Travel Agent Professional April 2012 Issue 17
4 12
Helping Clients Avoid the First Cruise Jitters
By Sherry Laskin Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator
The Customer is King (and I)
By Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/American Express
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April 2012
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A
pril
64
http://issuu.com/action/page?page=6
By Sherry Laskin Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator
http://issuu.com/action/page?page=14
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The Customer is King (and I) By Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/American Express
http://issuu.com/action/page?page=18
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Camera, Lights & Action By Paull Tickner Creator of Special Interest Britain
http://issuu.com/action/page?page=22
The Successful Customer Service Action Plan Needs By Mitchell J. Schlesinger Vice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity
Showcase Auto Europe ..................................................13 Well-Being Travel .........................................15 TRAVELSAVERS ............................................25
Ad Index
Cover Image by Royal Caribbean Line Vision of the Sea’s Solarium
Auto Europe................................IFC http://www.AutoEurope.com
Sabre ...........................................23 www.sabretravelinetwork.com/tmu
Avoya Travel/American Express......7 http://www.joinavoya.com/default.cfm?ref=115
Travel Planners Int’l......................11 http://www.myhosttravelagency.com
Leisure Pops .................................21 http://www.leisurepops.com/
Voyages to Antiquity ......................3 http://us.voyagestoantiquity.com/
Royal Caribbean Line ...................BC http://www.royalcaribbean.com/
Travel Agent Professional
2012
12
Helping Clients Avoid the First Cruise Jitters
Travel Agent Professional April 2012 Issue 17
Travel Agent Professional P.O. Box 120202 Staten Island, NY 10312 E-mail: info@travelagentprofessional.com Phone: 718.227.7541
Joel M. Abels
Legend In the Travel Industry April 1927 to January 2007
Ann M. Hoek Publisher/Creative Design ann@travelagentprofessional.com Bonnie Walling Editor Bonnie@travelagentprofessional.com
Meet Our Editorial Board Mitchell J. Schlesinger Vice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity www.voyagestoantiquity.com Mary Brutscher Former Host Agency Owner & Travel Educational Instructor cruisefacecruises@yahoo.com Rusty Pickett, ECC Shellback Cruises www.shellbackcruises.com Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/ America’s Vacation Center www.joinavoya.com/default.cfm?ref=11583 Sherry Laskin, ACC Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator www.cruisemaven.com Sue Shapiro, President Shapiro Travel Resources sue.shapiro@gmail.com www.shapirotravelresources.com Paull Tickner, Creator of Special Interest Britain pjtickner@yahoo.co.uk www.greatdays.co.uk
Contributions Lee Rosen, CEO Leisure Pops www.leisurepops.com
Travel Agent Professional has its roots in Home Based Trade, the first magazine of its kind, started by Joel Abels in 2004. Joel and Lenore Abels ran Travel Trade for nearly half a century – it was started by her grandfather, John S. Lewis, and her father, Sidney Lewis, in 1929, and they took the publication over after her grandfather’s passing. Under Joel’s direction, the company grew to be one of the travel agent industry’s leading publications, reaching more than 45,000 agents throughout North America. It spawned a famous series of trade shows and three monthly magazines – Cruise Trade, Tour Trade and Home Based Trade. The Abels also garnered enormous respect – Joel received the Neal Award, called “the Pulitzer Prize of the business press,” for his hard-hitting editorials. On a personal note, after working with Joel for over a decade and staying with him until the end, I grew to truly care for and respect the man. He was like a second father to me. Joel was old school, he stood by his word and believed in his work. There will never be another. While nobody can replace this industry legend, we’re hoping that this new publication, which reunites the original Home Based Trade editorial board, will be able to carry on his passion for travel and those who sell it.
Ann M. Hoek This online magazine is dedicated to the memory of Joel Abels, Travel Trade's editor and publisher. Joel and his life's work may be gone, but with your help it can live on.
