ONE TEAM MAGAZINE We’re One Thomas Cook in destination
Summer 2017 – 03
Hi everyone, It’s hard to believe that summer 17 is already drawing to a close and that some colleagues have already left destination. I don’t know if it’s an age thing but seasons seem to go by more quickly every year! I know for those of you in destination it may feel as if it’s been much longer and you’re sure to be ready for a break, so I want to say a massive thank you to everyone for all you have delivered for our customers, the business and each other this summer. There are so many amazing examples of our team doing great work. You have been there for our customer both in the very good times and when they have really needed you most; during crises or difficult personal situations. You are all heroes in my book and a great example to the rest of the business when it comes to having customers at our heart.
The Thomas Cook Group recently announced two new, ground-breaking alliances with Expedia and LMEY/Aldiana, which will help deliver our profitable growth strategy. Click on the links to read more.
Time never stands still in iDS, so as one season slows we are looking ahead to not one but two seasons already! Many of you will soon be off to your winter placement and also giving serious thought to where you want to be next summer. The winter is actually the busiest time of the year for those working behind the scenes in iDS as it’s when we work through the many projects that will be rolled out to better our service and products in 2018. Of course, this winter is more important than ever because ‘We’re one Thomas Cook’ in destination from next summer and we have a lot of exciting work to do for that over the coming months. For those who are taking holiday over the winter, enjoy your welldeserved break and we hope to see you again in 2018. For those of you working the winter, I wish you all the best wherever you will be and look forward to working with you in the important months ahead. Michael Scheidler Group In Destination Services Director
The deals above are catalysts for change within our business and our CEO Peter Fankhauser recently went out on the road to talk about the new Group structure and the Expedia deal. Click here to watch the UK session (52 mins). Click here for the organisation changes.
Inspiring travellers in the 21st Century! Thomas Cook himself first published the Excursionist magazine to inspire customers back in 1851, just 10 years after organising his first excursion. Now, The Excursionist is back with a 21st century twist. It’s available online here and the printed version is being used extensively in our UK stores to help in the sales process. This first new edition is jam–packed with ideas for winter sun holidays , weekend city breaks, ‘trips of a lifetime’ and much more. Check it out!
On 30 August, at a special event hosted by Thomas Cook in Mallorca, CEO, Peter Fankhauser spoke to hoteliers and media about our campaign to combat the unethical practice of false holiday illness claims. Click here for more.
Safer Tourism Charity launched
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In September, Peter Fankhauser took part in the formal launch of the Safer Tourism Foundation, an industry charity Thomas Cook founded two years ago with Sharon Wood, the mother of Christi and Bobby Shepherd, who tragically died while on holiday with us in Corfu 11-years ago. While this isn’t just our charity, we should all be aware of the Safer Tourism Foundation and our involvement with it. We can all help the charity achieve its aims by informing customers that we’re part of it and abiding by the Safer Tourism Foundation’s pledges. If you any questions, suggestions, feedback or problems you would like to share in confidence with Michael Scheidler please email: contactmichael@thomascook.com
TEAM NEWS We’re One Thomas Cook in destination
Summer 2017 – 03
Destination Services Customer Heroes August 2017
July 2017
Agnieszka Kaluza-Mediouni Service Rep, Burgas, Bulgaria
Jack Humphreys
Soccer Coach in the Tsokkos Anastasia & Marlita Beach hotels, Cyprus
Agnieszka demonstrated particularly outstanding customer service during the peak summer months of July and August, during which she successfully dealt with more than 1000 quality and service concerns from Polish customers in four different resorts across Bulgaria.
In July, during one of his soccer coaching sessions in Cyprus, Jack could see that Ryan, an amputee child who has lost his leg, really wanted to join in. Thinking how he could best involve Ryan, Jack told his parents that he would adapt his next session so that Ryan could join in. Click here to read more.
As well as having to continuously deal with overbooking situations, some of her volume hotels have also been a constant source of quality issues since the beginning of season due to nonavailability of advertised facilities or brochure mistakes.
Aylin Donmezer, Quality Assurance Manager, Kos
As a result, Agnieszka logged the highest number of MatsSoft cases of anyone in the entire East team, and all were handled to the full satisfaction of her customers. No matter what the situation, or who she is dealing with, Agnieszka always manages to resolve the issue and remains independent, professional and friendly throughout. She really is a great example of a highly effective and high-performing Service Rep and has been a very positive influence on the whole team this summer.
In the four weeks running up to the opening of our second Casa Cook Hotel in Kos in July, Aylin worked very hard to assist with the hotel opening. It was not always a smooth process as the hotel was not completely ready to open on the scheduled date as some rooms were still under construction. There were also problems with power and some of the furniture was late being delivered. Click here to read more.
