Endacott tells retailers to give clients more choice

Endacott tells retailers to give clients more choice

URBANWEB managing director Steve Endacott has warned agents to develop call centres or risk seeing their business vanish.

And he urged agents to start recognising why operators put direct booking information in brochures.

“The customer wants a choice and they want convenience. The first migration from walking into a travel agent will be to the telephone so can you blame operators for putting their call-centre number in brochures?”he said.

He said the Internet was not a real threat and called on retailers to make themselves accessible over the phone.

“Are people going to sit behind a keyboard and make a booking? Some might. But are they going to trust themselves to buy the right holiday? Who do you blame if you get it wrong? The phone is the telebooking tool of today and tomorrow.”

Endacott questioned the strength of operator brands when he told how Going Places and Lunn Poly have both reduced sales of Thomson and Airtours respectively.

Endacott: customers want choice