Mystery Shopper was called in on agents in Slough to get some advice on a late summer holiday which involved taking a trip to Boston for a week followed by a second week in the Caribbean. Mystery Shopper wanted to check out prices of a trip that would combine the US city with a stay in Barbados. The consultant at the independent agent Trident Travel proved to be the most impressive.
*****
Each week, Mystery Shopper will be calling on agents in different areas. Stars are awarded to agents which score for:
* Agency appearance
* Product knowledge
* Staff attitude
* Brochure racking
* Sales technique
Top-scoring agency each week receives a Travel Weekly certificate of commendation
Please note that no additional information will be given about Mystery Shopper’s visits
Trident Travel, 2/10 Windsor Road, Slough
**** Winner
THIS very stylish looking agency had new looking black furniture and a wooden floor. There was also a good selection of brochures on the racks.
There were two consultants on duty and I was approached immediately by a consultant who discussed my options with me, saying it was likely that would have to get a connection to Barbados via Miami and it may be better to get a fare direct from the airlines or from a sales agent.
He said he would check out the flights from the UK-US and flights from the US to Barbados separately, and then check for an all-in fare from a carrier. He was very quick at working his way through the computer system. Eventually, he came up with an American Airlines fare from Heathrow to Boston, and Boston-Barbados flight with a stopover in New York for £730 per adult, plus £56.30 tax.
He quoted accommodation at a rate of £94 a night, after flicking through an agency folder with details on Caribbean accommodation-only. He also printed out details on the fares to Boston, excluding the Caribbean sector in case we wanted to buy them separately when we were out there.
Because it was all looking so expensive, he suggested we consider buying the package separately so that we flew back to the UK, and then went to Barbados. It was not as mad an idea as I first thought given the distance from Boston to Barbados.
* Agency appearance
* Product knowledge
* Staff attitude
* Brochure racking
Lunn Poly, 91 Queensmere, Slough
**
This corner-site branch was not in a very prominent position in the shopping centre.
The brochure racks looked patchy. There were four consultants on duty. The consultant who dealt with my query told me to leave my enquiry with her; she would check it out and call me.
I pressed for information so she checked the cost of a flight to Boston and said flights from there to Barbados would be costly. She then checked the availability in Barbados to see if there were rooms for the group – that proved to be a problem Eventually she gave us a Thomson brochure and suggested we look at other options.
* Product knowledge
* Staff attitude
Going Places, 98 High Street, Slough
*
There were two consultants on duty in this medium-sized agency.
There were no customers so I was served immediately. The consultant seemed uncertain at first and checked with a colleague who suggested we look at Virgin flights to Boston.
She took ages working through the system and eventually called the airline for a fare covering all the options.
She came up with a price of around £4,000 for all of us and wrote out the bare details on a compliment slip, without details of the airlines used. The whole procedure was slow. If I was a bona fide client, I would not have sat there for so long.
* Staff attitude
Thomas Cook, 30/31 Queensmere Centre, Slough
*
There were six consultants were on duty in this large agency.
The brochure racks looked patchy. I was served immediately by a consultant whose initial reaction was off-putting.
When I said we wanted to tag on a Caribbean trip to a holiday in Boston and needed information on fares, she said – as if this was a major stumbling block – they would have to call the airlines direct and said this would be better as I might get special offers.
I looked surprised they had no information to give me, but she repeated again it was a difficult sort of enquiry and the airlines would be best placed to help me.
* Agency appearance
Top tips for agents
Tip 1: If you haven’t got the time or inclination to deal with the enquiry yourself, don’t send the business away. Maybe a colleague could help.
Tip 2: Ensure you know how the system works. It is very frustrating for customers to have to wait while you learn your way around.
Tip 3: Telling people to leave the request with them is not very reassuring – it suggests you want them out of the shop as soon as possible.