June 2017 Maarja Tuovinen – Admin/Destination Rep, Thassos As a member of our integrated iDS/NE team, Maarja has done an fantastic job in really bringing our ‘We’re One Thomas Cook’ value to life, both within the team and in the eyes of our customers. She is a shining example of working as one team. She has a combined admin/rep role and always thinks to put customers at her heart and is there for all our guests, no matter where they come from … and always with a smile on her face. Click here to read more.
Danielle Stokes, Service Manager, Hurghada Tragedy struck just one day into a family’s holiday when their four-year son was found unconscious in the pool. Dani and her Destination Manager rushed to the hospital when they heard the news. She relieved the rep who had travelled with the family and took over supporting the family through the first critical hours, helping them out with hospital paperwork, police reports etc. Click here to read more.
iDS Loyalty Awards – October 2017
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20 Years
10 Years
Khaled Aly
Hassan Syed
Service Rep, Egypt
Service Rep, Egypt
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TEAM NEWS We’re One Thomas Cook in destination
Summer 2017 – 03
It’s Placement time! The Winter 17/18 placement process closed this week, so just about everyone should now know when and where they will be working this winter. More than 1,000 UK & Swiss-Contracted colleagues applied for winter work this year and offers were made to 87% of them. Thanks to the Placement team’s care and attention more than 50% were offered their first choice of winter destination and overall, around 78% of people got one of their top three choices. It’s a mammoth task that takes several weeks (and causes many a sleepless night for the team!), so please give a big shout out to Karon Karamavrou, Kelly Parrott, Tobias Lenz, Karsten Werner and Clare Watts in the iDS HR team who really do go above and beyond to give as many of you as possible the placement you really want! And now, it’s full steam ahead for Summer 2018 placements, which begin in earnest next month. This year it’s bigger than ever, because we will be bringing together all iDS and TCNE colleagues. Watch out for more details coming soon.
Andrew is flying high! Congratulations to Andrew ‘Drewy’ Hamilton, Airport Representative, Cancun, who was recently invited to the German Airlines Gateway Garden offices in Frankfurt to receive their prestigious ‘Best One Thomas Cook Team’ Award. The ceremony formed part of the airline team’s Oktoberfest party, where guests heard how much the airline appreciated Andrew’s support for the airline operations into Mexico. They said of Andrew: “Whatever challenge we face, Andrew always proactively looks at how to make the best of it: for our customers, our crews and our ground handling colleagues. He manages all kind of difficulties, not only disruptions, but even helps out our crew. For example, when crew meals haven’t been loaded, he’ll buy sandwiches for them at Starbucks. He really is a wonderful person, who always wears those famous flip-flops. He demonstrates that while working hard you can also have fun and make your colleagues smile!”
iDS Voice – Representing you and your views Effective, two-way communication and consultation is important to the success of our business. Our people are our greatest asset so it’s important that you have a forum through which to share your views with the business and for the business to seek your opinion and input. We are now reinvigorating the iDS Voice, and your representatives (below) will meet with Michael Scheidler and members of the senior iDS team over the coming weeks. Now is the time therefore to let your representatives know if there is any subject you would like them to raise on your behalf. You reps will be in touch with the destinations they are responsible for shortly to introduce themselves and to remind you of their role, how they can help you and what you can do for them. The structure of the iDS Voice covers five regions and below is a summary of who represents who.
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Sylvia MacPherson
Lyndsey Greatbatch
Jutta Gaeckel*
Torsten Keil
Costa del Sol Costa Blanca Costa Dorada Costa Brava Costa De la Luz Menorca Ibiza Algarve/Madeira HQ Peterborough
Tunisia, Djerba, Morocco, Goa Antalya, Bodrum Dalaman, Izmir Bulgaria, Croatia/Montenegro, Split, Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Jordan
Rhodes Kos, Lesbos, Samos, Athens, Corfu, Skiathos, Halkidiki, Zante, Kefalonia, Kalamata, Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, Lefkas, Thassos, Cyprus, Swiss HQ, Italy, Malta
Tenerife, La Palma, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Mallorca
Lyndsey Greatbatch** (interim)
Mexico, Florida, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Las Vegas, Cuba, Thailand, Maldives, Kenya, Bali, Gambia
*Jutta also represents IDS at the European Work Council (EWC); **Nicki Smith has stepped down as Long haul representative so Lyndsey will cover until we have the opportunity to elect a new member
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TEAM NEWS We’re One Thomas Cook in destination
Summer 2017 – 03
iDS Every Voice 2017 – the highlights! Thank you to everyone who completed their Every Voice survey in July. With input from 1,861 people (87%), we have some really accurate information to work with. Below are some of the highlights from the core index questions.
