IN THE
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Guidelines on what you need to share with our customers regarding FCO, Visa & Health advice
WHAT’S
INSIDE 1. INTRO • The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Masta Health and Vaccinations and Travel Visa websites 2. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW • Guidelines for tricky customer conversations 3. USEFUL Q&AS • Frequently asked questions and how we’d like you to respond
How to use
travel
safe
This e-zine is fully interactive meaning when you click on links you’ll be taken to those websites, you can play videos straight from it and you can zoom in to make the articles bigger by using your mouse. You can turn the pages using the arrows on your keyboard. You’ll see as you move your mouse across the pages that certain areas turn blue – that means that you can click them for links, videos or more information. It is essential that you click every single link and familiarise yourself with the websites, watch every video and read the extra information. To increase the volume when you’re watching the videos, please turn up the speaker volume on your computer.
INTRODUCTION
This guide contains all the information you need to share with our customers before they book their Thomas Cook holiday.
We care about our customers and it’s up to us to share everything we know about a destination before they book and travel with us; customers may need to be aware of Foreign and Commonwealth advice, visa information or health and vaccinations before travelling.
“We want to be known as the holiday company who cares about its customers”
It is essential you read this guide as it contains key information you need to share with our customers before they book each and every time
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ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FCO, MASTA AND TRAVEL VISA SO YOU CAN SHARE THIS INFO WITH OUR CUSTOMERS What is FCO Travel Advice? The purpose of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Travel Advice is to provide information and advice to help British nationals make informed decisions about the destinations they want to travel to. The advice includes everything from local laws and entry requirements to natural disasters, Government changes to threats of terrorism. Customers can subscribe to receive email alerts directly too. www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice Why does Thomas Cook follow FCO Advice? The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is the expert when it comes to security and safety issues for British Nationals travelling abroad. They have on the ground intelligence we don’t, and as a company we always listen and follow their advice. What is Masta? What do they do? Masta is an online travel clinic where customers are able to check they have all the necessary vaccinations and health certificates when travelling to specific destinations. Customers can also book appointments with a local travel clinic. www.thomascook.masta.com Who are Travel Visa? What do they do? Travel Visa is an online company that has all the visa requirements in one place. From the website our customers can check what the visa and entry requirements are for the destinations they’re choosing. Customers can buy their visas through them too, thetravelvisacompany.co.uk/thomascook/
Need some guidance? So you can easily find the information you need, watch these tutorials to help you navigate the websites. FCO WEBSITE
Our Group Head of Customer Welfare, Carol MacKenzie, has written four blogs on travel to key destinations; Turkey, Egypt, The Gambia and Morocco. We would encourage you to share these blogs with our customers to give them extra information. The blogs are loaded on our website (https://www.thomascook.com/travelupdates/) and the HeartBeat links to the blogs are below. Turkey 2016 was a tough year for Turkish tourism. A series of bombings in Istanbul and Ankara which began in January, followed by an attempted coup in July meant that Turkey was frequently in the news for the wrong reasons. Tourist numbers declined as the disruption continued through the year. Click here to read more. Egypt
MASTA WEBSITE
Times have changed since we first took customer to Egypt in 1859, but Egypt remains a very popular destination for holidaymakers looking for great beaches and nearguaranteed blue skies all year round. Nonetheless, given some of the negative news about Egypt in recent years, we understand if you question whether it’s the right destination for you and your family. Click here to read more.
“We care about our customers and their safety is always our number one priority” The Gambia If our customers are travelling in Europe, remind them to make sure they have a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) and understand what it covers. Don’t forget, they’ll still need travel insurance! TRAVEL VISA WEBSITE
After the installation of the new president, the UK government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) changed the travel advice. It now says that the risk of military intervention has been removed, that the situation remains calm, and that life in Gambia has returned to normal. Click here to read more. Morocco While Morocco hasn’t been as affected as its more easterly neighbours of Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s considers there to be a high threat from terrorism – the same rating it gives to the UK, Germany or Egypt. Click here to read more.
