory but also a chance to help support the cultures and wildlife that thrive here.”
BUILDING ON RELATIONSHIPS
“Representing Tanzania well and with the highest standard is one of the key elements we will use to create superior value for the company and our customers,” Elisa says, “In this direction we have diversified our products and have improved our customer care and services with the input of new training and technology.”
He adds that they have also integrated their customer service and supply chain, sales and marketing which has enabled them to achieve a greater efficiency and effectiveness in delivering customer value.
“We have established a great relationship with our customers and partners,” he says, “But we wish to enhance this with them all. Too many businesses think that you prosper through developing a product, but it is really enhancing the relationships between your partners and your clients that counts. Build on those and you will improve everything.”
Further to this, they have identified collaborators and partners in the UK and US and are negotiating the best terms of collaboration. Once completed, this is expected to greatly improve their marketing efficiency.
As a way of maintaining a long-term relationship with their customers, Elisa and his team have prepared and will continue to improve their data base, products and services.
“Although not a problem for us, but something that can always improve, one of the key issues is speed of response,” Elisa says, identifying one of the biggest issues facing the very crowded industry of safari and tours, “We’ve implemented training and technology to improve the speed in which we can accomplish this and be even better prepared to respond to customer enquiries.”
TANZANIA ENVIRONMENT
Tanzania is the best safari country in Africa. It borders Uganda and Kenya and is famous for its great open plains and abundant wild life. It is equally known for its cultural diversity with over 100 native languages being spoken in a country with a population of 56 million. It is probably best known for one of the dominating features of the African continent and the world at large. The unmissable, towering mountain Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, and the world’s largest terrestrial mammal migration in the Serengeti national park.
Additionally, Tanzania contains the largest proportion of the Africa’s great lakes including Lake Victoria which is Africa’s largest lake and Lake Tanganyika which is the continent’s deepest. It also boasts the Kalambo water falls in the south west region of Rukwa and the Zanzibar Archipelago which has been voted one of the most beautiful places in the world and is one of the largest marine protected areas.
Elisa did not build his business to take away from this, but to increase its value to a global audience.
This is accomplished with an understanding of the importance of reducing the footprint left behind. And as was covered in our previous interview with Elisa, he strongly advocates sustainable living through a number of ways. These include minimizing the use of plastic bottles and ensuring that they support lodges and camps that serve organic foods and adhere to pro-environment behavior for their guests and their staff.
The aim is to improve the economy, social context and biodiversity of the country. With this in mind, the company also dedicates a part of its earnings to environmental conservation within the local community. And, this year will also see the company taking even further strides for environmental best practices.
“We are considerate to our environment in each step we take,” he says, “Ranging from our direct products and services to those provided by third parties, care for the environment is one of our top priorities.”
He adds that they are also partnering with environmental stewardship organizations like Planetwalk. It’s important to Elisa because he believes that the difference that can be made on the environment stems from how we treat each other as a people.
INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT
As the Tanzanian safari industry relies on the wealth of natural beauty that the country provides, Elisa reckons that the value of safaris on a client by client basis is essential. Development cannot be allowed to be stalled simply because of a lack of momentum.
“The industry would benefit from a diversification of services and products, as this is the certain way to benefit customers, tourism business operators and local communities,” he says, “To do this safari and tour company owners should spend more time visiting exhibitions and shows such as Eye for Travel which is held in UK in 2019.”
Elisa will be attending this show which deals specifically with not only those businesses involved in offering safaris and tours but also in the technological development of systems, programs and equipment to further enhance it.
Safari is an industry dependent on the ingenuity and hard work of its businesses and Elisomi Tours is going to show us how to do it in 2019.
TELEPHONE NUMBER: +255766308011 for Tanzania or +447932655866 for UK
EMAIL: Info@elisomitours.com
WEBSITE: www.elisomitours.com
