Special Report Munday says the “decline of the high street


agent has been predicted for a long time”, but he estimates that the total number of actual travel agents working in the UK is still the same number as in 2002. “Some of the consumer press seem to


think of us as a dinosaur because we print brochures and sell almost exclusively through agents,” he laughs. “But there is a base of customers who are able and willing to enjoy a high-value holiday – and are minded to book through an intermediary for the privilege of having someone else take care of things for them. The more complex, the better, as that’s where we shine.” In fact, Munday says that calls to his


concierge and administration team were up by 30% last year; of an average 800 inbound calls


a day, 200 of those go to the admin team of eight, or Classic’s “unsung heroes”, as Munday calls them. “Of course, once people pay more, they


expect more – but they want what they want and we are happy to make those amendments and additional arrangements for them – whether it’s changing flight times or booking golf tee times or opera tickets,” he says. But aren’t all these customers a little on the,


er, old side? “Sure – most are over 55. But they travel with us up to six times a year and we have a repeat factor of 40%. Yes, there may be a couple of 90-year-olds on a weekend to Madeira, but they may also then turn around and say they want to take the whole extended family away,” says Munday. And with all the issues facing travellers at the moment, more and more people seem happier to book through an agent and operator, he says. “Our demise has been predicted for years,


but it’s been highly overplayed. In fact, I’d say we’re about ready for the next big stage at Classic – a rebirth, if you like.”


Technological turnaround This next stage on the Classic journey all started with Munday’s decision that it was time for a major investment in IT. “We’d had our best ever year, so why should


we then go and put ourselves through the agony of a technological overhaul? It seemed mad – but it was essential for the future,” he proclaims. “If you can’t face the future and the change that will entail, you may as well give up. But I can’t deny it was a bit of a depressing project, though, to be honest.” An intense two-year process with Intuitive


has just about finished now, leaving Classic in much fitter shape, with a bespoke system, Ivector, to make call handling, product display, personalised documentation and reservations all far more efficient. “Monitoring exactly how things are tracking


and having total flexibility and full visibility within the system is making a big difference in how well we can help agents and make more conversions quickly from calls,” he says. Munday may even pick up the phone and


answer a call himself, as all staff – not just reservations – know how to use the system. An indicator showing call volumes can be seen in all departments, and when it reaches a certain level of calls unanswered, everyone pitches in to pick up the phone, especially during peak January sales time. Munday says it’s going to take a real team spirit and the buy-in of all staff to take Classic to the next level, as he believes the business can still grow significantly. “We’ve had some years where we grew 35% –


it was bewildering at times. And at one point we were listed as the 72nd best private business to work for in the UK – it’s a lot of growth, but we


have the people, the will and now the IT to grow off the back of more efficiencies in fulfilment and lead conversion,” he says. Part of the growth equation has to come


from a spread of destinations, but Munday won’t say yet what future plans there are. The focus generally has been shifting further afield and ensuring the business is not too exposed in any one destination, given all the issues around Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt and Greece, whether terror-related incidents, the refugee crisis or currency fluctuations. The most recent destination additions have included Dubai and Barbados, while others featured are Bermuda, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar, France, Monaco, Italy, Malta, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Egypt. “As we launch new places, we will set new


targets – find agents who didn’t sell us before as we didn’t have what they wanted, and expand among those we already know,” says Munday with a quiet confidence. Growth will also come from Ireland, where


Classic started a base in February. “I think there’s an opportunity there for us,


with a returning economy, high-spending clients who love luxury hotels and agents potentially crying out for a quality operator out of Dublin,” he says. The office in Ireland is headed up by Niall


McDonnell and some 200 agents have been identified to focus on working with. Agents truly are the lifeblood of Classic


with events aplenty to engage them, about 18 roadshows a year and a six-strong sales team visiting as many as 100 shops a week. “We do get around,” Munday and Farr agree. Next up, it’s time to look at a digital and


social strategy, even if everyone’s probably still exhausted from the recent technology overhaul. “Don’t get excited – I’m not about to become


the Zoella of travel,” says Munday, in reference to the “YouTube star”, vlogger and social media darling from nearby Brighton. “I’ve never even sent a tweet. But social is something we’re intrigued by and I do think we could be out there on these channels more and helping agents get more business this way.” With that in mind, a social media strategy


could be en route soon, as could an overhaul of the website. The idea would be to make the site more of a sales tool for agents – absolutely not a site for direct bookings. So with the economy in an “OK position” – as


this accountant puts it – an increased appetite for holidays, more diverse destinations to come, more agents to mine, a new IT system in place and a whole digital world still to unearth, it seems anything’s possible for this dinosaur.


Pictured 1. Nick Munday with his TTG Travel Award 2. Classic Collection brochure 3. Barbados is a newer addition to the portfolio... 4. ... with a specialist sales team


BUSINESS OF TRAVEL  SPRING 2016  TTGLUXURY.COM  29


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