September 2011
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4
Helping Clients
lines appear negligent and the cruise experience seem risky, or at least undesirable.
and the tragedies and high seas crimes that ensued, it may be a bit more difficult to convert your landlocked clients into cruise vacause to reassure your clients that cruising is still the best vacation (in my opinion!) and vaca-
Sherry Laskin Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator www.cruisemaven.com
Photo by NCL
tion value.
A C C
tioners. Here are some ideas that you could
L a s k i n ,
With this much negative news about cruising
S h e r r y
stories and incidents that makes the cruise
B y
Lately, the news has been flooded with
April 2012
Avoid the
5
First Cruise Jitters
8
Tips to Avoid the
First-Time Cruise Jitters
You’ve paid for your cruise in full, bought a new swim suit and a set of luggage, arranged for a pet sitter/plant person and stopped the mail and newspaper delivery. Now what? To make the transition from landlubber to seasoned sailor a cinch, here are my suggestions to help ensure a smooth sailing:
Pack light. Then pack again. Even after a zillion cruises, I still return home with unworn clothes. If you have to fly to the port, even more reason to leave half of what you think you’ll need at home. Color-coordinate so that you can easily mix and match and turn a daytime outfit into evening wear. Sounds simple, right? I’ve developed a plan that I like to call my “Noah’s Ark cruise packing tips.” I bring two of everything. For a 7-night Caribbean cruise I pack: two black dress pants with two dressy tops, one cocktail-type dress, two pairs of shorts, two short-sleeve t-shirts, two sleeveless t-shirts, two bathing suits, two pairs of running socks, two casual pants, two skirts (that go with the t-shirts/tops) and so on. Did I say I pack two of everything? Well, there is one exception: shoes. It’s impossible to only bring two pairs of shoes. So, it’s one pair each of black high-ish heels, sneakers, sandals, some kind of dressy nice-looking flat shoes and maybe one extra casual shoe with a heel. Four or five pairs of shoes are sufficient. Black/neutral colors only. (continued on page 6)
Travel Agent Professional
6 Whether your one-week cruise has two formal nights or none, the above recipe really works well. Throw in a couple of scarves and costume jewelry and you’re good to go. What about for a man? Follow the above guidelines, perhaps omitting the high heels. You can always wash a few pieces of clothing in the sink, but never, ever leave wet clothes on the balcony to dry. Many ships (from mass market to ultra-luxe) have selfservice Laundromats, or you can send out your dirty clothes to be washed/folded (less expensive than dry cleaning.) Cruise lines now reward frequent passengers with complimentary clothes washing mid-way through the cruise. That is one of my favorite perks.
Arrive Early — or even the night before. Nothing increases frustration and frazzles nerves more than imagining the ship sailing without you. Why put yourself through that aggravation when it is easy to avoid? (That said, there were a handful of times many years ago when I was the absolutely last to board and the gangway clanked closed behind me.)
Whenever possible, fly or drive in to your port the day prior to your cruise. You can sleep later, enjoy a nice breakfast at your hotel, then grab your luggage and a shuttle or taxi and head to the port. Many hotels now offer free or greatly reduced parking rates for up to three weeks if you simply spend only one night at their hotel. Check out www.parksleepfly.com and click “cruiseport.” (continued on page 8)
Photo by Holland America Line
Fast-forward to today. Homeland Security demands checking in at the ship no less than ninety minutes prior to the published sailing time. That said, the cruise line may deny boarding to late arrivals with no refund. Why risk it?
April 2012
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Photo by Seabourn Cruise Line
Hand-carry your documents, medicines and even a change of clothes. If you accidentally pack your passport in your checked luggage, it can really ruin a good day or even contribute to missing the ship. Even though you arrive at the port at 11am and check your luggage, there’s a good possibility that you won’t see your belongings in your stateroom until 5 pm. So if you need medication at lunchtime, be sure to carry it aboard with you. Same goes for a change of clothes. If you flew to your ship in the morning and left winter’s wrath behind you, carry along a lightweight change of clothes with you. That way, should you not see your luggage until 5 p.m., at least you will be able to change clothes and enjoy the first day of your cruise without looking like Nanook of the North meets the Love Boat.
