It’s hard to find someone who loves their job more than Thomas Cook sales consultant Gemma Cobb.
“It was something I always wanted to do,” she says. “I used to walk past the travel agency window and it looked so appealing.”
By the age of 18 Gemma had already decided it was her dream job and joined Going Places. Later, she worked for five years on the other side of the fence – as a receptionist for Warner Hotels and as an overseas rep for Club 18-30 – before returning to the job she loved. “Being a travel agent has more than lived up to my expectations,” she adds.
Now 29 and working part-time at Thomas Cook’s Fareham branch, Gemma has already proved her ability by scooping Travel Weekly’s Mystery Shopper prize in October 2010 with an exceptional 99% score.
The reviewer credited her with having “enthusiasm and desire to seal a sale” with a “standard of service that other agencies would do well to emulate”.
For Gemma, it’s all part of doing her job. “I was chuffed to bits to win Mystery Shopper and I’d like to think I am like that all the time.”
Gemma works only two days a week – on the other days she looks after three-year-old daughter Imogen – and this means she puts in maximum effort when she does work. “The days I am here I give it everything,” she says.
For Gemma, it’s all about customer satisfaction. “It’s about making their dreams come true and putting a smile on my customers’ faces,” she adds.
It’s hardly surprising Gemma has plenty of customers who insist on booking only with her, and she regularly receives thank you cards.
Already Gemma’s Mystery Shopper success has led to her being featured in the local newspaper. But being a Travel Weekly Cover Star is the icing on the cake. “It’s so nice having a makeover when you are a mum because you don’t normally get to do things like that. It made me feel like a princess!”
Gemma has plenty to look forward to. Her partner, Douglas, proposed on Christmas Day and she is planning an overseas wedding. “We’re thinking of getting married in Italy and having the honeymoon in Mauritius,” she says. “But I’d like to have another child first so it won’t be until 2013!”
About our Cover Stars sponsors
Insight Vacations, Trafalgar and Contiki provide quality worldwide escorted touring holidays for clients of any age. Family-owned and fully bonded, the One Stop Touring Shop offers 350 itineraries worldwide and some of the best commissions available.
To contact the team, call 020 7468 4335 or to order brochures visit trade-gate.co.uk