Naked Jacuzzi parties to welcome holidaymakers was one suggestion – another thought was having cabarets to while away airport delays?
Providing non-stop entertainment on rainy days was another possibility while on a more practical note, why not train reps in the basics of plumbing and electronics?
However wacky, unworkable or downright ludicrous the idea, staff at the Cosmos service seminar were encouraged to come out with it.
This was customer service, Chris Daffy style.
Daffy, well known to the travel industry for his motivational speeches, was drafted in by Cosmos to educate the operator on the art of customer innovation.
Cosmos service delivery director Andy Claridge said: “We know we cannot be the biggest but we want to differentiate through our service. I worked with Chris Daffy at Flying Colours and within six months the complaint levels had dropped. I want to repeat that here at Cosmos.”
Daffy, who has worked with JMC and Bolton-based St Andrews Travel, began his week-long project by advising Cosmos directors before moving on to overseas managers and reps.
“It’s all about treating customers like friends and doing something that little bit extra,” said Daffy. “It is what I call providing the wow! factor.”
Although overseas staff are at the sharp end of the industry, Daffy stressed any improvement in service delivery must start at the top.
“The problem normally lies with the management,” said Daffy. “Companies call me in to give advice but they already have what they need to improve – the staff they employ. The trouble is that they hire people who are bright, intelligent and enthusiastic but put them in a culture where they are not encouraged to develop their strengths or show any flair. The attitude and system kills it dead.”
He said bosses need to release staff and unlock their ideas and skills.
“So many companies are ‘plc-driven’ and what I hate is staff being told they are there to maximise shareholder value,” said Daffy. “Never say that to the workforce. Shareholders are for the directors to worry about, not the staff. They should be told to focus on what they do best.”
He described customer service in the travel industry as pathetic. “And it has been for years” he added. “Customers are viewed as a nuisance who get in the way. To be fair, the majority of firms are improving but very slowly.”
Daffy said companies should also stop worrying about the performance of rivals and concentrate on developing their own business.
“When Tesco stopped worrying about chasing Sainsbury and began chasing customers they trounced everyone,” he said.
Cosmos is aiming to cut complaints by 2% in the summer season and reduce compensation payouts by 15%-20% as it turns its focus on adding value to its holidays. A customer service charter will be sent out to customers with tickets from April 1.
Claridge said it wants to stop dishing out complaint forms, fix problems on the spot and create the wow! factor described by Daffy.
“If a customer books a room with a balcony but for some reason doesn’t get it, we want to offer them something in addition to just their supplement back,” said Claridge. “We want customers to come back to the UK and rave about us, not just say it was okay.”
Almost a 1,000 ideas of varying quality were suggested during Daffy’s seminar, some of which Claridge said could be acted on.
“Of course not all will work but we want to encourage staff to come up with ideas,” he said.
Customers will also be encouraged to come up with suggestions.
“We want customers to tell us where they think we are falling down, why, and how we can improve,” he said.
Holidaymakers will be invited to meetings in resort while customers will also be contacted back in the UK to update them on initiatives they have suggested.
“This culture will run from the top of the company to the bottom,” said Claridge. “No-one will be in ivory towers.”
TABLE: Think tank: Claridge, above, said Cosmos could act on some of a 1,000 suggestions they received