Tip the shoreside porters. Despite the fact that there are signs posted all around the baggage handling areas that say tipping isn’t necessary because the baggage handlers are on a salary, don’t follow that advice. These men really do work hard to unload your car and transport vehicles. They spend hours, usually in the hot sun, lifting tons of overweight luggage, filling cargo bins and moving them to the ship. A good rule of thumb is $2/per bag. Or if you are traveling solo and have only one bag, $5-$7 will help insure that your solo bag makes it to your room, on time, for that particular sailing. There are stories I could tell about passengers who don’t tip the baggage handlers…but I’ll leave it to your imagination.
Attend the muster drill. No more hiding in the bathroom, in the closet or under the bed. The muster drill is essential, required and can truly save your life. After the Costa Concordia disaster, every cruise line has tightened their muster drill regulations. Attendance is taken at each muster station and if you are not there, you will be required to attend a private muster drill at a time determined by the Captain. Photo by Oceania Cruises
April 2012
9
Photo by Princess Cruises
Check out your dining room seating arrangements Why? Because this is probably one of the most uncomfortable situations on a cruise. True, you and your cabin mate have requested either main (6 p.m.-ish) or second (8:15 p.m.-ish) dining time and have been told you are seated in the dining room at a table for four. However, many variables can be put into play. Just imagine being at dinner for seven nights in a row with two strangers with whom you have absolutely nothing in common. Sometimes they don’t talk, they’re grumpy, they’re a totally different demographic from you and your partner, and on and on. So, you’re probably thinking that you could go to the maître‘d immediately after dinner and request a table change — and you certainly could do so. But imagine that you are waiting for an elevator, the doors open and who should be standing there? None other than the abandoned table couple. On a ship with 4,000 passengers it may seem highly unlikely that you’d EVER run into them again. Trust me. You will. Facilitate that event ever happening and simply wander into the dining room BEFORE dinner and find your table. That way, if it’s a table for four, you can politely ask the maître‘d to change your table on that same night. You may have to wait a bit while some juggling is done, but it can and will be done.
Grab the fold-out deck plan map & get acquainted with your ship. When muster is over, be sure to go on the deck for the sailaway festivities. Then when you’ve finished your foo-foo drink, make your way to the highest deck on the ship with the fold-out deck plans in hand. From there, after a peek at what there is to do, meander your way down deck by deck walking from bow to aft until you complete your tour. This should really only take maybe 30 minutes and it’s a great way to get a quick overview of where things are and what there is to do. You probably won’t remember half of it, but at least it will look semi-familiar when you go back there later on the cruise. Photo by Regent Seven Sea Cruises
Travel Agent Professional
(continued on page 10)
10
And most impor tant: Take a mental snapshot of your deck plan and exit route. There’s 99.9% chance you’ll never need it use it, but just like you should always do at a hotel, note where the emergency exits are…in this case, the closest stairwell. Also, I always travel with a mini-flashlight which sits on my nightstand along with quick-to-jump-into clothes folded nearby. I do this at hotels, too. Maybe it was my Girl Scout training to always be prepared. A first cruise can be incredibly exciting and a bit overwhelming. With these eight easy tips, your first or even fiftieth cruise can be one of the best vacation experiences you’ll ever remember.
Photo by Cunard Line
April 2012
Travel Agent Professional
12
The Customer is King
By
(and I)
Scott Koepf
The words of Mel Brooks never rang so true: “It’s good to be the king!” The customer has the power and they know it. Like most kings they are well informed, have extraordinary resources available, and have confidence. Or do they? I think the customer is actually exactly like the King in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical, The King and I. Scott Koepf Vice President of Sales Avoya Travel/American Express www.JoinAvoya.com
The King of Siam, brilliantly portrayed by Yul Brynner, was smart, powerful and extremely confident. He was just like the consumers you deal with today. However, I think he also displayed another side of being King that your clients are also experiencing.
We
While he had vast amounts of data (think internet)
have all heard
the phrase that
and knew he held the power, he also was smart enough to know he needed to be open to other ideas and counsel.