We achieved our Overall Core index target! Yes, our Core Index score was up two points year-on-year to 78% - bang on target! The overall core index score measures our performance from a broad business perspective in four areas and we improved year-on-year in every one.
75% (+1pt)
77% (+2pts)
82% (+3pts)
79% (+1pt)
Engagement
Organisational Capabilities
Strategy & Objectives
Leadership
Employee commitment Team engagement Customer orientation
Efficiency – Teamwork Innovation - Autonomy
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Knowledge & Awareness Alignment Contribution
Leadership & Confidence in management
Of course, there is always room for improvement, which is why action planning is so important. This year’s results show solid improvements in the four areas we focused our action-planning on last year – Lean processes, efficiency and innovation; A culture of openness, feedback and involvement; Teamwork and Leadership Development.
Common Themes from your feedback The information that will inform our overall 2018 action-planning
Things to be proud of in 2017 • Improvements in all key drivers of employee engagement inc development opportunities, values and strategy • The ‘Customer at our Heart’ culture keeps growing stronger; significant increase in customer orientation • Increasing belief in our products and services led to a much stronger Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) • Better clarity on our future direction • We are working more as ‘One Thomas Cook’ • Large year-on-year improvements seen in Knowledge & Awareness amongst non-managers • Increased pace in operations; decision to action • Greater collaboration; less silo-working • Managers and non-managers are working more closely • Our new values are embedding well
Opportunities for further improvement • Encourage even greater collaboration by removing barriers • Achieve better efficiency by removing duplication and supporting more ‘horizontal working’ • Encourage and recognise innovation, particularly crossfunction initiatives • Be clear on expected behaviours and share the best examples of ‘wearing their flip flops’ and going the extra mile • Continue to involve and inform colleagues on our direction and priorities • Invite ideas and involve our people in developing new initiatives/continuous improvements • Understand and act upon customer feedback • More leadership development opportunities • Development plans for all colleagues
Leisure & Entertainment (L&E) trending on social media
By Niko Vanderschelden | Operations & Commercial Manager, Leisure & Entertainment Every day customers use social media to share their holiday stories and read reviews, so we decided to count all this summer’s positive feedback for our IDS L&E teams on Tripadvisor and Holidaycheck. From May to midAugust, we found 1372 positive comments and over 370 times, our team members were mentioned by name. The teams in Roc Las Rocas Mallorca, Parque Cristobal Gran Canaria and Coral Star in Ibiza had the highest number of positive comments on Tripadvisor, while on Holiday Check the teams in SENTIDO Mikri Poli Crete, Apollonia Beach Crete and Tropicana Mallorca are most popular. Here are just a few examples: One Polish family posted a big thank you to the Lollo & Bernie Kids Club team for their great energy, contact with their children, kindness and big smiles! A British family were overwhelmed that we took such good care of their child with special needs, and a German family said they found every aspect of our entertainment excellent!
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Our customers really care about what we promise, how we make them feel and what their peers think. So getting positive social media coverage is a big advantage for us and our hotel partners and puts us on the right path to be “The most loved holiday company”.
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PRODUCT NEWS We’re One Thomas Cook in destination
Summer 2017 – 03
Flying the flag for Tunisia! After two years away, UK customers will be back in resort from February next year. Tunisia is a long-time favourite destination with British holidaymakers and it’s great that we can once again offer holidays from the UK to this wonderful country. We’re back on sale for both the Winter and Summer seasons, with flights available from a number of UK airports. To ease ourselves back in, we’re re-launching with a revised programme that features eight 4.5/5 rated hotels, including three of our own SENTIDO hotels, so customers are guaranteed great quality, value and, of course, fantastic service from Lyndsey Greatbatch, Destination Manager and her team. One Team Magazine caught up with Lyndsey and our Group Head of Security and Health & Safety, Marc Jordan to find out what’s been happening behind the scenes since the tragic attack on holidaymakers in Sousse two years ago: What impact did the 2015 attack have on tourism to Tunisia? LG: Most source markets left Tunisia after the attack. Fortunately, some German and French customers continued to come, and there is a strong local tourism market so some hotels remained open and busy. 2017 has been busy, so the biggest change you’d notice really is the heightened security in hotels, resorts and airports – which is a great thing! What’s the atmosphere like in Tunisia at the moment? LG – When it’s busy, its lively and colourful as always. The Tunisian people just can’t wait welcome back more customers, as they see them as their friends and family. The people and great service is what sets Tunisia apart and that hasn’t changed. It is the most friendly destination I have ever worked in, which is why I’m still here after 8 years (I only came in 2009 