SCOTTISH travel agencies need to look at new ways of trying to retain their staff in the millennium as they face increasing competition from higher paying call centres.
New SPAA president Val Foylan said its members pay an average of £7,000 annual salary to junior agency staff compared to an estimated £12,000 paid by companies with call centres in Scotland.
Thomas Cook and Travel 2 have each got call centres in Falkirk and Glasgow, respectively. “We have had a large number of national call centres set up by large retailers in Scotland and this is increasing competition for staff in agencies,” said Foylan.
“We are struggling to hang on to agents because they are switching to these call centres on better pay. It is a chicken and egg situation training young people as travel agents, yet they leave after a couple of years,” she added.
Meanwhile, she warned Scottish independent agents needed to join a consortia to survive in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
She said the new Advantage franchise operation set up with UKLG earlier this year presented both stronger marketing opportunities and better exposure nationally for the independent agent. But at present, only 15 Scottish agents have joined the organisation.