“The Customer is King”
The story presented in the musical introduces a
and, no doubt, treating all of your
teach the children of the King. In short order, it is
clients royally will reward you
tions. But he has difficulty understanding the need for
British teacher who is ostensibly brought to Siam to obvious that the King is the one with all the quesa different opinion or accepting help.
handsomely. The colloquialism is This should sound familiar – the customer is (just
also truer than ever today, as in
like the) king! With access to all of the answers (Web sites) and the ability to make the decisions by
all retail endeavors it is without
themselves (booking engines), why would the king (consumer) need advice from a schoolteacher (travel
doubt a buyer’s market.
agent)?
(continued on page 14)
April 2012
Showcase
Auto Europe Car Rental Recommendations Before You Leave For Europe Auto Europe, a leader in worldwide car rental services, is compiling a set of recommendations that should be on your checklist for your next trip to Europe. These travel tips cover aspects for before, after and during your car rental experience. Below are the first suggestions on being prepared before you rent a car.
Six tips before you go: Insurance: Make sure that you check with your homeowners, personal auto insurance and credit card coverage policy for possible collision damage waiver (CDW) coverage. You may already have coverage in the event of an incident while driving a rental car. Be sure to read the fine print of the coverage policy. You may be limited to the dollar amount of coverage and certain vehicle makes and models may not be covered. Also, in certain countries, proof of third party coverage is not accepted with the car rental suppliers such as in Ireland, Italy and Turkey Travel Dates: Most international flights arrive the next date. Double check your car rental and hotel vouchers to make sure that your reservation is for the correct pick up date. Vehicle size: Are you flying to your destination and checking into one hotel for your entire stay? If not,
make sure you have a large enough vehicle for your luggage and passengers. Four people may fit in a compact but it may be a tight fit with luggage. A station wagon may be a more convenient and comfortable ride if you plan on changing hotels or driving various routes with your luggage or shopping purchases.
Airport Surcharge: Think about picking up your car rental downtown. After a long transatlantic flight, it might be more convenient to take a taxi to your hotel and take the time to rest and visit the town before driving off. Car rentals in downtown locations are often cheaper than at airport.
Driver’s license: It may not be mandatory to have an international drivers license in the country that you are traveling to, however, for a cost of $15.00, it may be worth the piece of mind if you are pulled over for a violation. An IDL is a translation of your valid drivers license into eleven different languages including French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, German, Swedish and Italian and can save time if the officer is not fluent in English.
Watch for our next installation with recommendations for when you are at the service counter. If you need to book a reservation immediately, contact our reservations department that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our highly trained agents will also pass on knowledgeable advice to ensure that your next rental is hassle free.
Automatic vs. manual transmission: If you drive a manual transmission, you may want to opt for a manual transmission rental in Europe to save on rental charges. Very few Europeans drive automatic transmission cars so you must be sure to book with a reliable local supplier. Be forewarned, if you do not drive a manual transmission in the states and opt to try to learn on your next European vacation, the cost to replace a new clutch can cost you three times the price of the rental of an automatic transmission. Play it safe.