to cover a maternity leave!) When the travel advice changed for the UK, after 2 years, the emotion of the team and the local people, was amazing – it was like winning a gold! Why did it take so long for the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) so long to remove the travel ban? MJ: The FCO takes the safety and security of British citizens extremely seriously. There was a significant amount of work to be done by the Tunisian authorities, like new training for the Tunisian police service and improvements to how local government agencies shared information between themselves and the UK. LG – I have worked closely with Counter Terrorism personnel here, and hoteliers, local authorities and airports have been given dedicated training. They have really engaged with the actions they’ve been asked to take to. What are we doing to make sure that hotels are ready for when UK customers go back in February? MJ: The Group Security and Group Crisis teams flew to Tunisia immediately after the FCO changed its advice to review the security arrangements in hotels we will be using for UK customers, and also in hotels already used by other markets. Security standards are high and all our hotel beach fronts are now patrolled by armed tourism police. Tourists shouldn’t be alarmed by this; these officers are low key, friendly and approachable and are happy to explain why they are there - they even have a special beach uniform! What would you say to customers thinking about booking a holiday to Tunisia next year? LG - As in any destination, always check the FCO travel advice, use common sense and make sure you check in with the highly experienced reps who can assist with information and offer great information about what Tunisia has to offer. We offer top class hotels in a beautiful destination and there are many great people waiting to welcome you with open arms! MJ: After spending time in Tunisia, I’m looking into a family holiday of my own to the new Les Oranges Deluxe next year. Tunisia is a beautiful country with some of the most hospitable people in the world. Don’t think about it, just book it! Tell us something about Tunisia and holidays there that people might not know? LG - We have some of the best Spa/Thalassa experiences in Tunisia - total pamper and relaxation! We also have some top class golf courses. I must mention the beaches… having worked in the Caribbean for more than five years, I can honestly say that Tunisian beaches are second to none – come see for yourself!
The facts Holidays to Tunisia from the UK will be available from 13 February 2018 Our winter programme offers flights from Manchester, Birmingham and Gatwick; in the summer customers will be able to fly to Tunisia from Manchester, Birmingham, Gatwick, Newcastle and Glasgow The programme will include three of our branded hotels: SENTIDO Phenicia, SENTIDO Aziza Beach Golf & Spa &the SENTIDO Le Sultan The flight time from UK to Tunisia is approx 3 hours
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PRODUCT NEWS We’re One Thomas Cook in destination
Summer 2017 – 03
‘Room to Relax’ – Choose your room is grabbing headlines!
Sardinia – Affordable holidays with a 5* atmosphere!
By now you’ll all know about our brand new customer initiative, Choose Your Room, which we have launched to allow customers to choose the exact room they wish to stay in. Customers can book their specific room, from those available in their room category, six days before departing for holiday. The service costs €30 per booking.
Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean and boasts a wonderful climate, natural beauty and a fascinating history dating back to the 9th century BC. It’s a destination that has been out of focus for a while, but that’s all about to change with the opening on our new ownbrand hotel, the SENTIDO Orosei Beach in 2018.
Building on the success of our 24 hour promise, Choose Your Room is the first service of its kind to be offered by a package holiday company. There are already 50 hotels that offer this service and by next summer there will be more than 300! New features of the service now include a mobile website and multiple room booking functionality. Click here to find out more abut Choose your Room; here to find which hotels are included and here to learn more about the fantastic PR campaign and media coverage it’s received in the UK.
The majority of our source markets have committed to growing Sardinia and are full of enthusiasm for our expansion plans that are already underway thanks the collaborative efforts of our destination, Group Hotel Contracting; Hotels & Resorts and source market tour operator teams. Click here to learn more.
L&E White Label Services Revolutionising hotel entertainment! Now in its third year, our L&E White Label service goes from strength to strength. Inspired by the increasing need of hotels to better their entertainment as a way of improving overall customer satisfaction, the team uses its vast experience and expertise to design, and often deliver, industry-leading leisure and entertainment solutions. With the support of our destination management and Quality teams, they have grown their portfolio of hotels from 15 to 38 since Summer 2015. As a result, an extra 115 entertainers from across all L&E disciplines were taken on this summer to deliver sports, kids’ club and evening entertainment and activities in hotels across Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Bulgaria and Austria. Next year the team’s aim is to grow to 52 hotels and they need your help to achieve that! Click here to find out more and download the new-look brochure and how you could earn up to €2,000 for every successful referral!
