In the face of an increasingly discerning clientele, Asian outbound agencies reveal how they have upped their service levels this year and the rewards they received in return
Guldeep Singh Sahni
Managing director,
Weldon Tours & Travels
How have you improved service levels this year?
We made it mandatory for staff to undergo training by completing various specialisation programs.
Next, we have a new system in place where we designated a specific person to handle a specific job based on their expertise. This way, every service is taken care of by a specialist who will maintain a high standard of customer satisfaction for that particular service.
We have also raised the service levels with our overseas handling agents. We are now dealing with their transportation departments and reservations directly. We have also made it point to call our clients regularly while they are on tour to check how things are going for them.
What has been the biggest reward as a result?
One of our clients came to our office with his family, with a large bouquet and a bottle of champagne to thank us for the initial suggestions that we made and the level of service that he received during the tour. He also made sure to specially thank one of the staff who directly handled his booking.
An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
A client staying in a private villa shared that he is fond of Harley bikes and wanted us to arrange one for him during his stay. We managed to provide a brand-new Harley which obviously excited him to the hilt. – Rohit Kaul
Desmond Lee
Group managing director,
Apple Vacations & Conventions
How have you improved service levels this year?
The company provided a lot of in-house training to frontline staff on personal conduct, how to treat and pamper guests, and how to communicate.
What has been the biggest reward as a result?
Positive feedback from clients. Some who have been impressed by our services have also recommended us to their friends, and this has resulted in increased sales.
It is very noticeable this year as the outbound market is soft, yet Malaysians are still willing to spend on travel. They came to us because they wanted to be served by consultants with good product knowledge.
An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
A client who told us he didn’t eat beef insisted he wanted to try Kobe beef in Japan. He changed his mind all of a sudden at the restaurant, after the guide described the meat as “the best beef” in the world.
On top of this, the client wanted the beef to be complimentary. This client was earlier made aware by the guide that Kobe beef had to be pre-ordered and clients had to pay for the dish.– S Puvaneswary
Suresh Mendis
CEO,
Classic Travel
How have you improved service levels this year?
We have developed a unique CRM programme which highlights clients’ requirements, and their visa and passport expiry date in advance. With this new tool, we are able to remind and assist our clientele in obtaining the necessary travel documents without creating any inconvenience to them at the last moment. In addition, we do online check-in for all clients so that they are aware of the seating and meal preferences in advance.
What has been the biggest reward as a result?
As a company that specialises in corporate and leisure travel, our commitment in continuously improving our products and services has made us a leader in the travel arena.
An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
Customers expect almost the impossible from travel agents when it comes to visa assistance. We encounter this mostly when it handling incentive tour groups to varied destinations.
We are first put under immense pressure by the airlines who want us to ticket the clients before the deadline for seat cancellation. Depending on the group size, some ticketing time limits are set one month before the group departure.Simultaneously, we struggle with the corresponding embassy to get visas issued on time.
When these two overlap, which happens pretty often, we are left with no choice but to issue the tickets and pay for ground arrangements, without any guarantee of the visas being granted.
In such instances, we tend to incur huge losses when visas are delayed or rejected due to various reasons beyond our control. – Feizal Samath
Yusuke Asami
Manager, travel marketing &
strategy department,
JTB Corp
How have you improved service levels this year?
Last year, we introduced six promises within our Ace JTB brand, which is aimed at higher-end customers, and we’re seeing the pay-off now.
Some promises we make to our clients include putting them in accommodation with a satisfaction rate higher than 80 per cent from previous guests and that they will have plenty of relaxation space; ensuring that the room they stay in will have a good view; and making sure that the photos of the meals in our brochures are identical to the ones served. Not all travel companies make that type of commitment.
What has been the biggest reward as a result?
(Customers) who have gone on our Super View of the World trips telling us that they want to go on another one.
We have selected 100 destinations – such as the Italian island of Lampedusa, Machu Picchu or Victoria Falls – that are not easy to get to but have great views. Not all these places are famous, so we are also trying to introduce new destinations to Japanese travellers and generate new demand.
