Customers booking travel arrangements through Orbitz told the company time and again they wanted to have total control over the experience. So Orbitz delivered.

In fact, Orbitz treats its online customers better than any other travel company, according to a recent customer respect survey conducted by The Customer Respect Group. Overall, the airline, travel and hotel/resort/casino sector averaged an 8.0 out of 10 possible points for customer respect, while Orbitz garnered a 9.7, the highest rating of any travel company in the survey.

The group attributed Orbitz’s strong showing to its varied and detailed self-help mechanisms located throughout the site. Key features cited by the research firm included Orbitz interactive voice response (IVR) traveler assistance system, its detailed FAQ section, and its enhanced e-mail response program, which provides personalized information vs. canned responses.

“Orbitz provides a range of self-help resources that save users time and add up to a superior customer experience,” said Eliah Kahn, Orbitz vice president of customer experience at Orbitz.

The Customer Respect Group says online customer respect can be measured by studying six main attributes:

1. How well a company respects the customer’s privacy;
2. How well a company values and respects customer data;
3. How customer-focused the site is;
4. How open and honest a company’s policies are;
5. The site’s simplicity and ease of navigation; and
6. How fast and thorough its customer responses are.

"Studies show that online customers make purchasing choices based on how they are treated," said Thorsten Ganz, vice president of research at The Customer Respect Group. "Orbitz displayed a superior commitment to its customers by providing a clear privacy policy and quick and thorough responses to online inquiries."