Agent Diary: ‘The value of the service I offer means I’m now discounting less’

Recent experience has shown me that the service we offer as agents is worth it, says The Travel Snob’s David Walker, a Not Just Travel homeworker

I’ve had a crazy couple of months of bookings. My January and February have been ahead of 2019 and 2020 levels. So things have been good.

But while I had 43 departures in February and have 36 in March, which feels pretty good for one travel agent working from home, I’m having to work harder than ever to ensure my clients receive the level of care I promise.

The main additional pain is advising clients what tests they need to take to go away.

I had 43 departures in February and have 36 in March, which feels pretty good for one travel agent working from home

Like most agents, I’m signed up to the Abta and Foreign Office updates to keep on top of all the changes. But I don’t just copy and paste the information, I make it really personal.

So it’s not just ‘children under 12 don’t need to provide proof of being fully vaccinated’, it’s ‘Billy won’t need to be vaccinated, but Julie will’. And it’s not just ‘you need to take a PCR test within 48 hours of departure’, it’s ‘you can take your PCR test from 10am on Monday’.

You can’t keep a template to send with different names or times, as rules could always change at the drop of a hat. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach.

Proof of hard work

It’s not just destinations either; you can go to Mexico without a test – but what if you’re going via the US? And some airlines insist on tests, regardless of where they’re flying.

We would usually have four touchpoints with clients before Covid, now it’s more like 10. And the more bookings, the more time it all takes.

I probably go a bit over the top on the information, but that way [my clients] know what they’re getting and know how hard I’m working

Going that bit further on service is especially worth it for customers who haven’t travelled since before the pandemic. I probably go a bit over the top on the information, but that way they know what they’re getting and know how hard I’m working.

This approach has brought me new business too. One regular who booked a group golf trip to the Algarve asked me to help him with tests. He forwarded my email to his seven friends and I’ve now had two enquiries and one booking from them. It shows I’m going beyond the service they’re used to.

Benefits of an agent

I hope it gets easier as we move forward. For a lady I’ve got going to the US for the second time since Covid, it’s simple: I can just tell her nothing’s changed. But then I spent half my weekend calling all my clients booked to Dubai to tell them they no longer needed a PCR test before they went out and bought one. I couldn’t leave it to Monday.

I’ve decided not to give testing information until a week before clients travel now, because anything could change. It’s easy enough to sort a test in that time.

I’m proud to say I’ve not had a single client denied entry, but many of them are telling me a lot of people are being turned away at the airport

I’m proud to say I’ve not had a single client denied entry, but many of them are telling me a lot of people are being turned away at the airport. I can only assume those people booked direct.

This recent experience has shown me that the service we offer as agents is worth it, so I’m discounting less.

My regular clients understand the value they get from me, that’s why they keep coming back. Let’s hope more people start to learn the benefits of booking through an agent.

Some clients take the biscuit

I had a Cape Verde enquiry from before Covid, and two weeks ago the client got back in touch. I suggested he book with Tui, which has a great hotel there. The client asked for 30 minutes to talk it over with his wife, who promptly found it cheaper online.

Fine, I can’t compete with Tui’s online price (though I can give the same price they charge in their shops and clients won’t have to wait on hold for hours to book with me). I have no reservations if people decide to book direct. But this client took the biscuit when he called me back not only to tell me he’d booked direct but also to ask me about the entry requirements for Cape Verde. He soon learnt how thin my margin would be.