1. 800. 223. 5555 • www. autoeurope. com 39 Commercial St., P.O. Box 7006, Portland, ME 04112
Auto Europe services over 8,000 car rental locations in over 130 countries worldwide. In addition, through their tour division, www.FlyInternational.com they offer scheduled airfare to Europe with over thirty carriers. Their hotel division, Excellent Hotels offers 3, 4 & 5 star worldwide hotels. For additional information regarding their program, contact your local sales representative or Auto Europe at (800) 223-5555. Visit their web site at www.autoeurope.com or www.excellenthotels.com
14 The King of Siam struggled with this by singing: When I was a boy World was better spot. What was so was so, What was not was not. Now I am a man; World have changed a lot. Some things nearly so, Others nearly not. There are times I almost think I am not sure of what I absolutely know. Very often find confusion In conclusion I concluded long ago In my head are many facts That, as a student, I have studied to procure, In my head are many facts Of which I wish I was more certain I was sure! It is a puzzlement... The King brilliantly finds himself with plenty of facts, but possibly because of the sheer volume of them he finds himself in a puzzlement! And so it is with our kingly customer today. Based on Web sites and brochures, every cruise, tour and resort looks spectacular and they very well may be! It is easy to hear consumers today saying, “I am not sure of what I absolutely know.” Vacation travel is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together, and as professional travel agents, you know that if one little piece is missing, then the whole end result is flawed. Many consumers are just now discovering that travel is “a puzzlement” and they need your help! They may be as stubborn as the King of Siam and need pleasant persistence to discover your worth,
but once you win them over, you can become their most trusted advisor. The good news is that not all customers will be as intimidating and tough as the King of Siam. However, all customers still need the royal treatment as you help them plan their next vacation. In “The King & I,” the teacher always had respect for the king but also expressed her opinions and helped him grasp concepts that were quite foreign to him (like telling consumers there is more to the decision process than price alone!). Becoming a trusted advisor to the king does not happen overnight. In the musical, the teacher did not initially come to the palace to fill the role of an advisor, but over time she proved her worth through her knowledge and actions and eventually took on that role for the king. So it is with consumers today who, in many cases, really have no idea what a travel agent does or what value you can bring. It is up to you to make your value known and to build a strong relationship with your customer. The interaction between a travel agent and the consumer is truly a dance. Ultimately you want to hear each King you work with say to you: We’ve just been introduced, I do not know you well…. But when the {research} started Something drew me to your side. Shall we dance? On the clear understanding That this kind of thing can happen, Shall we dance? Shall we dance? Shall we dance?
April 2012
Showcase
Steven Thompson, CEO
Of Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Will Address “Well-Being And Medical Travel Conference” March 28, 2012 (Oyster Bay, NY) – It was announced today that Steven J. Thompson, MBA, Chief Executive Officer for Johns Hopkins Medicine International, will address the constituents at the “Well-Being and Medical Travel Conference 2012.” The event will take place on June 20-21, 2012 at The Phoenician luxury resort in Scottsdale, Arizona (www.well-beingtravelconference.com). Mr. Thompson was recently appointed by the President to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. With over 25 years of experience in various positions within academic medicine and academic health centers, he is the Founder and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine International. The organization was established as the arm of Johns Hopkins Medicine providing a focus for all international activities. Its purpose is to establish international programs and businesses that are consistent with and support the Johns Hopkins Medicine mission of excellence in clinical care, research and teaching. Mr. Thompson has a particular interest in identifying innovative ways for Johns Hopkins to collaborate with a wide range of partners to work towards the common objective of improving health and the quality of healthcare delivery around the world. “Steven Thompson’s appointment to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board demonstrates the value that health-related travel and tourism contributes to the U.S. economy,” said Anne Marie Moebes, Executive Vice President of Well-Being Travel, one of the co-sponsors of the upcoming conference. “Our Well-Being and Medical Travel Conference 2012 is an educational event. But it’s also a gathering of thought leaders that will spark innovations and propel the medical and wellness travel industries to new levels of adoption by consumers.” The “Well-Being and Medical Travel Conference 2012” is positioned to make a major impact on the global health, wellness and medical travel industries because, for the first time, medical and wellness representatives will be exchanging insights on critical topics with travel providers and travel sellers who have worldwide customer databases.
Well-Being Travel is the goto resource for medical tourism, bringing together the medical and travel industries in a breakthrough partnership. The global organization provides the relationships, technology, marketing, networking and educational opportunities to help travel agents get in on the ground floor of this rapidly growing niche that is sweeping the world. WellBeing Travel's alliance with Companion
Global
Healthcare provides an instant relationship for travel agents who are part of the American Marketing Group agency groups (TRAVELSAVERS, NEST, TWIN, or The
Affluent
Traveler
Collection) to become a credible source to handle the global medical travel needs of their clients.
To find out more about attending the Well-Being and Medical Travel Conference 2012 or participating as a sponsor, visit www.well-beingtravelconference.com or contact Debbie Press (888-854-0339 or dpress@wellbeingtravel.com).
