Travel Agents love talking about travel; some probably a little too much! But there are a handful of things you’ll NEVER hear them utter, at least, not to the customer…
Because at the end of the day, they’re just not the complaining type, and they’re totes happy to be living the dream as agents, living a life of (free) travel and (free) booze and creating awesome memories along the way.
Well, those they can remember anyway…ha!
But if you could read their minds (and not just their body language) when they’re chatting to customers, you’ll probably see these five phrases flash across their minds…
1. I DON’T GET PAID FOR ALL OF MY TIME
Unlike most other jobs, an agent’s time isn’t always financially compensated. Yeah, that whole commission thing…
So that extra hour they have to sit at work typing up a customer’s “urgent” quote is time that doesn’t get rewarded with a $ sign, unless that customer eventually books.
But they’ll never, ever tell the client this…
2. I NEVER REALLY GET A DAY OFF
In theory, agents get a couple of days off a week to de-stress, un-wind and assume the foetal position.
Yet in reality, receiving a phone call on their day off in regards to such and such a client happens all the time, meaning they never really get to get away from work and must always be on-call to solve any issues that inevitably arise.
And again, you won’t hear them complaining to the customer about this…
3. I WAS UP UNTIL 2AM SKULLING BEERS LAST NIGHT
Work hard. Play hard. Drink LOTS of water. That’s a motto most agents live by.
But the judging eyes of society (or at least a potential client) won’t necessarily look favourably upon such an attitude to life, and so you’ll never hear them bragging/complaining about drinking until the early hours the night before.
No one wants to be told they might have a drinking problem… jokes!
4. SORRY, I NEED TO GO ON MY LUNCH BREAK NOW
Lunch isn’t a basic human right in the travel agency. It’s a luxury, a luxury that most agents never get to enjoy.
As a Travel Agent, the customer always comes first, assuming greater priority than the human body’s basic need to consume food and drink and basically satiate itself.
But a Travel Agent will always skip their lunch break in favour of a client, not that they’d ever tell them that…
5. I DON’T LIKE YOU, NOW PLEASE LEAVE!
It’s (thankfully) rare, but some people are just annoying idiots as clients, and in these cases it’s sometimes better not to even bother trying to convert the prospect into a client or continue being their Travel Agent.
But Travel Agents are way too professional to tell said person to “just go away and book somewhere else!” despite how liberating that may be. Instead, you’ll find them trying the best they can to steer the person away from the store or their inbox in the least obvious way possible.
So no, you’ll never hear an agent utter the phrase “Go away, I don’t like you!” to a prospect/client – not literally (or to their face!) anyway…