Mystery Shopper: Worcester travel agents sell Las Vegas

This week, Mystery Shopper was seeking a short, fun-filled trip for themselves and three close friends to celebrate their 30th birthday. Mystery Shopper wanted a bargain and wanted to be in the centre of the action.

Product knowledge was thin on the ground this week and, in the case of The Co-operative, so was interest in the customers’ requirements. So much so that Mystery Shopper felt the agents were unfriendly and disinterested.

In contrast, the winner and runner up demonstrated plenty of enthusiasm and expertise.

The target: Worcester, Worcestershire
Wanted: A good value trip to Las Vegas for a group of three friends

The Co-operative Travel

Unit 1A City Arcade, High Street, Worcester
Score: 46%

The agency broke one of Mystery Shopper’s cardinal rules: none of the five agents acknowledged the customer on arrival despite there being no other clients in the shop.

When the customer was approached, the agent failed to raise the question of budgets, preferred airports, and activities. Even the dates and duration of the trip were not requested.

The agent mentioned they were due to visit the destination later in the year themselves, but clearly had not bothered to do their homework as their product knowledge was sketchy.

Most damning of all was none of the agents were friendly and in fact seemed disinterested.

Although the agent asked when Mystery Shopper would be looking to book they failed to attempt to close the sale and instead simply left it to Mystery Shopper to contact the agency again.

Thomas Cook

26 High Street, Worcester
Score: 74%

Although cluttered, the shop window and brochure displays were bright, colourful and attractive and Mystery Shopper was acknowledged within a minute of entering the agency.

The consultant did all the right things in terms of asking for travel dates, length of stay, preferred airports, number of people travelling and budget.

A suitable package was found and a price was quoted but a brochure was not offered for the customer to take away, although it was explained the offer was only available for a few days and Mystery Shopper was invited to return to the agency or book over the phone.

The agent was patient and took a lot of time over the consultation, but the time was not used efficiently and only limited information was provided.

First Choice

70 Broad Street, Worcester
Score: 83%

The exterior of the agency was in need of a facelift but the window display, although cluttered and disorganised, was fairly eye catching.

Mystery Shopper was greeted promptly by an agent with an open and friendly manner whose enthusiasm for the job shined through.

Dates and hotel preferences were discussed, as were the customer’s budget, possible excursions and insurance. 

The agent also determined whether the customer would be booking that day – when the agent found out they would not their attitude did not change, in fact they promised to continue researching for them.  Mystery shopper was given a business card was asked for their contact details.

The agent brought the holiday to life and their enthusiasm really was infectious. Mystery Shopper left the agency feeling their enquiry had really mattered.

Thomson

23 Chapel Walk, Worcester
Score: 88%

It was a positive experience from the word go: the agent stood up and walked towards Mystery Shopper to ask if they needed any help, made eye contact, smiled and used appropriate body language.

The agent had a fair amount of product knowledge but their colleague had more and so they pooled their resources to offer the best service.

A suitable package was found and the customer was given a quote. It was made clear that even though the customer did not intend booking that day they would be welcome back in the agency at any time.

Mystery Shopper’s conclusion was that this was a sincere and warm agent who patiently worked through the all the options. They were knowledgeable and worked on their own initiative to provide extra information to add value to the consultation.

Did this week’s agents really deliver what Mystery Shopper wanted? Go to the Community Editor’s Blog or discuss it in the travelhub forums

Tips

1. Las Vegas is a popular destination all year but for some it may be wise to avoid the summer months of June and July when temperatures are over 100 degrees F – in 2005 it hit 117 degrees F. The cheapest time to travel is after Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
   
2. The city is great for shopping – it has lower taxes than New York and a massive selection of boutiques, making it an ideal destination for a group of friends on a short break.
   
3. A new hotspot to look out for is MGM/Mirage’s £3.5 billion CityCenter Las Vegas between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo. It features a 4,000-room, 60-storey casino/resort which includes the 400-room Mandarin Oriental Hotel, a Harmon hotel with the same capacity, and 5,000sq ft of retail/entertainment space. 
   
4. Las Vegas nightlife is a big attraction. Agents can book all the top Vegas shows, as well as add-on tours and activities, through Keith Prowse Attraction Tickets.
   
5. To get more product knowledge about Las Vegas, including reviews from fellow travel agents, subscribe to Gazetteers.