Travel Agent Professional
16 B y P a u l l T i c k n e r
&
Camera, Lights Downton Abbey,
Action
Jane Austen, Inspector Morse, Charles Dickens (photo right), Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, the Bronte Sisters, James Herriot and Peter Rabbit: Welcome to the intriguing fiction-into-reality world of U.K. literary tours.
The trick here is to imaginatively interpret and blend together the sources of inspiration for great writers and Masterpiece Theatre productions into an entertaining and memorable U.K. travel experience. As your choice of locations for these packages will probably cover most of the U.K., my first recommendation is to focus on one area of the country so that your clients can spend more time visiting and less time travelling from place to place. You’ll be amazed at just how easy it is to create a U.K. literary tour. Organize an English afternoon tea for your anglophile clients, ensuring that you include someone from the Friends of Libraries, a book store owner and some English literature teachers. Then, armed with a blank piece of paper and a sharp pencil, invite your guests to share with you their favorite British writers and Masterpiece productions. What you’ll end up with is a shopping list which, when converted into an E-mail and sent to me, will come back fairly quickly as a workable 6- to 8-night itinerary. In addition to the literary landmarks, it will also include a liberal sprinkling of stately homes, castles and gardens, a cathedral visit and some tea shops and pubs. It may not be possible to include everything that’s been asked for, but if you can prioritize the choice, it will be possible to come pretty close to what’s been requested. (continued on page 18)
April 2012
17
Paull Tickner, formerly with British Heritage Tours and creator of Special Interest Britain, is affiliated with the Greatdays Travel Group. For over 30 years, he has been developing and operating customised niche travel programs for the United Kingdom and Ireland. For more information, visit his Web site at www.greatdays.co.uk and E-mail him at pjtickner@yahoo.co.uk
Travel Agent Professional
18 To give you a sense of what’s possible, a south of England tour might include:
• • •
Highclere Castle (photo right), aka Downton Abbey (limited space available in 2012 and 2013 opening dates to be confirmed); Charles Dickens childhood home in Portsmouth (we’re celebrating the 250th anniversary of his birth this year); Jane Austen’s home at Chawton, her burial place in Winchester Cathedral and the city of Bath where she lived for a number of years.
• • • •
In central England, the writers and their characters might include: Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland in Oxford, where you can also add Inspector Morse and Sergeant Lewis; James and the Giant Peach and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre; Moated, Elizabethan and privately owned Broughton Castle, extensively used in the filming of Shakespeare in Love; The Elizabethan world of William Shakespeare brilliantly brought to life by the costumed interpreters at the Shakespeare Houses in and around Stratford upon Avon.
April 2012
19 In the north of England, you can bring together:
• • • •
A Birds of Prey flying display at Leighton Hall on your way into the Lakeland world of William Wordsworth, Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter; The Bronte Sisters at the Parsonage in Haworth; The Yorkshire Dales that so inspired J a m e s H e r r i o t , t h e c re a t o r o f A l l Creatures Great and Small; Dark tales of Dracula in around Whitby, on your way to Brideshead Revisited at Castle Howard.
The “when” of travel can be determined by your customers. Families will enjoy the Children’s Literary Tour during the school holidays, timing the trip perhaps to include Alice’s Day in early July in Oxford. For others, it may be one of a number of annual festivals which include:
• • •
The Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts, celebrating its 25th anniversary in May this year with a stunning program of international writers and thinkers; The long-established Times Literature Festival in Cheltenham, with over 500 mouth watering events, 600 speakers and a plethora of guest directors; One of the two colorful Dickens Festivals that take place in June and December in the cathedral city of Rochester.
Travel Agent Professional
For murder mystery buffs, think about:
• • •
“Sleuths,” the annual Festival of Crime Writing (April 18-21). Some of the most devious criminal minds will descend on Torquay, an area closely associated with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (The Hound of the Baskervilles in particular) and the great Agatha Christie, who many consider the queen of all crime writers; The internationally acclaimed Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival which takes place in Harrogate July 19-20; The Agatha Christie Festival (Sept. 9-16), when the English Riviera (aka Torquay) becomes the murder capital of Europe, with a large number of people being shot, stabbed, strangled, poisoned, drowned, bludgeoned and asphyxiated. Don’t panic — none of it is for real!