Thomas Cook Airlines adds extra comfort for customers with the launch of Economy PLUS Thomas Cook Airlines UK has launched Economy PLUS on its short and medium haul flights, giving our customers an even more relaxing flight experience, including additional services such as priority boarding, increased luggage allowance, complimentary in-flight drinks and access to the airlines’ new mobile in-flight entertainment service, Sunstream. The Economy PLUS upgrade is on sale now for £59.99 one way. It is available to customers on all short and medium haul flights, departing the UK from 1st November 2017. Click here for the video to learn more.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FIRST WHITE LABEL COMMISSION EARNER!
Paul Boes, Quality Manager, Ibiza 6
Paul successfully referred the Playa Bella Apartments, San Antonio Bay
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CHARITYNEWS We’re One Thomas Cook in destination
Summer 2017 – 03
Thomas Cook Children’s Charity Update Fantastic performance in the September Summer Challenge! By Simon Lindsay, Cuba Destination Manager and Charity Trustee A massive thank you to everyone who got involved to help us travel the distance from Las Vegas to Bali during September. From the photos, great fun was had and together we raised an incredible €13,525.36 by covering 11,455.24KM. What a great effort: walking, running, cycling, paddling, swimming, climbing and lots of fancy dress costumes to add into the mix. I’m sure you will all agree that as One Thomas Cook this is a FANTASTIC achievement – proof of what we can achieve together, and we at the Thomas Cook Children’s Charity will ensure that the funds you raised are used to improve more children’s lives. Friends, family, colleagues and customers can still donate at: http://www.justgiving.com/owneremail/pleasesponsor/iDS2017Challenge
Well done everyone … Now, what do next year? Sandra Killick 23.63km around Rutland Water UK
Connected Palma hit 227km in the gym
Team Mexico at the Pyramid of Coba where they also involved customers in activities to clock up an amazing 744km between them!
Ibiza Charity Fun Day 668.26€ Looks fun!
Zante: Caretta Beach charity day raised 300€ – Great charity, great team work and great practice for Sept challenge!
Kos: Fun days across different hotels raised 2,000€ this summer – games, challenges & quizzes from the team who really bonded well following the earthquake in Kos this summer.
Mallorca: The Roc Las Rocas hotel charity day raised 500€ from both daytime and evening activities like ‘Gunge the Rep’. This takes their 8-year total to £7,000 – fantastic!
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SNAPHAPPY We’re One Thomas Cook in destination
Summer 2017 – 03
More Charity Photos Club 18-30 Zante: This fun-filled Charity day featured a pool party, a football tournament and much more, raising 1,200€! Over 200 people turned out including reality show celebs! The 8-team football tournament was called the ‘Tom Parsons Cup’ in memory of a young customer who died suddenly last summer and was held on the anniversary of his tragic death.
Mexico: Every year our team takes street children from a local charity on a catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres. A great day that the team and children really enjoy!
iDS HR: Lots of lovely homemade cakes and a fantastic turn- out for their MacMillan Coffee Morning raised £260.12 – YUM!
Benidorm: Team ALC walked to the Cross viewpoint at the top of Benidorm! Great effort from all the Team for a fabulous cause (TCCC)!
Egypt: Bart Lenaerts sent this photo of a 19th Century Egypt Guidebook that he found it a Luxor bookshop, which was given to all TC customers on Nile Cruises at the time – what a lucky find!
Gran Canaria : On its busiest airport, the LE team from Parque Cristobal & LPA Airport team invited Lollo & Bernie along to welcome new arrivals & give those going home another chance to say goodbye to their favourite pair!
Ibiza: A perfect get together for their Mid-season jolly was on a Catamaran with a lot of fun, music, good talks and drinks – a lovely and relaxing afternoon!
Zante: The team had a mid-season afternoon off at the Casa Playa beach club in the VIP area - food , drinks, a swim & beach Olympics!
Cuba: The Thomas Cook Cocktail, from a 1936 Cocktail book in Sloppy Joe’s Bar, Havana – give it a try!
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TEAM NEWS We’re One Thomas Cook in destination
Summer 2017 – 03
Hurricane season The 2017 Hurricane season has been a particularly challenging one, with multiple hurricanes and tropical storms wreaking havoc across USA and Caribbean location and placing great demands on our colleagues in destinations, the Special Assistance Team (SAT) and in our airlines. Across the various destinations hit, most notably, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Florida, our people have worked many long hours to support our customers, with some local reps even leaving their own families during the storms to look after our guests. Extraordinary efforts were made in extremely difficult situations and we’re very grateful to those on the ground, in the air and who flew in as part of SAT to manage the situation in the best way we could. While there were some very tense situations with customers in resort, many have since written in to thank s for keeping them safe and informed. Here are just a few examples. Click here for more on HeartBeat. DOM REP: Myriam De Vos, Service rep in Dreams La Romana
From Adam Payne, Finance Manager & UK SAT member
We just wanted to drop you a line now we are back home to say even after all the issues we encountered during our holiday to the Dominican Republic that Myriam really was a star. On the first day of us being moved to La Romana she met the 'group' of unhappy customers. She really did do well - she was courteous, listened to everyone's grumbles and complaints and even though she couldn't do anything about them immediately, she took everything on board.