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Making tricky conversations easier What to say, what not to say and when to say it We understand it’s often difficult to introduce tricky subjects into a conversation especially when customers are keen to book a particular destination where there may have been some issues with security or terrorism in the past. It’s our responsibility to make sure our customers know as much as possible about a destination, and below you will find some useful guidelines on what to say, what not to say and when to say it.
Foreign office advice – when and how to discuss it with your customers We want to make sure that every customer has a great holiday with Thomas Cook. A big part of any holiday is choosing the right place to go. To make sure we help our customers choose the destination that is right for them, we need to make sure that each and every customer has the essential information they need to make their decision. That is why we want you to discuss Foreign Office (FCO) advice openly with all of our customers, whether they already know where they want to travel, or they’re seeking advice and inspiration from us. It’s easy to introduce Foreign Office advice into your conversation – just remember these 3 steps: Introduce – As you listen to your customers wants, needs and concerns in the enquiry stage, make sure you mention the importance of being aware of the FCO advice for the destination they are considering or have chosen. Make sure you explain that there is a Foreign Office website with information about safety and security. Offer - Always offer to view the Foreign Office website to look at the FCO advice there and then. Also take the
opportunity to show your customers how to find the information they need themselves as some customers may prefer to view the website in their own time. Make sure you highlight the website address on either their booking form or if they’ve not yet booked, write the website address down so they have the right link. Remind – At the end of the booking take the time to highlight the Foreign office website link on their booking documentation, also remind them that they can sign up for FCO country specific travel alerts. If they haven’t yet booked with us, remind them where they can find the Foreign Office website and keep up to date with advice for the destination they are considering. What To Say If The FCO Advice Changes As you know we always follow FCO advice – if they change this to advise against travelling to that destination please reassure customers if they’re booked to travel there that we’d alert them to this change. Remember to recommend that all customers regularly check the FCO website themselves so they can keep up to date with the most recent travel advice.
There may be times when we have a destination on sale that the FCO advises against travelling to. What information should we be sharing with our customers? We’ll never send customers to any destination that the FCO advises against travelling to. Sometimes we need to plan for future seasons and book flight slots well in advance to make sure we can offer holidays to destinations that we know are popular with our customers. This means we might have a destination on sale which the FCO currently advises against travel.
It’s crucial that you make our customers aware that we will never take them on holiday against the advice of the UK Foreign Office. Ahead of travel, if there is no change to the travel advice we will cancel the holiday and offer a full refund or destination change free of charge.
IT IS VITAL THAT YOU COLLECT ALL OF YOUR CUSTOMERS CONTACT DETAILS IN CASE WE NEED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THEM BEFORE THEY TRAVEL OR WHILE THEY’RE IN RESORT.
When Mrs Jones is considering a holiday to Greece - How it might sound “Well Mrs Jones, we’ve got some really great Thomas Cook hotels in Greece and lots of flights from your local airport. I’m sure we’ll find you a great holiday. We refer all our customers to the Foreign Office Advice regarding safety and security all over the world. Once we’ve narrowed a few choices down we’ll take a look. Once you’ve booked we will give you the details so you can keep up to date with the latest information.” When Mrs Jones has booked - How it might sound “So, that’s all booked for you Mrs Jones. I know you’ll have an amazing time. Before you go, I’d like to remind you of the website address for the Foreign Office, its right here on your booking document. The advice can sometimes change, so make sure you keep up to date. You can sign up for travel alerts on the Foreign Office website which will automatically inform you if the advice changes.”
