Customers wouldn’t make a Woolworths employee, a car sales man or a real estate agent wait while they searched for a cheaper deal right in front of them!
But for some reason, they’re more than happy to do it to Travel Agents.
While there’s nothing wrong with searching the market for deals, there’s a time and place to do it and that’s generally NOT when they’re sitting in the travel agency.
It’s annoying, belittling and extremely disrespectful to the consultant.
One frustrated Travel Agent had just about enough of that behaviour, so-much-so that he took to Facebook to share a mock-video with a fake client, Mrs Winter-Bottom, on how he handles these clients.
Despite the funny nature of the clip, there are actually a few solid tips to dealing with the iPad-carrying client:
1. Be patient
Let them do their 20-minute comparisons and calculations because in the end you’re either bound to have the cheaper deal (especially if you’re putting together a large itinerary) or the couple of extra dollars spent booking with you equals security and friendly service throughout the entire journey.
2. Distract yourself
We’re not saying play with your ingrown toe nails, but it’ll help you keep calm and feel less offended if you distract yourself by working on something else or reading something useful on the internet, such as KARRYON ;).
3. Remain professional
If their calculation does come back slightly cheaper, then calmly remind them of why they came to a Travel Agent to begin with – to take away the stress of organising a trip alone, having someone to assist them throughout the journey and receiving little touches along the way that only a consultant can provide.
4. Charge them the service fee
Sebastian ran out of time but I’m sure if his video went a little longer, he’d have charged Mrs Winter-Bottom for the time he spent putting together the quote. If you mention the service fee upfront, it might even deter them if they’re the type of traveller who’ll book online anyway.
Check out the full video on Sebastian’s Travel Agent Dairies below:
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