All new starters at Thomas Cook will be given a four-day residential induction at the firm’s head office in Peterborough.
The new initiative was announced at Cook’s retail conference in Paphos, Cyprus.
Director of retail and customer experience, Kathryn Darbandi, said the move is intended to instil Cook’s customer-centric approach and help new staff make more sales and increase their own commissions.
She said: “We want people to have the best possible start. We feel by giving everybody the chance to meet the key people and understand the scale of the organisation they really develop a passion.”
The first initiative of its kind in Cook’s 175-year history, the induction programme will focus on three areas: products, sales process and customer strategy.
New agents will learn how to sell holidays the Thomas Cook way, focussing on the best product for the customer, Darbandi added. And she said it also benefits existing staff by giving them a new outlook on the bigger picture of the business through the new starter’s feedback.
Inductees will listen to calls in the contact centre, meet senior management and learn about the history of the business.
“We take people on with great personalities,” Darbandi added. “But we need to give them the tools to let them do the job.
“We want them to be as competent as possible as soon as possible. We shouldn’t let people loose with customers until we have trained them properly.
“Our biggest asset at Thomas Cook is our retail estate and the people we’ve got, over 5,000 of them at nearly 800 stores. We are constantly looking to invest in and improve the offering that we give the customer.”