Juliet Dennis speaks to the Tipto Independent Agency of the Year’s general manager
Q. What does it mean to be the current Tipto Independent Agency of the Year at the Agent Achievement Awards?
A.It was really nice to receive this award last year; it’s recognition of all the hard work we put in. Tipto asked for submissions so I put one together based on what the team does and what they have achieved over the year, what we do for clients, how we look for sustainable options, how our customer service is measured and our training.
It was hard work doing the submission, there’s lots to include, but you also get to see everything you have done during the year. We don’t do these things to win awards, we do them because it helps our customers and helps us to grow our business, and we get to meet suppliers. But at the same time, winning awards does give the business a boost. It’s nice for the team; it means the dedication and hard work was worth it.
We don’t do these things to win awards, we do them because it helps our customers and helps us to grow our business, and we get to meet suppliers
Q. How useful do you find training roadshows with suppliers?
A. We know how important it is to support training events. The first thing I talk to my staff about when they join is training. Last summer, Tipto had a roadshow in Gloucester, not long after I had opened my shop in Malvern. The team were all new to travel, so I took them along to meet suppliers; it’s a quick and easy way for them to learn. We did the speed dating and we sat with Abercrombie & Kent.
Within a week, one of my team had made an £18,000 Croatia booking, having found out about the product and service at the roadshow. She saw what the operator did and what they offered and then relayed that to the client. The agent was completely new to travel and didn’t know Abercrombie & Kent at all before doing this booking.
We did the speed dating and we sat with Abercrombie & Kent. Within a week, one of my team had made an £18,000 Croatia booking
Q. You opened a second shop last year in Malvern. How’s it doing?
A. It’s going great; it had a good January. I think it will be a little gold mine. The staff are under the guidance of the deputy shop manager and are all coming along nicely. I feel I’ve been lucky with staff, they are passionate about travel. You don’t know how things are going to work out, but you need to put in the time and energy.
In our Malvern store, we are selling more river cruises and high‑end, bigger-value bookings. In our Worcester store, we get a lot more footfall and more varied business. We could be doing a Jet2holidays booking to Tenerife, then get a walk-in client who books a £12,000 holiday to Japan and someone else looking for a lodge in Pembrokeshire.
For me the most important thing is building a brand that people can trust and developing a solid base that we can build on as a business
Q. Will you expand further?
A. I think future expansion will be something we look at. We will maybe give it another year or so and see how the two shops are doing and then look at expanding. You never know what opportunities there will be. Even though it’s only 10 miles from Worcester to Malvern, the shops have very different client bases. I am already starting to think about our customers and I will look at that if we expand further. For me the most important thing is building a brand that people can trust and developing a solid base that we can build on as a business.
When suppliers come in the door, we ask them what they are doing for sustainability and what the hotels they offer are doing
Q. Your agency is known for pushing the sustainable agenda – how do you do that?
A. If we are doing a quote for a client we will try to include at least one sustainable option. When suppliers come in the door, we ask them what they are doing for sustainability and what the hotels they offer are doing. We can then tell clients. We will recommend products because of their sustainability credentials.
We see it being asked about when clients book honeymoons or safaris. I have found older customers are starting to ask about rail trips to Europe because it’s sustainable. It’s interesting to hear different age groups bringing it up but I don’t think it’s at the top of most clients’ agendas. It’s really important to educate clients. If we don’t, we will not have a world to travel to.
What are some of the big issues facing agents currently?
The biggest issue is price, particularly online, but it’s not something we can control. We are starting to train staff on what to do if they cannot match clients’ requirements on price. For example, we might offer them a ‘wildcard’ – a holiday they might never have thought of. It’s like if you go to a supermarket to buy ingredients for spaghetti bolognese and you buy something else instead because it’s on offer. In the last six months we have also started to see things flip, with people saying, ‘I can do this cheaper’ [book the holiday themselves].
We had a successful year last year, but now there are no Covid travel restrictions people are thinking that booking online themselves will be fine. But there will always be issues that arise and we try to sell the benefits of why it is better to book through a travel agent. During Covid, if I had a pound for every person who came in the door and said they’d booked online and didn’t know what to do, I’d be very rich.