P&O Cruises is increasing agent commission by 1% from January to the end of March, which bosses say represents a “multi-million pound” investment in the trade.
Vice president of sales and marketing, Alex Delamere-White, said the bonus, taking commission rates to 8.5% for three months, was “the first time in at least five years that we have offered an all-trade level incentive in the wave period”.
He said the move had three main purposes: “to thank agents for what they’ve been through; to reward their on-going efforts; and to serve as something optimistic for them to look forward to – a brighter New Year sales period.”
Explaining the increase would mean a 15% uplift in potential earnings, he added: “We still believe that 7.5% is a competitive earning rate given the scale of P&O Cruises – one in every two ex-UK cruises taken is a P&O cruise. But this is a significant increase which covers our wave campaign and when we anticipate launching our second new ship.
“It’s been an almost impossible year for our travel agent partners but the way they have responded under the circumstances has been remarkable,” he said.
As well as the 1% bonus commission, P&O Cruises is also offering a frontline agent incentive from December 16 to the end of February. It is giving away an additional 100,000 Shine points using the Spin to Win feature on its website, with agents rewarded for every Select Price booking made.
“There will be a series of bumper bonus points on the wheel throughout wave. The bonus amounts include 1,000 points, 5,000 points and 10,000 points, with 5,000 points needed for a three-night cruise and 10,000 for a seven-night Mediterranean cruise,” explained Delamere-White, who added that getting agents to experience the product was the best way to train them.
In addition to P&O Cruises holidays, Shine points may also be redeemed on the Shine catalogue or for vouchers for high street retailers.
P&O Cruises hopes a 5% deposit offer will help encourage bookings during wave season.
Delamere-White said he was confident about the future, despite the current ban on Brits taking ocean cruises.
“We are still working closely with Clia on our return to service and there is still further work to do in that respect, but we are nevertheless feeling optimistic about the future.”
He said he was encouraged by P&O Cruises’ summer 2022 launch performance, particularly the “double-digit growth recorded from newcomers”.
“Obviously, our bookings are predominantly from past passengers, but the growth in the number of newcomers shows the confidence people have in cruising and gives me the reassurance about the long-term, and leaves me really optimistic,” he said.
Delamere-White revealed his team was launching virtual store visits to help agents prepare for wave. Agents will be able to book specific slots for advice, questions and up-to-date news from training and engagement manager Steph Adams.
She will run 15 20-minute appointments per week initially, but Delamere-White said this could increase depending on demand.
Delamere-White said P&O Cruises had now dealt with 99.9% of its “outstanding refund queries” and that it had now put new processes in place in light of the pandemic, so that call wait times were now never more than 10-15 minutes.