THE LEADERBOARD


Matt Munday at Travel City Direct was top seller for February and wins a £25 attractions voucher, with thanks to our partner Attraction World. Find out why Matt won at ttgdigital.com/mysteryshopper


high street v internet


Dawson & Sanderson 18 Bridge Street


First impressions: The shop footprint was an unappealing corridor. I was greeted by one of three smartly dressed staff. They moved computers to assist me, and ignored the telephone when it rang so I had their full attention. 7/10


Sales process: The assistant was polite, and recommended Paphos as the quieter end of the island. Then some minutes were spent in silence as they searched on their computer, without engaging me at all. 5/15


Product match: A suitable holiday was suggested at £1,248 but not before they suggested numerous hotels outside my budget, which I repeatedly stressed was £1,400. It was annoying and made me feel like they did not care about me, only about making commission. 12/15


Making the sale: I was given no reasons to book this holiday, other than it was within budget. Nothing about the resort was explained. I was asked to ring if I wanted the holiday, and given the agent’s card. But they did not seem to care whether I was there or not. 1/10


Premier Connections Elite Premier-connections.com


First impressions: The site came up on page one of my search. The taglines emphasised “five-star” and “luxury” as opposed to “family” or “affordable”, which seemed in line with my requirements. The home page was uninspiring but the contact number was easy to find. 8/10


Sales process: There was a list of hotels when I clicked on the Cyprus tab, but nowhere for me to enter my requirements, such as dates, budget and airport. I sent an email, and left an answerphone message. 1/15


Product match: The site was badly designed, with poor links and a distinct lack of information. It did not encourage, or even allow me, it seemed, to part with my money. 1/15


Making the sale: I may as well have been browsing a website that was totally unrelated to holidays as its effectiveness would have been the same. Neither my email nor phone call was returned. 1/10


Thomson Thomson.co.uk


First impressions: Also on the first page of the search listing, this was a logical, un-fussy site. The big thing for me was I could use the search criteria to narrow down my search. There was a telephone number to ring, but this would cost me. 10/10


Sales process: The search facility allowed me to enter all my criteria instead of price, and five out of 10 hits on the first page came in under budget. I could then re- order by price. There was enough choice for me to make an informed decision. 13/15


Product match: All the hotels suggested were very large, and I could not search for my preferred style of hotel. But the site seemed to target those who prefer bigger venues. One option came in under budget at £1,386, departing Newcastle. 12/15


Making the sale: There was no real encouragement to book. A phone call would have cost me, which was off-putting, and there was no easy way to leave my contact details. The site was easy to use but felt impersonal, with nothing to help me decide between hotels. 6/10


50% 22% 82%


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powered by 01.03.2012 33


This week’s winner


Name: Amanda Collins Agency: The Travel Emporium How long have you worked for this agency? We’ve only been open a year. I sold lingerie for four years before returning to travel. Are there any similarities? Selling lingerie and travel are both quite personal services and every customer is different but that is as far as it goes! Have you been to Cyprus? Yes, to Paphos and Ayia Napa. I like a quiet holiday, with history and culture, so I put myself in the mystery shopper’s shoes. Where else do you like selling? Portugal – it’s a good base for self- drive holidays. I always recommend car hire when clients go there. Why do you like working in travel? The buzz of selling holidays, and when a customer comes back and tells me: “Amanda, that was fabulous.”


Who gets the booking? There was no way for me to book on the Premier Connections website, and when I emailed and left a phone message, I had no follow-up in 48 hours. Thomson’s website was easy to use and fulfilled my requirements but lacked the personal touch. Most of the venues Dawson & Sanderson offered were over budget. I would have booked with Amanda at The Travel Emporium because she was enthusiastic and keen to help.


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