Finally, if you’re a Harry Potter fan like me, we’ve got something special for you to visit. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is a behind-the-scenes walking tour which immerses guests into the world of film-making, featuring authentic sets, costumes and props from the Harry Potter film series. The studio tour is located 20 miles from central London, at the studio where the films were made. When you think along these lines, a UK literary tour can be fun for clients of all ages — and profitable as well.
20
Clients For Life
By Mitchell
The Successful Customer Service
J.
Action Plan Needs
Schlesinger
The Three
Mitchell J. Schlesinger Vice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity m.schlesinger@voyagestoantiquity.com
“Rs”
Buildings are not constructed without a foundation. Neither are successful customer service action plans that enable you to capture “Clients for Life.” The complete foundation consists of the combination of the information presented in previous articles. Further development of the action plan needs these key elements plus the 3 “R”s.
Database Everything you know about your clients’ travel history, personal preferences, hobbies, demographics, psychographics, etc. makes your relationship with them seem that much more connected. Find the technology right for you to build a CRM model for each of your clients.
Managing the Client Relationship Every point of contact with you and/or your team is a judged evaluation by your clients. If there are team members, they must be properly trained to precisely understand the importance of each and every client in terms of purchasing their own travel. More importantly, they need to understand their value as an unofficial member of the agency’s sales team by virtue of their referrals of new clients. Conveying the importance of understanding consumer behavior is crucial in managing the customer relationship and building clients’ trust that you are providing travel recommendations based what you know about them demographically and psychographically. (continued on page 22)
April 2012
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22 Implementing the 3 Rs As part of managing the customer relationship, recognition is highlighted by the critical aspects contributing to the process of retaining client loyalty. Engagement: Your opportunity to create a “connected relationship” with your clients and provide a personalized level of service far superior to anything they can receive from online or mega agencies. Travel sellers ask all the time, “What can I do to compete with these big agencies?” You can ensure that you establish a service standard that cannot be duplicated. By creating a connected relationship, only you can provide personalized travel recommendations that come from your knowing more about your clients than anyone else.
Part of the team: Invite loyal clients to speak on your behalf at cruise nights and agency sales events. Also, use their pictures and testimonials on your Web site after they return from the trip. It personalizes your agency and strengthens the relationship with your clients. Communications: Think in terms of the amount and the style of communication your clients (and you) receive from airline or hotel programs they may belong to. While the communication is personally directed, it contains no real personal connection. They are also receiving direct mail and/or E-mail communications directly from suppliers. Make sure that as part of managing their travel over time, your communication does the best job of recognizing them and includes recommended travel based on previous history and personal preferences and aspirations.
Referrals In an earlier article, I referred to client loyalty as a legal pyramid scheme and that implementing an effective referral program can be the catalyst for aggressively generating new clients. Measuring the value of a client includes their own travel PLUS the number of referrals they provide to your agency. The repeat travel metric is a function of how often they book travel with you, how much they spend and, if the spend level
increases with each trip, the percentage; The referral metric is a measurement over time of the number of clients they refer annually and the calculation of the travel spending from the new clients; This value recognition is an important distinction for clients providing you with significant referral business in conjunction with their own travel activity.
(continued on page 24)
April 2012
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24 An effective referral program should be the result of two scenarios:
1.
With the combination of superior service and travel experiences that have fully met and/or exceeded expectations, clients are compelled to tell others about their trip and your agency. Clients love to tell family and friends about memorable vacations.
2.
You harness these positive reactions with a reward program addressed below.
