ABTA’S trade relations committee is considering mystery
shopping its tour operator members as part of an investigation into the time
agents are kept waiting on the telephone.
The move follows a recent meeting at which ABTA committee
members set out their grievances over 0870 numbers and waiting times. A survey
conducted by Travel Weekly (June 4) found agents are switch-selling to
other operator members that answer the telephone quicker.
Martin Wellings, who chaired the meeting in his role as head
of a new trade relations working party, said ABTA was now considering
canvassing members to pinpoint how widespread the problem is.
However, the six operators at the meeting also voiced their
own complaints over call delays, insisting that a third of all calls clogging
the system were availability checks that could easily be done by agents over
viewdata. Wellings said: “We realise there is a training issue for agents.
Staff should be able to use the technology available to them to cut down on
wasted calls.”