Summary: I went out last week with the second SAT team and spent a couple of days in the Starfish hotel in Varadero, Cuba. I was working alongside Kolion Companioni. I had no end of customers giving me positive feedback about him and even when we had arrived he continued to be involved and insisted on seeing it through until the end. When we got a minute to talk, he said how his family were in Cayo Coco and how he’d found out that all of them were safe and that while his home needed some work, but was fixable. I appreciate that everyone will have had their own experience of our reps, but I needed to feed back mine about Kolion.
The next morning Myriam didn't shy away from returning to meet the group again, even though at that point there were really no clear answers for any of us. It must have taken a lot of courage for her to come back again and put herself back in the midst of all the unhappy people. We have since found out that it was Myriam's first season as a Thomas Cook representative so this could possibly have been her first experience of anything of this kind, so we just wanted to ensure that she does get some praise and recognition for how she handled both herself and the situation.
Separately I also want to say a huge thank you to all of the IDS guys that were on the SAT team with us. I have a new appreciation for their role and what they have to deal with on a daily basis. If it wasn’t for their experience of working in resort I think things could have been a lot worse. They took a lot of grief and just carried on without blinking an eye. I, for one, can’t thank these guys enough.
CUBA: Email to the CEO: My wife and I have just got back from our holiday at the Brisas Hotel in Guardalavaca, Cuba. During the first few days Cuba was hit by hurricane Irma. Nancy the hotel rep was assisted by two Thomas Cook volunteers, Sharon and Josh. During and after the hurricane all 3 of them gave us guests a fantastic caring service going at times beyond the call of duty, often taking undeserved abuse from some guests. Nancy is Cuban and stayed with us at the hotel; putting us before her family. My wife and I will always be grateful for the way we were looked after. CUBA: Ivan, our local rep has received a lot compliments via travel agents whose customers have been singing his praise for staying calm and not flinching despite “getting cockroaches thrown at him and drinks poured on him” from frustrated customers. Not behaviour that our reps should ever have to endure, but well done Ivan for your professionalism.
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CUBA: Anna, our rep in VRA. (From UK TC store) Our customers have said Anna went out of her way to help them from when they stepped off of the plane to when they arrived home. They have said she was brave and hardworking throughout the hurricane and tried her best to please everyone.
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SAYING THANK YOU We’re One Thomas Cook in destination
Summer 2017 – 03
To the CEO: Natalie, Service Rep, Gran Canaria I really had to pass on my appreciation for Natalie. Yesterday, she had the unfortunate job of ringing me to explain my father had been admitted to hospital. She gathered his luggage, saw him safely into the ambulance then contacted me. My Dad was by no means an easy customer/patient but she maintained a calm and professional attitude throughout. She spent a lot of time either with him or on the phone to me, still replying to my texts after 8pm. Natalie told me she will be going to visit him the next day and that I could contact her at any time. I have worked in customer service for many years and I know it's all too easy to complain. Therefore I feel it's important to highlight when people do a really good job.
Tarra Simpson, Admin Team Manager, Lanzarote. A heart-warming story played out on Twitter after Tarra helped reunite one of our youngest customers with his favourite toy – check out the video of them opening the parcel and all the follow up messages here: https://twitter.com/kirsty_dawkins/status/905715061360087040
Emily Cannings, Wedding Co-ordinator, Fethiye
Hannah Williams, Club 18-30 Rep, Zante
Summary: We got married on the 23rd August 2017 in Liberty Hotel Lykia. Emily was brilliant, she was a credit to Thomas Cook; very helpful and supportive and kept us informed every step of the way during our wedding. Any questions we had regarding the wedding or holiday, she was always available and answered very promptly. She took all the pressures away through her support and coordination throughout the holiday. I would definitely recommend to anyone that they get married with Thomas Cook due to the friendly service Emily gave us as our wedding coordinator. She was brilliant and credit to your wedding coordinating team.