Rewards A successful rewards program should be implemented with two (2) targets in mind: Clients: An effective referral reward program for existing clients should be simple, tangible and cumulative. It should also be scaled to reflect the expenditures of the products being purchased by referred traveler. As an example, providing a $25 referral fee per guest is fine when the new client purchases a travel product under $1,000 per person, however the rewards should scale up as the spending increases. When an existing luxury client refers a new client who books a $10,000 trip, the reward should give your client the perception that you truly value their support. Team Members: In order to insure that your customer service action plan succeeds, it must also reward agency team members for providing the
level of customer service that meets and exceeds the standards YOU set. An age old truism for managing teams is: tell them and they will listen, show them and they will look, involve them and they will understand. Remember, you must involve your team so that they fully understand the customer service standard and remind them that they are always an ambassador for the agency. Most importantly, rewards can modify and reinforce behavior and a variety of recognition components make for powerful rewards. Reward incentives for teams and team members should be based on and structured with several elements including: Comments from clients; Recommendations from other team members; Your own observations; Bonuses for bookings, scaled by expenditure; Agency productivity weekly, monthly, quarterly etc.; Service recognition that includes a PR release to a local newspaper and in a newsletter you send to clients; “On the spot” mini-rewards (i.e.; gift cards) for individual service performance; “Surprise” team awards (lunches or dinners together) for positive results; Individual rewards for sales and service over designated periods of time. Successfully implementing a customer service action plan that retains clients for life requires treating customers as lifetime partners, insures team members fully understand the customer service standards and implementing the 3 R’s.
April 2012
Showcase TRAVELSAVERS And Network Of Entrepreneurs Selling Travel (NEST) Introduce New Customer Loyalty Program Travel Club, a new complimentary customer loyalty program for clients of TRAVELSAVERS and NEST travel professionals has just launched. The benefits of the program are two fold: to seamlessly drive traffic directly to travel professionals through a customized URL and entice consumers to travel with an even greater variety of exclusive offers, special perks and a dedicated e-newsletter, Travel Edge. Deals and benefits, which vary by participating supplier, include discounts, VIP amenities, upgrades, spa treatments and more. Customers can take advantage of Travel Club’s benefits from their very first booking. Every customized Travel Club URL features the contact information and logo of the individual TRAVELSAVERS or NEST travel professional, ensuring that traffic goes directly back to the agency. Complimentary Travel Club advertisements are easily downloadable for each agency’s individual website and hyperlink to their customized Travel Club URL. “Our goal is to always provide our travel professionals with a competitive edge,” says Nicole Mazza, Chief Marketing Officer of TRAVELSAVERS and NEST. “Travel Club is just one more thing for our agents to add to their toolbox. It complements the many other complimentary
Travel Agent Professional
resources they have access to simply because of their affiliation with one of our brands.” “I am excited about this incredible opportunity,” says Lisa Silvestri of Silvestri Travel. “Not only is it a great selling tool, but to know that my constant travelers are going to receive updates and insider tips from me on a regular basis, automatically is incredible. As for new clients and prospects, the ability to make them feel special and included will keep them coming back to me for years.” A generic website for TRAVELSAVERS Travel Club and NEST Travel Club is available to consumers who don’t have a dedicated travel professional. The site allows aspiring travelers to review offers and sign up for Travel Edge, but must select a local travel professional for reservations assistance. The appropriate agency, as chosen by the customer, is provided with the client lead for follow up.
About TRAVELSAVERS: TRAVELSAVERS is an international marketing organization, owned by American Marketing Group, Inc., with a retail chain of 3,265 independently owned full service travel agencies in 24 countries that together generate more than $20 billion in annual travel sales. Headquartered in
Oyster Bay, New York., TRAVELSAVERS offers a comprehensive range of products and support services to help its licensed agencies maximize sales though a select group of suppliers – and stand out as travel leaders in their local communities. The marketing company also features a unique exclusive territory system based on populations of 50,000, so agents maintain control over clients and prospective leads in their exclusive area.
About NEST:
The Network of Entrepreneurs Selling Travel (NEST), based in Oyster Bay, New York, is the industry’s first and only marketing group exclusively for homebased travel agents. The company focuses entirely on helping home-based travel agents achieve greater success financially, professionally and personally by championing solutions and opportunities just for them. From supplier negotiations to marketing, education to networking, and a complete portfolio of technology solutions, NEST delivers what homebased agents need, when they need it. NEST also supports the changing needs of suppliers, helping them to effectively reach the rapidly growing, home-based distribution channel to train, motivate, cultivate and compensate them.
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