Developing product knowledge in the ever-growing sector is key to success, says Iain Baillie, vice-president of international sales at Carnival Cruise Line
There can be few industries where the desire and necessity for training and continual self-improvement is stronger than in travel.
Travel agents spend their days hopping from one product to the next, each just as distinctive as the other. At every step, clients expect agents to be the experts, with the information and advice needed to answer any number of enquiries. Of course, we know that developing product knowledge and becoming an expert does not come by chance.
It’s forged by a willingness to learn and – from a cruise perspective – strong and lasting relationships between agents and cruise lines. It’s a two-way street, requiring give and take on both sides. We, as cruise lines, strive to improve training modules and the ease of access to materials, while from the agent point of view, we need their support and engagement to make what we do worthwhile.
This relationship has evolved alongside the growth in the cruise sector. There are now more ships than ever, new itineraries and excursions, pricing structures, inclusions, and so on. This has brought with it new types of cruisers of differing age ranges; something we universally welcome but one that does reinforce the need for lines and agents to strive to improve the industry’s knowledge base.
Gone are the days where cruise was solely for life-long repeat customers wanting the same ship on the same itinerary.
These new customers are looking for agents’ recommendations – they want their holiday dreams to be listened to and moulded into something that is personal to them. It’s not so much ‘travel agent’ these days, but more ‘travel creator’.
Every cruise line understands this and in recent years the drive to improve training has been one of the standout industry trends. At Carnival Cruise Line, we’re no different. Hence, we recently revealed we have joined forces with Online Travel Training (OTT).
This partnership will see OTT host a comprehensive Carnival training programme, with the express aim of equipping agents with the necessary knowledge and resources to confidently book Carnival itineraries, in turn helping them to better serve their clients.
In-depth training sessions will take agents through every step of the Carnival experience, including what it’s like onboard our ships, the destinations we visit and how our itineraries are designed to appeal to a wide audience.
For us, it fits perfectly into our plan to grow our trade support, sitting alongside activities such as ship visits, regular face-to-face and virtual training sessions, trade incentives and fam trips.
Working with OTT will also boost our ability to reach and support agents who are new to selling cruise – a crucial, industry-wide task to ensure that, in time, they become tomorrow’s cruise experts.
Put simply, in today’s cruise sector, there is no substitute for comprehensive training, created with the agent in mind. When done right, it puts all of us onto the path of mutual success.