Summarised: Having been diagnosed with breast cancer, and this being my recovery period, as a family we purposely chose a lively resort as I wanted to see young people enjoying themselves and life basically! From our arrival all of your representatives were second to none , but please I must pass on our feelings as a family for Hannah Williams. Hannah was aware of my recovery and made the holiday even more special if that's at all possible. All staff including hotel staff (Zante Plaza) blew us away - in fact they are probably the best we have ever experienced on holiday.
Sylvie Zarate, Service Rep, Gran Canaria – one of several compliments Sylvie has received this season
Hannah arranged some quality family times that were beyond expectation and I just can't thank you all enough for this. Our daughter being 17 has also had a rough time the past 6 months and she tells me daily that the holiday was 'the best she has ever been on‘, and we've taken her all over! She has already rallied her friends for her first girls holiday next year. We too plan to return next year all being well.
Translated and summarised: My family and I spent our summer holiday on Gran Canaria in the hotel Tabaiba Princess. Everything was good and we were very satisfied. However, during our stay I got a very painful thrombosis in my left calf so I had to see a doctor. I was hospitalized in San Roque. Now it comes: During this time Sylvie took care not only of me but also my family, so I had nothing to worry about. With Sylvie you are in absolutely good hands. I have not yet found a comparable tour guide. This woman has earned more than 6 stars. Thanks again for everything.
Words really cannot give justice to how we feel. You are all a huge credit to your employer. Please know that this isn't just a general feedback/compliment email - you have brought our family back together. I can't wait to be back!
Ali Ait Si Ali and Achour Sannad, Service Reps, Morocco Translated and summarised feedback from German customers: Earlier this summer we went to Morocco. We wanted to make it special as we thought it would be our last family holiday as our children are grown up. After 2 days of enjoyment, it unfortunately went wrong the 3rd day when my husband felt pain on his chest and his left arm. We went to our room, but it did not get any better so we turned to the doctor and now it's why I send you this mail. Ali, your rep, was right away there to assist us in this strange situation, he made us stay calm and helped translate. When the doctor assumed my husband had a heart attack, he accompanied us to a hospital. He had been behind the ambulance, even at the hospital, he stayed for a while and we exchanged numbers to keep in touch. All of this gave us a good feeling that we were not alone. On Ali’s last call that night, he handed over to Achour. After a night in the hospital, the situation went downhill - no water, no care, no staff who could not speak English - Achour helped us over the phone so very well that day. I called him so often to translate and he never made us feel we were annoying him – he said we could call him anytime. He brought us water, helped deal with insurance and hospital admin and got us back to our hotel and children. Unfortunately, the rest of the holiday was spoiled, but fortunately my husband had not had a heart attack; most likely sunstroke. We could not have gone through all this without Ali and Achour. We are all really grateful for both for their support – for us at the hospital and our children back at the hotel - 2 TOP REPS!
To the CEO: Jordan Sellars, Head Rep, Kalamata, Greece.
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Summary: As a fellow executive of a consumer-facing business I am all too aware of the delights of customer complaints and equally the joys of commendations for colleagues. As such I wanted to share some fantastic praise for Jordan, who has been a true delight. Our flight was unfortunately a couple of hours late, which of course happens. Rather than sit in the hot sun outside the very small regional airport, we decided to head to a local restaurant for a family lunch. We chatted Jordan through our plans and he couldn't have been more helpful. He supported our decision, gave us a clear time to be back at the airport and personally checked in with us upon our return to the airport to check we had no problems checking our bags in. Throughout he continuously presented himself as an empowered and amenable ambassador for your company. He enabled a long wait to become a pleasant family afternoon.
Got a feature idea, story to tell, photo or thank you letter for the next edition? Email ids-oneteammagazine@thomascook.com
SAYING THANK YOU We’re One Thomas Cook in destination Emily Keeves, Service Rep, Cyprus
L&E team in Marina Torrenova, Mallorca
Extracts: My trip to Cyprus didn't start off so well but my opinion of Thomas Cook changed thanks to Emily. I was welcomed with a handwritten letter, which doesn't cost much but the personal touch made all the difference, as did making herself available at times that suited both hers and my timetable. I had never been to the island before but had no appetite to be sold on the most expensive excursions which I expected would be the case. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when Emily just asked what I liked doing, what interests I had.
Summary: When one of our UK retail colleagues was on her family holiday with her very poorly daughter in August she returned saying how amazing her holiday was thanks to the fantastic way the L&E girls involved her little girl . They even provided a special swimming costume for her that allowed her to go swimming with her medical IV still in place. Lollo & Bernie made a real fuss of her and made them all feel very special – that’s what it’s all about!
She too the time to understand more about me as a person, so she understood which trips I'd take the most enjoyment from. It's that customer centric approach that made me feel relaxed and that my holiday was in good hands. In the end I bought two excursions totalling around €300, and it was money well spent. I went to Cyprus disgruntled and left a marketing engine for you thanks to the tremendous support and service from Emily.