An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
I can’t think of anything for outbound tourist, but we do have misunderstandings sometimes with visitors coming to Japan from abroad.
For example, when we have pictures of women in onsens, they have a towel around them. We have to do that because we can’t use pictures of naked women. But sometimes, our foreign guests think that is how they are meant to bathe. It causes confusion, especially if they are sharing a bath with Japanese people who consider it to be bad manners. – Julian Ryall
Clifford Neo
Managing director,
Dynasty Travel
How have you improved service levels this year?
Continuously improving our customer experience is a key driver of long-term customer loyalty, and our travel consultants can now provide travel consultancy at the customer’s place of convenience – be it at their home, café or golf course by using Dynasty Travel’s sole proprietary software iPad mini Tourix booking system.
What has been the biggest reward as a result?
A group of VIP guests joined us on our inaugural Signature Series tour programme in Greece, which included luxurious hotel stays and visits to Michelin-star restaurants.
Their valuable feedback said it all: “The tour itineraries were well-planned and the pace allowed us to cover many places of interest without feeling rushed; all we needed to do was to focus on enjoying ourselves because the details were all well taken care of.”
An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
A female traveller who expected our tour manager to provide freshly squeezed orange juice every morning. However, we had tried to provide whenever possible and thus she is still a strong supporter of Dynasty Travel. – Paige Lee Pei Qi
Anthony Akili
CEO,
Smailing Tour
How have you improved service levels this year?
We have structured a Service Level Agreement with our clients and the implementation is monitored monthly by a third-party auditor. The feedback is taken seriously and implemented immediately.
What has been the biggest reward as a result?
We have managed to achieve a very good client retention level of more than 90 per cent.
An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
Nothing in particular. Each client is unique and they have different needs and expectations. We have a pre-engagement meeting before bringing clients on board. This meeting is to understand the scope of work, expectations, and terms and conditions. From there, we decide on the team structure, business process and monitoring system to avoid complaints and unreasonable expectations. – Mimi Hudoyo
Ronnie Ho
Chairman,
Jetour Holding
How have you improved service levels this year?
We provide individual headsets to customers and free Wi-Fi service for specific tours. We have launched new products like overseas wedding trips and a new South America tour themed The Sky of Mirror at Bolivia. We have also set up a new event and travel management team, and also collaborated with local artists to adapt their art pieces into Jetour gift items.
What has been the biggest reward as a result?
The South America tour was a key success – our bookings achieved a record high after the tour was launched in June. Moreover, our brand received massive media coverage in magazines and newspapers. We won two categories – My Favourite Tour of Europe and My Favourite Tour of South America – at the U Magazine Travel Awards 2015.
An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
Customers are more demanding but not unreasonable. We adopt a proactive approach to enhance our service in anticipation of the consumer’s needs. So far, customer feedback is very positive and shows that it can definitely enrich the travel experience. – Prudence Lui
Sue Badyari
CEO,
World Expeditions
How have you improved service levels this year?
As an adventure travel company, we have to be responsive to changing conditions in the regions we travel to, but this was taken to a whole new level following the Nepal earthquake. We have responded to an overwhelming number of calls and emails from past clients who wanted to provide practical help by releasing a new suite of Rebuild trips within months of the disaster.
What has been the biggest reward as a result?
The success of the Nepal Rebuild projects is the achievement we’re proudest of this year. Besides a family trip and a trekking trip, we also have a number of confirmed school groups participating in the rebuilding effort.
An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
We had 170 people travelling with us in Nepal at the time of the earthquakes, and almost all were understanding and sympathetic to the situation as we worked to minimise disruptions for everyone. We had one client, however, who demanded to be airlifted out of the country immediately. – Rebecca Elliot
This article was first published in TTG Asia, December 11, 2015 issue, on page 10. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.
Additional reporting from S Puvaneswary, Feizal Samath, Julian Ryall, Paige Lee Pei Qi, Mimi Hudoyo, Prudence Lui and Rebecca Elliot
