FRONTLINE


CLARE DUDLEY managing director, Ponders Travel, Cambridge


I often read posts on Facebook travel


pages about how annoying it is for agents when we have to listen to people bragging about how they got the cheapest price for their holiday or cruise. Annoying is definitely the word, and I’ve heard some real corkers. In many cases I have to keep my cool and not butt into a conversation. To demonstrate what I’m talking about, let me share a recent experience with you. Perhaps you’ve had a similar one?


FALSE SAVINGS I’ve just returned from escorting a small group of clients on a cruise around the UK. On this trip we met a couple who loudly shared that they “only book with the company that offers us the cheapest price”. They added proudly that they do this for every trip, and will go with one company over another even if the saving is only £1. Now, of course I appreciate the price you pay is important, but I found their lack of loyalty and brazen approach quite sad, as they have clearly never built up a relationship with any travel company. And it is also rather blinkered. Despite the fact this couple clearly like to save money, they purchased all their shore excursions and transfers direct with the cruise line on board. Yet if they had booked through a knowledgeable travel agent, they would have been


20 30 JUNE 2022 AGENT


Some people are so blinkered about costs – we need to remind clients we can help them save money


advised that there are excellent and more cost-effective excursions available through the trade. The funny thing is, any potential savings they might have made were cancelled out entirely when they paid almost double what we did in each port. For example, in Greenock they paid £109 each to take the cruise line’s transfer into Glasgow, which was only 13 miles away – even a private taxi would have only been about £20 in total. This demonstrates that giving advice to a customer on the whole holiday using your own expertise and experience is invaluable. It can save them time and money and


ensure they get to make the most of their holiday. Never be afraid to remind customers of things like this. More importantly, don’t forget that if you sell the shore excursions yourself, you can earn more money. Some lines such as MSC pay us commission for excursion bookings, and it’s things like this that can help us bring added value to the client’s trip while ensuring we gain too.


EXTRA HELP


On the same cruise, I had a tricky situation with one couple. They had strict dietary needs, and on top of this were dealing with a recent dementia diagnosis. This meant they needed some extra hand-holding, which is something I love to do. But sadly the clients got Covid


six days into the 12-day cruise, and confinement to their cabin caused their anxiety levels to spiral. I was so glad I was on board with them as it meant I could send a little something to their cabin to put smiles on their faces each day, whether it was strawberries, grapes, a newspaper or baguettes and cheese. I also had to work out how they


would get home after disembarking, but it was nice that I was able to do it all for them. This, for me, is another example of why people should book through an agent!


FLOWERS, CHOCS... AND KIND WORDS


The couple that had Covid left me worrying that they would be frustrated with Ponders, as they had quite an awful trip. But instead, they came into the shop when they were back on land full of thanks and gratitude – and bearing flowers and chocolates. To be honest, the best


gift they gave us was this compliment: “Nothing could have changed our very first impression back in your


garden office, which is that we feel very much part of the Ponders family.” You can probably imagine that hearing something like that from a customer means the absolute world to us!


Caption


travelweekly.co.uk


SharonDavid Kim Colin Carla Sharon David Kim Colin Carla diary diary


Clare


Clare


PICTURE: Shutterstock/Stephanie Frey


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52