One of the selling points of using a Travel Agent instead of booking online is that we’ll happily spend hours of our time on hold to a call centre to make any last-minute changes that may come up.
What we don’t say however is that call centres are the bane of our collective existences and can drive even the happiest, most positive Travel Agent to the brink of making the Incredible Hulk look like a kitten licking a bowl of cream.
You see, airlines and sometimes even tour companies have a knack for finding staff that lack any shred of common sense or empathy – which, annoyingly are two very important emotions that come in handy quite a bit in the travel industry.
There are a few common scenarios that pop up during these super fun interactions that have the tendency to occur on Friday afternoon while everyone else is knocking the froth off a schooner – here are a few things that they could say instead, but never do.
1 “Here’s an idea”
The term ‘outside of the box’ comes to mind, but I guess that doesn’t come up in the interview process. Experienced Travel Agents eventually learn that it’s not about seeking the right answer, rather asking the right question.
You’d be hard pressed to find a Res Agent that answers our questions with anything more than a yes or a no. Master Yoda would be proud.
2 “I’ll get my Supervisor”
I haven’t seen the inside of a call centre, but their fabled Supervisor must sit somewhere that requires nothing short of a dangerous quest to get to.
I imagine perhaps a rope bridge across a crocodile pit then maybe the need to wrestle a greased up Scottish man before climbing a thousand stairs to get the attention of the Supervisor.
Seriously guys, just put them on the phone.
3 “I’ll call you right back”
HA! The first rule of being a Travel Agent is to NEVER hang up on an airline res team until you’ve solved your problem, got it in writing, noted the consultants name, employee number and favourite colour.
Don’t expect to leave your name and number and have your call returned this century.
4 “Sure, I’ll help you decipher our phonebook of a fare sheet”
If you have a question for an airline about one of their ridiculously longwinded, contradictive fare rule sheets then you should be prepared to feel like the dumbest person on the planet.
Because after your res consultant has double checked with somebody else first they’ll make you feel like a nincompoop for not knowing the answer – because it was like, so obvious.
These people must think that Travel Agents know every airlines list of ever-changing rules off by heart.
5 “Our on-hold music was chosen with your enjoyment in mind”
Industry veterans can probably recite a dozen different airlines hold music soundtracks with ease.
These looping nuggets of audio torture have rarely changed over the last ten years and even now while I’m writing this I’ve got Thai Airlines’ classic “Nowwww you’re flyiiing high” jingle running in the back of my mind.