Telling customers about safety issues will boost their trust in you, says Nikki White, Abta’s director of destinations and sustainability
Every year Abta sends over 1,500 operational bulletins to members, telling travel companies about developing situations across the world and changes to Foreign Office (FCO) travel advice.
As many of you will know, FCO updates cover a wide range of topics, from restrictions on travel to a change to rules around driving in a particular country. As an industry, our operations depend on much of the advice, including whether companies choose to offer holidays to certain destinations.
Similarly, developing situations, such as the diplomatic tensions between the UK and Russia in the wake of the Salisbury nerve gas incident and the air strikes on Syria earlier this year, remind us that anything can happen anywhere, and we need to be ready to respond.
A big part of Abta’s role is to keep members abreast of developing issues and to work closely with destinations, the FCO and members on matters of importance. But what about the customer? How aware are they of the FCO’s advice? And how much do they know about the places they are visiting?
Raise awareness
Recent figures from the FCO, as part of its local laws and customs campaign, suggest there are still many people who aren’t checking this information before booking and travelling; indeed, fewer than two-fifths of young people (38%) currently do so. Each year Abta works with the FCO to try to raise consumer awareness of the importance of checking this advice, and we will be working with them again next month.
But there is also a role for travel companies to make customers aware of the advice – whether that’s about vaccinations, visa requirements, health matters or security. If customers don’t ask, then staff need to raise these issues.
This is all part of good service – and also demonstrates the value of booking with a trusted travel provider: an expert who call tell you all you need to know about the place you wish to visit.
When the topic turns to safety and security, finding the right time to raise this and the right words to use can be more difficult. But it is important we don’t shy away from these conversations. In fact, you could say that the more difficult the conversation, the more important it is to have it.
Take our training
Abta is supporting its members to make customers aware of the FCO advice with online training, launched this year.
The training is particularly relevant for frontline staff. Much of it is based on real-life examples of conversations or exchanges staff have had with customers around FCO advice on issues such as safety and security.
It takes less than 10 minutes to complete and we’ve had great feedback so far, with staff saying they feel more much confident about talking about FCO advice, and in particular, answering the difficult questions.
As we head into late booking season, now is the perfect time for members to do this training and increase their efforts to make customers aware of FCO advice. Not only will this go a long way to increasing customers’ confidence and helping people enjoy their holiday, it will also build on the trust they have in their travel company.