At KarryOn, we’re all about singing the praises of hard-working Travel Agents who deliver stellar service to their clients during the day and then moonlight as Super Heroes.
So when we found out about personal travel manager, Michelle Kingston, rescuing a client, we had to write about it!
When client Penny Sherrin ended up in the Cochin Orthopedic Hospital in Paris just three days into her twenty-four day European holiday, it was her personal travel manager Michelle Kingston that she turned to for help.
Pictured L to R: Penny Sherrin and Michelle Kingston.
Kingston’s elderly client was travelling on her own and slipped on the cobblestones outside the Louvre.
“In the emergency department waiting to be x-rayed, I phoned Michelle to let her know I was in hospital and what had happened. Michelle spoke to the Orthopedic Resident on my behalf who advised I had a fractured shoulder that required surgery.”
Penny Sherrin, client of Michelle Kingston.
Feeling alone and frightened, with the additional complication of the language barrier, Sherrin was extremely grateful for Kingston’s support and efficiency. Working late into the night Kingston communicated with the doctors, insurance company and kept family members back in Australia informed.
“Michelle went above and beyond to help me. This type of personal service is invaluable,” said Sherrin.
Personal travel tanager, Michelle Kingston, certainly delivers on the TravelManagers’ philosophy of providing personal and consistent client service.
“I love the flexibility of being a home-based consultant where I am available for my clients when it suits them, rather than the normal business hours like a traditional travel agency… For Penny to call me first after she fell, made me feel grateful that she trusted me that much to ask for assistance and that I could help as much as I could from long distance. The fact I could help Penny late at night shows how working from home really works for clients.”
Michelle Kingston, Personal Travel Manager.
Sherrin quickly discovered that her phone charger had not been delivered with her luggage so it was Kingston who again came to the rescue. Attributing TravelManagers’ technology as key to her success in servicing her clients 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Kingston used the TravelManagers PTM forum to reach out to fellow personal travel managers for help.
“I asked if anyone was in Paris or was going and could possibly go to the hotel and take Penny her phone charger so that she could keep in contact with her family. I was blown away by the comments of support I received on the post and thankfully my colleague Jeannette Dickson was flying out to Paris the following morning and was happy to assist.”
It was opportune timing for personal travel manager Jeanette Dickson, representative from Arundel also from Queensland flying to Paris the following morning and staying only one night on route to join a TravelManagers Uniworld famil.
Source: www.planetware.com
“We arrived in Paris late in the day and meet most of the famil participants at a casual dinner. It was after the dinner that I set out to walk to the hospital. I had just met personal travel manager Rosemary Kates from Wollongong, NSW and she insisted she come with me. It was such a lovely gesture and it ended up being quite an adventure so I was very grateful to have the company,” says Dickson.
The walk to the hospital with the phone charger proved challenging for Dickson and Kates.
“It was rather difficult as the hospital is located in historic buildings spread over many blocks with no one main entrance. It was trial and error entering many buildings, the majority of people didn’t speak English and security was very high due to the recent terror attacks. It wasn’t quite the simple task I thought it was going to be, taking many hours and we didn’t get back to our hotel until very, very late. Having flown in from Australia that morning it was an extremely long day. However the smile on Penny’s face when she saw us made it all worthwhile.”
For Sherrin, this experience has just reiterated the value of having her own personal travel manager.
“There was another Australian lady in hospital who also fell at the Louvre but she booked her trip herself over the internet and her husband spent a couple of days sorting out her insurance and plans, they had no assistance. She was shocked at how much my personal travel manager helped me with my arrangements and even more shocked when two personal travel managers turned up with my phone recharger. Michelle, Jeanette and Rosemary are wonderful examples of the caliber of TravelManagers. I was overwhelmed by the co-operation and support of all the personal travel managers who went out of their way to help me at a time I really needed it.”
Source: http://allaboutparis.net/
TravelManagers’ Executive General Manager Michael Gazal applauds Kingston’s initiative, which epitomizes TravelManagers’ belief in turning every single transaction into a long-term client relationship.
“Michelle’s ability to engage with her clients with such a personal approach is a real inspiration to all personal travel managers. By viewing each opportunity as a client for life, its experiences like these that prove the personal concept really works,” he says.
Gazal says Kingston, Dickson and Kates are true examples of TravelManagers family based values.
“The TravelManagers’ philosophy of personal travel managers working collectively together to support each other and foster community spirit to deliver the ultimate in client service is clearly evident.”
For Kingston, it was just another day.