Barrhead Travel’s Jacqueline Dobson shares her experiences of going back to the floor in the agency chain’s Livingstone branch
I like to think that much of my leadership style has been formed by my varied career in retail travel. Starting as an apprentice travel agent and working my way up through various sales roles before progressing to management is something I’m very proud of.
I’ve always strived to strategise from a place of personal experience and believe that having hands-on knowledge is the most powerful tool that a leader can have in their armoury.
With that in mind, I was thrilled at the prospect of our ‘Back to the Floor’ day at Barrhead Travel. Those who know me will be aware of my competitive streak and, as a salesperson at heart, I was very excited to be back in the midst of a payday target chase.
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Nicki Tempest-Mitchell, our sales and marketing director, sent me straight in at the deep end and assigned me to one of our highest-footfall stores, Livingston, where I spent one of the busiest Saturdays I can ever remember in travel. Here are five of my key takeaways from the experience:
1: A good travel agent is gold:
Those working in travel are incredibly passionate about what they do. I’m forever shouting about the expertise of our people, but I was reminded during my time in branch just how highly skilled a role it is. Notwithstanding the constant navigation of the changing travel landscape, being a travel agent requires incredible levels of up-to-date knowledge and customer service skills. Our agents skilfully acclimatise to new and differing requests coming through the door and are worth their weight in gold. This really is a career to be celebrated.
2: Online is still driving customer research:
The research continues to point to the importance that online plays in the travel booking experience. It was interesting to see this unfold. I positioned myself on meet-and-greet duties so I could chat with customers. Most had spent a considerable amount of time online – reading articles or browsing social feeds. Despite this, they didn’t want to compromise on the booking process, preferring the comfort of speaking to someone in person to help make that final decision and ensure financial protection.
3: There’s no time like the present:
That’s the sentiment we’re getting from customers at the moment – there is a real sense of immediacy and assertiveness when it comes to holiday bookings. With the challenges in the economy, I know many industry leaders were acknowledging the possibility that there could be longer leads on conversion as people finalised decisions on what, for most, is one of their biggest annual expenses. That’s not the case, certainly not this January. Consumers are clear in their intentions that holidays will be bottom of the list when it comes to making sacrifices this year.
4: The return of the brochure:
The slowdown of the brochure was a byproduct of both the pandemic and of travel brands aiming to reduce paper waste. However, it was curious to notice that demand for brochures seems to be on the rise. We have conducted an exercise over the last year to help reduce excess paper and streamline content by branch demographic, but in our Livingstone store it felt like the brochure had made a comeback – perhaps helping to feed the wanderlust we all still feel after the pandemic.
5: Team spirit is everything:
I get feedback daily from our stores, including anecdotes about helping each other achieve success. It’s one thing knowing that morale is high in store but another thing seeing it. I just loved witnessing the energy from the team and seeing how close-knit colleagues are. I believe that team spirit is one of the most compelling aspects of working in retail. Being among people who take the highs and the lows together is the key ingredient to a successful branch.
Being back in the retail environment was one of the most beneficial days I’ve had this year and I fully intend to return at least once per quarter.
My final learning? To invest in a comfier pair of shoes! Nine hours and 15,000 steps on a busy retail day is no mean feat for someone now used to office life. I’ll be back with flat shoes next time . . .
More: Barrhead eyes growth as details of new flagship store revealed
Barrhead Travel bullish about 2023 as it reports high levels of new clients