There are many questions/statements and queries that we get asked every day, as I’m surely is the case in many customer services offices. In a non travel agents mind I’m sure, probably sensible questions. The statement ‘the customer is always right’ springs to mind. Having worked in two busy customer service industries, I have pondered in this statement many times. I thought I would summarise a few of the things we us travel agents get asked on a daily basis, I will leave it up to you to decide.
‘In your spare time, do you check prices for holidays?’
Frustrating for two reasons. The first one being we are a travel agency. We aren’t going to be checking house prices in the local area, or the rise and fall of the stock markets. The second, we are a small but busy store, and as well as seeing the customers in the shop, on the phone and on emails, we don’t exactly have ‘spare time’ in office hours. There is always something that needs doing, even if it’s filling the brochure stands, the store wouldn’t run unless those jobs get done.
‘What deals have you got on at the moment?’
Ask any high street travel agent in the country and find one who doesn’t get asked this at least once a week. The word ‘deals’ is enough to put you off your cup of cold coffee. We always look for the best price holidays, but in the 21st century world that we live in, a holiday price can change within minutes. The days of looking in a brochure and booking it for the price stated are long gone, if indeed were ever here. We don’t have a catalogue of cheap bargain holidays. It would need updating every ten minutes! Ain’t no body got time for that!
‘How much is Madeira?’
A colleague was asked this with no further explanation. No dates, no duration, for how many, from which airport. You may as well be asking how much to buy the whole island!
‘I know you haven’t booked my holiday yet, but I want to know when can I book my seat numbers on the plane?’
The bane of our life’s (I speak for all travel agents everywhere). Maybe for me the most insignificant part of my holiday would be were I sat on the plane. Customers will be more concerned about their exact position on the aircraft than actually having a confirmed booking. Trying to explain that you have to book a flight for them first before being able to choose their seat, we may as well be speaking Swahili. And to ask them to pay for them?!? It’s your own funeral.
‘But surely if you tell these companies your customers aren’t happy paying a single supplement they will change it?’
As much as we would love to have the power to slash prices, tick every box and meet every criteria, I’m afraid it just isn’t going to happen. We should take it as a compliment that our clients think we have so much influence. We are just the massagers, don’t shoot us please!
‘Will it rain in Vietnam on November?’
Enough said…
‘How much is the Pez Espada?’
Sorry what is that? A Spanish flu?
‘How much will this cruise be if I book it after I get back from my holiday?’
Now, we wish more than anyone that we were telepathic and could see into the future. Believe me, we would have made our fortunes elsewhere a good long time ago.
‘Why has there not been an arrangement made for my online check in to be done earlier?’
Personally I think I am no more important than anyone else on our beautiful planet. But some people for one reason or another, think differently. Being under the impression one of the biggest international airlines in the world would make an exception so they could check in earlier than anyone else. Put it this way, if Richard Branson only has 24 hours, so do you.
‘As repeat passengers, I think the cruise line should make an exception to their bringing on board policy’
Similar lines to the previous statement, being one of millions of passengers on cruise ships every year, your repeat custom won’t make much of a difference I’m afraid.
‘If I go to France, will I find someone who speaks English? How would I know if they speak English before asking them?’
If you need to ask this question, I wonder if you should be going at all!!
I hope this gives you some small insight into a day of a travel agent. Sometimes we scream, cry or bang our heads on our desks. Most of the time we laugh, giggle and that makes the day go a quicker. But the general public and their quirks is what makes the world go round. The customer isn’t always right but it would be a very boring world if we all thought in the same way…wouldn’t it?
travel is good for the soul 