Classic Collection Holidays has signed up to the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) as part of its drive to be “the leader in the B2B space”.
Oliver Garner, chief executive of Classic Collection Holidays and sister brand Classic Package Holidays, said: “Service, service, service – that is what underpins everything we do.”
He commented: “Our aim is to grow scalably and in a fashion that makes sure we protect underlying service. We are not going to sacrifice service for growth.
“That is why we have signed up to the Institute of Customer Service, to hold our feet to the fire on that and make sure that we don’t leave that behind as we grow.
“We believe it will also pay back because we will continue to drive repeat rates up as people see what we can do and that allow us, essentially, to grow further and invest in the future.
“Do we think we can be the leader in the B2B space? Absolutely. Across it all.”
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Si Morris-Green, agency sales and marketing director, said Classic had joined ICS at the start of 2022 and will be surveying staff and agent partners in July to find out their thoughts about the company’s service ethos.
“We believe our service is great…how do we make our service incredible and awesome? That’s why we joined the Institute of Customer Service to give us that benchmark, within our sector and outside our sector,” he said.
“What are other businesses outside our sector doing that is incredible…and bringing those aspirations to bring world-class service to Classic.”
Garner and Morris-Green agreed that people’s expectations about service and holidays have changed over the course of the pandemic and the “new norm” is different.
“The expectations when people get there [on holiday] will probably be polar opposites,” commented Garner.
“There are those who are happy to be lying on a lounger with a pina colada in their hands…then on the other side, you have got people who are going to have higher expectations because they can’t remember what it’s like to be going on holiday so their perception of that will be re-based…in their experience of travel and their relationship with who they are booking with.
“You can have the shiniest brand in the world…but if the proof is not in the pudding, then customers will vote with their feet – that is why repeat rate is so very, very important to any business.”