Agent Insights is all about giving YOU – the ever so good-looking travel agent – a platform from where you can share your tips, challenges and experiences working in the travel industry.
This week we speak to Sean Baldwin, an STA Travel consultant from Perth (originally from Canada) who has been in the industry for about five years.
He comes from a background in finance, but absolutely loves his job as a travel agent.
Take it away Sean…
What exactly do you do and how long have you done it?
I work for STA Travel at the UWA store in Perth. I’m originally from Canada and moved to Perth in 2010.
I have a background in finance and made the jump into the travel industry in 2011 when I decided I could get much more excited about travel than I could about superannuation!
Since then, I’ve never looked back. I absolutely love my job!
Pretend I’m a potential client for a moment. What do you do that separates you from the pack?
I always put the customer first.
Think about how gifted we are for a second – we have the privilege of being part of such a monumental moment is peoples’ lives and that’s something to truly get excited about. I always recall and harness the excitement of planning my own trips and put that into every consultation I have.
Also, I always tailor the products to the customers’ needs and wants and remember that every traveller is different.
Let’s travel back in time. What do you wish you knew back when you started working as a travel agent? And what do you think some of the common mistakes travel agents make when starting off?
Plain and simple – have passion for what you do.
If you have passion for what you do, everything else will fall in to place.
I heard something in a TED Talk by Simon Sinek that has always stuck with me – “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”
That quote has always been in the forefront of my mind throughout my career in the travel industry.
Have you ever managed to turn a customer complaint into something positive? If so, how did you do it?
Honestly, I’ve been lucky enough that I haven’t had to deal with too many complaints throughout my career.
However, as we all know, when we are booking products and services on behalf of third party supplies, we sometimes have little control over how those services are preformed.
There was one case a couple years ago when I booked an elderly couple a round-the-world-trip. During one of their flights, they were unhappy about how they were treated by some of the cabin crew. He brought his concerns to my attention and I sided with the gentleman and showed empathy towards his situation. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t want to be treated the way he was either! I fed his concerns back to our head office and the relevant airline involved in hope that this wouldn’t happen again in the future for other passengers. The gentleman was very grateful for my efforts and has since booked a couple more trips through me.
What are your biggest challenges at the moment?
The biggest challenge that anyone who wants to be successful in the travel industry faces is keeping up with how quickly the industry evolves and develops.
We all know that things can change on a weekly or even daily basis, so it’s so incredibly important to be kept up to speed with these movements so you don’t get left behind.
What are you doing to turn that around?
The most important way to spot the travel trends is to have instant access to information.
As a company, STA Travel has actually developed a social media platform that connects the company together.
STA Travel has over 200 stores in 48 countries and these platforms have made a seemingly large company feel so much smaller since information can now flow freely and seamlessly between all of the divisions.
These platforms also allow us to tap into the minds of thousands of other travel professionals so it really is such an incredible tool.
Ok, last but not least: how do you see the industry evolving in 2016?
In the short term, it’s pretty clear that travel is going to be cheaper than ever before due to the global decline in fuel prices.
In the long term, the travel industry’s evolution will be completely dependent on the needs and wants of millennials.
Historically, travelling was something you would do only if you had the disposable income to do so.
Today, travelling is almost a right of passage. Travelling the world and soul searching has started to become the social norm after graduating high school or university.
Students and youth are also starting to realise how competitive the job market is and that simply having a degree under your belt isn’t enough any more. Employers are looking for candidates who are worldly, cultured and well-travelled.
Also, the world has become more connected than ever before which has made travel much more tangible and accessible. Since milleannials have grown up with a dependency on the internet, this trend will really shape the direction of the travel industry.
Thanks Sean. Where can people find you if they’d like to make contact?
I work at STA Travel at the UWA store in Perth and can be reached on (08) 6488 2302 or sean.baldwin@statravel.com. Looking forward to hearing from you!
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Have you read the story of how Sean saved the day for one of his clients in Travel Agent to the Rescue?
Also, check out other Agent Insights interviews with Peter Fiske from Clayfield Travel, Lorie Raymundo from Travel Counsellors, and Ez Yiap from Student Flights.
*If you’d like to be featured on Agent Insights, email me at shaun@karryon.com.au – I’d be happy to interview you!
