Travel agents are masters of many skills. From your in-depth knowledge of scheduling travel to your superb organization, the best travel agents are always working hard to provide the best travel experience to their clients. One area that cannot be overlooked when it comes to maintaining your client relationships is your customer service skills. With the popularity of those budget booking websites, it’s more important now than ever for travel agents to up their game when it comes to communicating with clients and anticipating their needs. Keep in mind these four essential tips when working with new or existing customers:
Be confident in what you do
Attitude is transferable! When you believe in what you do and have a passion for travel, that positive attitude can make you be more successful! Be confident in the services you offer to clients and your sales pitch will sound much more organic and personal. Remember, people are looking to book through someone who shares their love for travel and is passionate about making their travel experience truly memorable. Even if you aren’t meeting with a client in person, this confidence can be transferred through the phone by remembering to smile and let your excitement carry through your tone of voice.
Keep clients informed and stay organized
When you’re traveling, you want to be notified as soon as possible whenever your flight information has changed. While you can’t be available every minute of every day for your clients, be sure to monitor travel times and delays when you have a client leaving on a trip. Notify them of any changes to their travel plans as soon as you can, events that come up they may be interested in or news regarding their destination. Also, be sure to stay keep your clients’ important documents easily on hand in your office. The last thing you want it to have to dig around for a confirmation number in an emergency!
Focus on their needs
In customer service, the most important thing is figuring out what your customers need, sometimes before they know it themselves. Instead of selling a specific product or vacation package to your customers, create a list of questions to ask each client to get a better understanding of what their individual needs may be. Vacation should be sold as an experience and provide an escape from life for your customers! Being able to meet and plan for their needs beforehand helps ensure they have a stress-free vacation and keep coming back to you in the future.
Get active on social media
Social media is an essential platform for marketing and customer service for all businesses, and travel agents are no exception! Many current and potential clients will use social media to reach out to you, so be sure you’re checking regularly for messages and comments. Post content as frequently as possible to show that you are active and will respond to anyone who reaches out to you for help or questions. Learn more about setting up your agency’s Facebook business page or using Instagram to promote your business.
