Agent Diary: It’s disheartening to send customers to the airport to find a soulless place run by computers

Technology has its uses but we’re committed to putting the human touch back into booking holidays, says Arundel Travel director Helen Parry.

In January, we welcomed lots of new customers and regular bookers and helped them beat the winter blues by adding a week or two of sunshine into their diaries.

It’s been fabulous to see so many faces come into the shop, to stick the kettle on for them and to natter about family, interests and holidays.

This is what we are all about: inspiring our customers, offering advice and getting giddy about what is potentially their biggest and most exciting purchase of the year.

We don’t just ‘smash out’ enquiries and we don’t just scroll down the screen picking out any old hotel

We invest an enormous amount of time in making sure the holidays that people entrust us to find tick all the right boxes. We don’t just ‘smash out’ enquiries and we don’t just scroll down the screen picking out any old hotel; instead, we use our knowledge to explain to our customers why we think a particular holiday is perfect for them.

Ultimately, it’s not about rushing but about getting it right. We may not be the quickest at turning enquiries around, but our conversion rates are high and I like to think the holidays we find are pretty perfect.

Soulless travel

I imagine I’m painting a familiar picture here, and I’m sure what I’m about to say will also ring true with a lot of you. Who else finds it disheartening that we put in all that work for our customers and send them off to the airport with smiles on their faces and passports in hand, only for them to find a soulless place seemingly run by computers?

As technology takes over, gone are the days when we would expect to find a lovely check-in team asking where we’re off to and if we’re excited.

Instead, we now have to tag and check our bags in ourselves, with just one poor soul looking after countless bag drop machines, surrounded by stressed people who aren’t sure what they’re doing.

I find it sad and worrying that technology is taking over at such pace, and that communication skills and communities are fading away

Then it’s through security and to the shops to stock up on a few holiday essentials and perhaps some nail varnish to make our toes look fabulous on the beach. But yet again we’re met just by the sound of beeping at the self-checkouts and nobody to share our excitement and wish us a happy holiday!

Everything is so transactional these days; I find it sad and worrying that technology is taking over at such pace, and that communication skills and communities are fading away as cost-saving measures and speed are increasingly prioritised.

Inspirational advice

In my previous piece, I wrote about how I was taking my business back to my initial vision of how Arundel Travel should be. I am thankful we have reminded ourselves about the promises we made to our customers five years ago, to ensure we give our time and service back to the community that invested in us.

We will use technology as a tool to enhance our customers’ experiences where necessary, but they will never be greeted in store by an artificial friend

Chatting, inspiring and putting the excitement into booking a holiday is what our team does best, and I will happily pay their wages to do this because everything else then looks after itself.

We will move with the times and use technology as a tool to enhance our customers’ experiences where necessary, but they will never be greeted in store by an artificial friend. They may need to watch their feet, though, as I can’t promise there won’t be a robot vacuum cleaner scooting around the place.

Make time for your trade reps

We love our trade reps and it’s been great to see so many of them recently and to chat to them on the phone. It’s a whirlwind time right now and I’m always grateful to spend five minutes with a smiley face as they pull me out of the fog and update me on products, incentives and destinations. It’s great to know that you have a contact if you need one.

I was regional sales manager for Jet2holidays before opening Arundel Travel and loved it, but it can be tough, especially at this time of the year when it’s cold and dark and everyone’s a little stressed. If you can, find some time for them. Make them a hot drink and take in what they have to say. There might just be a snippet of information that helps inspire an amazing booking.