Mrs Jones has booked, but later has some concerns about the destination they’ve chosen How it might sound “Thanks for popping in to see me Mrs Jones. I understand your concerns.. I can assure you that we never take customers to a destination where the Foreign Office advises against travelling. In fact, if the advice changes to advise against travel, we will amend or cancel your holiday free of charge for you. Is there anything else I can do to help you understand the information any more? Remember you can keep checking the advice on the Foreign Office website. You can also keep up to date by reading our travel blogs and key travel updates on our website.” https://www.thomascook.com/travel-updates
SOME DO’S AND DON’TS: Do • Offer to check the FCO travel advice, health and vaccinations and visa websites for our customers in store • Encourage customers to keep checking these websites for updates. The information you show them is today’s advice but it can change at any time • Highlight the details of the various websites are on their booking summary receipt and invoice • Only give your customer information based on facts not your opinion • Let your customer know if the FCO advice changes for UK customers not to travel to their chosen destination anymore, we’ll let them know directly • Be understanding with your customers questions and concerns • Make sure you’re up to date on any current issues and policies by checking for relevant communications on HeartBeat\
Don’t • Don’t use the word ‘safe’ for any destination unless reading directly from the FCO website: always refer the customer to the FCO website for full - and the latest - information • Don’t offer personal opinions on the safety of a destination or any incident • Don’t try to persuade a customer to travel somewhere they’re not comfortable going to • Don’t be scared to talk about important information like FCO travel advice and health requirements with your customer
“The ultimate goal is for you to feel comfortable and empowered when discussing these topics”
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POSSIBLE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS QUESTIONS
ANSWERS
“Is it safe “I can understand your concerns: we always follow the UK Foreign Office (FCO) advice. Let’s take a look at their website together and see the to travel to [destination]?” latest guidance for [destination].”
“Can you guarantee my safety?”
“No. We can’t make any guarantees about safety and security overseas as this is a matter for the local authorities and security experts. If the Foreign Office advise against travel then we’ll let you know and you’ll be cancel or amend your holiday free of charge. If the FCO advice changes while you’re on holiday then our local resort team will be in touch and we’ll work with the teams in the destination to get you home.”
“What if FCO advice changes to [destination] before I go?”
“If the FCO advise against travelling to the place you’re going we’ll contact you directly and you’ll be cancel or amend your holiday free of charge. In the meantime, the FCO will update their website if there are any security concerns in the country you’re visiting so please keep checking this. From the website, you can set up email alerts too, shall I show you how to do this now?”
“I’m travelling to [destination], do I need a vaccination?”
“Let’s take a look at the Masta website www.thomascook.masta.com which has all the details you’ll need and each countries vaccination requirements.”
“I’ve already “Let’s have a look and see what we can do for you. However, depending on booked but the circumstances and your date of travel there may be some charges to can’t get a visa change the holiday.” to travel?”
CLICK HERE TO READ SOME MORE FAQS.
HERE’S AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO DISCUSS THESE TOPICS WITH OUR CUSTOMERS
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OUR STRATEGY
Please use the links below during the booking journey to remind you - and your customer - about the various places they can find the details for the FCO advice, health and vaccination requirements and visa information.
OWR On our website
On their Invoice
Part of the Customer and marketing emails
BEACH Planner Updates on (from summer 17) Facebook
Here in our Brochure
One Web Retail
Retail Start bar
We need to know that you’ve read and understood the contents of this guide and what’s required of you. (Please press the confirm button below which will direct you to the Academy to register that you’ve read and understood this guide.)
CONFIRM Please keep referring back to this guide as much as possible. If there’s something we’ve missed and should be included let us know by emailing us at internal.communications@thomascook.com
T R A V E L AWAR E E S S ENT I AL S Passport Check your passport’s validity date, fill out the emergency details, look after it and keep it in a safe place.
Documents Make copies of important travel documents. Take a picture or make copies of them and store them securely.
Research Learn the laws, customs and entry requirements of your destination, understand how they differ from home, check: gov.uk/ foreign-travel-advice
Visa Check you have all necessary visas.
Travel insurance
Vaccinations and health Check if vaccinations are required for your destination. For medical advice, visit travelhealthpro.org.uk
Money Take enough money with you and make sure you have access to emergency funds.
Make the right call Be responsible and find out how British embassy staff can help you in an emergency abroad: gov.uk/travelaware
Take out appropriate travel insurance that covers you for all the activities you plan to do.
EHIC If you’re travelling in Europe, ensure you have a valid European Health Insurance Card and understand what it covers. You still need travel insurance! For your free EHIC visit: www.nhs.uk/ehic
Travel advice updates Follow @fcotravel on Twitter and FCO Travel on Facebook, and sign up for email alerts: gov.uk/ foreign-travel-advice