How many Travel Agents does it take to save a client? One. So what happens when a whole team of Travel Agents puts the overall experience of the customer ahead of profitability?
Hint: It starts with an r and ends in an s.
What I’m alluding to here is referrals, and boy do Gil and Lisa McLachlan and the rest of the team at OVATION Travel & Cruise Planners Manly know a thing about those.
But of course that’s not why they do what they do. This team believes in always putting their customers first – as a core part of their philosophy – and they’re always willing to put on that metaphorical superhero mask and cape to save the day – eight days a week!
Let’s hear it for team OVATION Travel & Cruise Planners!
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Our helloworld Associate office in Manly is unusual in that it’s off-street, and depends entirely on referrals for growth.
After several years, this dependence has further enhanced the usual close relationships that an agency has with its clients.
Lisa McLachlan and her team love what they do and are continually going above and beyond for their customers. This particular example sums up the exceptional level of trust that exists between the team and their clients:
I was in the lift with a woman who had just exited the office. She said that they had come in to pay for a $50,000 trip to America, but had now changed their mind. When I asked why, she said that during the consultation she had advised that her husband had suffered a mild stroke so could not get insurance, but his doctor had assured them that he was ok to travel.
At this point, she said, Lisa closed the file and said to her: “Are you so confident he will be ok that you are willing to bet your house on it?” The customer decided to cancel.
There is no way that this lady was going to walk down to the next agent and book that trip. But she will definitely be back for another one, and she will tell all her friends. Trust sells.
Sacrificing margin to ensure the customer has a flawless trip has actually improved profitability: like the honeymooners who had insisted on a Canadian resort from Tripadvisor which we had urged them to avoid.
When they emailed to say they hated it and that we had been right all along, we paid $1600 to the last property on their itinerary to upgrade them to a suite.
After all, it was their honeymoon! They were so appreciative that we recently noted the arrival of the sixth generation referral that started with that couple (not six referrals in total but a six-layer pyramid of referrals starting from that one booking).
This intense focus from all the team in putting the excellence of the experience before profitability is the key driver of this energetic and profitable office.
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What a fantastic team effort guys! Kudos and keep up the great work.
In the mood for some more Travel Agent to the Rescue stories?
Then check out what Jennifer from MTA did to save the day, plus other tales of rescue, including the team at helloworld Lower Templestowe, Ben at Flight Centre, Phoebe at STA Travel, Ez at Student Flights, and Lorie at Travel Counsellors.
**Do you have any of your own stories of how you saved the day as a Travel Agent? Email shaun@karryon.com.au and I’ll give you or your team the praise you rightfully deserve.
What are your key takeaways from the folk at OVATION Travel & Cruise Planners Manly?