We are finally home in England and Marley is doing well.
Dalaman Airport Team, Turkey Summary: I would like to give praise to the airport reps involved in our delay to Manchester on 18 September. We were kept fully informed and later told we would be having an overnight stay. We were quickly transferred to coaches and driven to a hotel where check in was also quick and drinks and food were supplied. At the hotel, your reps Dave and Tory were amazing and answered all our questions and kept us updated. Nothing was too much trouble and, despite other guest being extremely rude, insulting them and trying to video them, they remained very professional right up to the meeting the following morning when we received an update on our position. This team is a credit to you and without Dave and Tory I feel that night may have got a lot worse, and guests may have become more aggressive. They deserve a medal!
Brittany Hughes, Service Rep, Cyprus Summary of feedback via TC store: I had customers in my store who were staying in the Constantinos the Great in August. Sadly, due to a death in the family, they had to return home a week early. They have asked me to send on a personal message to Brittany, who couldn't have done more for them. They were very thankful to her for sorting everything out and making it so easy at this very sad time, and wanted to make you aware of her outstanding customer service and caring approach, which is a credit to your team!
Matthew Lahert, Service Rep, Mallorca Summary: During our stay at Club Mac, we had the pleasure of meeting Matt, one of your reps. When we first arrived, very tired from our long journey, it was lovely to be greeted by ‘Smiling Matt’ who offered us food and drink. We had a problem with our accommodation that did not match what we had booked – one room for four of us instead of two. Matt acted quickly and the very next morning we were able to move into another room. This was still one room but it had bunk beds so at least we could all walk round the room! Still not what we expected but a bearable compromise - thank you Matt! Over the next few days we were readily given advice about our surroundings and all the information we needed to know by Matt. He talked us through a Thomas Cook excursion that we booked. Without Matt taking the time to tell us about the trip, and show us photos, we would have missed out on a spectacular outing. Matt I'm sure exceeds his job title and should be praised for his work for Thomas Cook. A total pleasure to have met him.
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Summer 2017 – 03
Nancy Daigle, Admin team, Tenerife We would like to thank you for going above and beyond for us you really helped us while we were in a difficult and stressful situation. People like you make the world a much better place. Thank you for your kindness.
Malgorzata Wrzesinska (Gosia), Service Rep, Sunny Beach, Bulgaria These thanks are from a Polish guest who Gosia supported during their hospital stay in September. Gosia was always friendly, available and assisted many times with communications.
Zwracam się do Państwa z podziękowaniami za wspaniałą pracę waszej rezydentki pani Małgorzaty Wrzesińskiej rezydentki między innymi Hotelu Mena Palace w bułgarskim kurorcie Słoneczny Brzeg.Pani Gosia to bardzo solidny pracownik i wspaniały człowiek .Nadmieniam że wczasy spędzałem w dniach od 01.09 do 15.09 w w/w Hotelu.od dnia 06.09 do dnia 14.09 w klinice ze względu na zaistniałą sytuację zdrowotną.Pani Gosia mimo tego że nie należało to do jej obowiązków pomagała nam w kontaktach z lekarzami i personelem Kliniki.Potrafiła nawet kilka razy być w klinice by pomóc w tłumaczeniu między mną i lekarzami. Zawsze odbierała telefony ,była bardzo miła i po ludzku pomocna to pełna profesjonalistka i człowiek o wielkim sercu. Pragnę złożyć podziękowania na ręce pana prezesa i gratuluję tak wspaniałego pracownika. o ile to możliwe z pana strony to proszę o wyróżnienie pani Gosi i stawianie jej za wzór dla pozostałego pana personelu.
Karl Rodwell, Service Rep, Cyprus After he supported a family whose child was ill on holiday, Karl received this: Joe is absolutely fine now and we had a great time at the Anastasia, despite the rocky start. Thank you again for your help, you were amazing ... it was my first morning and I was a bit lost so I really appreciated you arranging for the doctor to visit and your support generally. I was also impressed with everyone at the clinic, the ambulance drivers, receptionists, doctors and nurses were brilliant and made our stay as comfortable as possible. Also, I appreciated your office ringing me in the clinic to offer support. I wish you well for the rest of the season and after. You're certainly the best rep I've ever come across and, at 46 years old, I've been on a few holidays!
WE HAD PAGES OF THANK YOU FOR THIS EDITION, SO CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REST ON HEARTBEAT
Got a feature idea, story to tell, photo or thank you letter for the next edition? Email ids-oneteammagazine@thomascook.com