Brilliant targets new members as profits up by 26%
Barrhead’s agency consortium and homeworking division Brilliant Travel is seeking new members to build on a 26% rise in profits for the year to date. Members are being offered
From left: Audrey Brooks Wiggins, Thomas Cook; Bill Munro, Barrhead Travel; Katrina Latimer, Thomas Cook; and Sharon Munro, Barrhead
From left: Nicola Finn, Branch manager, Bearsden; Matt Hands, Branch manager, Dunfermline; Jonathon Munro, Regional Sales Manager; Jane Ann McIlroy, Head of Sales and Caroline Donaldson, Head of Business Development
Agency splashes £2m on tech to fend off ‘disrupters’
Barrhead Travel has invested over £2 million in its technology over the past 18 months as it looks to counter threats from disruptive online rivals.
A series of launches is planned
for 2017 including an online portal through which agents and customers can manage bookings. Barrhead’s Flights Direct
website will relaunch in January, followed by its Cruise Direct and main Barrhead Travel websites. Cruise Direct will offer full online bookability for operator packages and tailor-made cruises. Barrhead chief executive Sharon
Munro said: “A lot of what we have done is work to improve the customer journey. “Although we do not see
cruise bookings online being huge volumes, we are preparing ourselves for the future. People will become more confident booking certain products online.” Barrhead has started to
roll out new telephone technology to help it better track conversion rates, allowing calls to be routed to specialists and improve
“There are a lot of disruptions coming, so we are preparing to counter them”
performance reporting. “It will help us manage calls
between call centres, branches and homeworkers much more effectively,” said Munro. “In our advertising we have
specific phone numbers so we can direct calls to specialists. It will also
help us with our training as well.” Munro said Barrhead was
reliant on a mix of inhouse and third-party technology and was adapting off-the-shelf systems to suit its needs. The agency has renewed its GDS deal with Amadeus for a further three years. Barrhead chairman Bill Munro said he was constantly keeping an eye on what the likes of Expedia and Google are doing. “They are very good at telling you
in advance what they are planning, so we can counter it. There are a lot of disruptions coming,” he said.
Upmarket brand set to be relaunched
Barrhead will relaunch its upmarket travel brand Travel Creator in 2017. The brand, which offers “bucket-list” product targeting cash-rich customers, multigenerational groups and special anniversary holidays, was originally launched mid-2015. A revamped website will offer more detailed information and drive
customers to call a specialist agent to book. Barrhead chairman Bill Munro said leads would be directed to staff
who are comfortable dealing with clients looking to spend more on their holiday then the agent earns in a year. “This is for people who really want the best, they are not price-sensitive,” he said.
full access to Barrhead’s marketing suite of services including specialist social media training from next year. The agency group also offers the services of a store design team for high street members and training, as well as Barrhead’s commercial terms. Sharon Munro said: “Our Brilliant agents and home-based agents are already first-class travel agents so we focus on giving them the tools to, first and foremost, become business people. “The high street is at the heart of communities and our Brilliant members have the ability to really engage on a local level. The British economy was built on small businesses and shops. Many high streets still have boutique- style shops and Barrhead can turn a franchise in to a boutique-store environment that customers love.” Munro said 20% of the 31 Brilliant stores have opted to use the Barrhead name in their signage – a move, she said, that had resulted in some outlets increase their business by as much as four times.
24 November 2016
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