NEWS — HAYS TRAVEL IG CONFERENCE
John Hays (left) with speaker Miles Morgan
High-profile speakers from Miles Morgan Travel, Celebrity Cruises and Travelport stressed the importance of customer service. REBEKAH COMMANE reports
Morgan: Good grammar and a good vibe are key
Agency owner Miles Morgan continued the conference theme of customer service by speaking about the importance of focusing on the basics to build a successful business. The managing director of
12-strong agency chain Miles Morgan Travel said that attitude starts at the top and staff take their lead from the approach of managers.
“Our website is easy to use. “If a business
“If a business succeeds with high price points alone it will do well for a while, but it’s not sustainable,” said Morgan. “If you build a business on good customer service, people will come back.”
He explained the need to “start at the beginning and look at the basics”, such as how quickly the telephone is answered, and the enthusiasm and passion of staff. Morgan also said the speed of
turnaround, good grammar and personalisation of emails was essential, as was the need to have a website that is usable by the customer demographic.
succeeds with high price points alone
it will do well for a while, but it’s not sustainable”
I have been told that everyone knows if you click the shop title at the top of the site it will bring you to the homepage. But we have older customers who wouldn’t know that, so we have a clearly marked ‘home’ button.” He said customers can sense a vibe when they enter a store, so it is important this is a positive one. “The team in the shop need to believe in the business. They need to meet and
greet everyone who walks through the door with
a smile. This can be make or break for a business.” Finally, Morgan cited his
example of “the mum test”. “Look at the people
you have and think about who you would be confident looking after your mum as a client. The answer needs to be any one of your staff.”
12 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 27 November 2014 Ferguson: Use social media emotively
Travel companies should use social media to highlight exceptional service offered to customers, said Simon Ferguson, managing director for the UK and Ireland at Travelport. He said that while social media can add pressure, with 42% of
Simon Ferguson, Travelport
Twitter users expecting a response within one hour, the medium can offer benefits in getting a positive message out very quickly. Citing the example of the WestJet Christmas advert, which went viral last year, Ferguson said the airline had made an emotional connection with customers by sharing a recording of the surprise after passengers received the gifts they requested. He urged Hays IG members to seek to do the same – not necessarily on the same scale but by going beyond what customers expect.
Rzymowska: Learn to listen better In the second example,
Celebrity Cruises’ Jo Rzymowska (pictured) told delegates of the importance
of listening in customer service. The line’s UK & Ireland managing director gave examples of one company that listened and one that did not. In the first she explained
how Sainsbury’s changed the name of its tiger bread to giraffe bread following a letter from a three-year-old girl. The decision received media coverage in many newspapers.
Rzymowska referenced an incident when a musician’s guitar was broken after it was mishandled on a United Airlines flight. The musician wrote several letters of complaint, but was ignored. He then made a music video mocking the airline, which received 14.3 million views on YouTube. Rzymowska said Celebrity’s ethos includes taking ownership when things go wrong, responding to complaints within 60 minutes and focusing on customer service 24/7. She said: “Keep it personal, listen and learn, and remember the customer is queen (or king).”
CONFERENCE REPORT INDEPENDENCE GROUP
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