FRONTLINE
Helen Parry director, Arundel Travel, Otley, West Yorkshire
We had such a busy May, not just
in terms of bookings, but fam trips, conferences and our own much-needed holidays. This meant our operations director Beatrice and I were pulled in different directions at one point, and our junior team was given the exciting opportunity to manage the shop without us for five days. I knew we were leaving the shop in capable hands, but my word what a fantastic job they did! They worked superbly as a team to complete some amazing bookings, ensured that every customer had a fantastic experience, and kept the shop looking its best, watering the plants and cleaning as they went. Bea and I came back to work on the Monday and had a great handover with the girls. We were delighted to see them so buzzing and enthused. But they had one negative thing to report that left us feeling frustrated. The girls said the service from some specialist operators and cruise companies had been very poor and, frankly, quite upsetting.
NEGATIVE RESPONSES We recently had to deal with a customer complaint alongside a cruise operator, before being told by the operator that there had been a resolution. As Beatrice and I were both away, the girls used their initiative and called the supplier to find out what the response to the complaint was. Sadly, this ended
24 8 JUNE 2023 AGENT
The condescending attitude of some
suppliers to our junior staff was disappointing and disheartening
with the phone being put down on them three times, while on another call the customer service manager mocked one of my team, asking her, “Do you even know what you’re doing?” before telling her off for putting him on hold. Another unsavoury example involved a fantastic river cruise enquiry that one of the girls had received. She called the operator, explained that she was a trainee and had never dealt with a river cruise booking before so needed a little help. The response was a big sigh, a huff and a flippant remark that wasn’t helpful or needed at all. As a shop we know that we
can’t support every tour operator. We try to ‘spread the love’, build strong relationships and use small independent companies as much as we can, but these incidents and others like it are disheartening. Our junior team are not mind readers and don’t have the knowledge at this stage to know everything. In fact, I’ve been in the industry for 27 years and still have gaps in places.
LEARNING CURVE Bea told us that her late grandad used to say: “You can’t start climbing a ladder from the middle.” And he was quite right – everyone has to start somewhere. Whether you’ve been in the industry for decades or just a few months, we have all been in training at some stage and it’s important people remember this and encourage growth in our next generation of travel agents. I’ve had to bear this in mind recently while helping (I think) my daughter learn to drive, holding on to the door handle for dear life and pumping my foot on the non-existent brake pedal. Given how many people left the sector during Covid, and how companies are struggling to recruit new talent, it’s vital we all embrace the enthusiasm of youth and help guide them, rather than put them off.
EXPERIENCES ARE PRICELESS
I have just returned from the most beautiful place I’ve ever visited: Sri Lanka. I must say a huge thank you to Premier Holidays, especially Karen from the trade team, for inviting me on the trip of a lifetime. I was really nervous as I hadn’t travelled without my family for a long time, and believe it or not I’m quite shy, but as soon as I met lovely Lucy, one of my fellow travellers, at the train station all my fears slipped away. I’m so glad I was encouraged to join this trip.
We are very lucky to work in the travel industry – the pay might not be the best but the experiences are priceless.
On location: Helen in Sri Lanka
travelweekly.co.uk
Clare SharonDavid KimColin Clare Sharon David KimColin diary diary
Helen
Helen
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