WHAT DO YOU WANT?

What does the business traveler want from a travel agent? Visionistics, a Vancouver consulting firm surveyed 1000 travel agency customers to find out. “The top three reasons…clients bought from a travel agent are that they liked the person they spoke to, they trusted the person they spoke to, and were offered alternatives they hadn’t thought of.” This survey related specifically to leisure clients, but I think the same three factors apply to corporate travel.



Business travelers definitely value a close, long-standing relationship with their agent. (The mega-agencies that force their clients to deal with a “team” of rotating agents forget this.)



Secondly, business travelers need to have a high level of trust in their agent. Just as you would not want that all-important vacation blown by bad advice or carelessness, the businessperson wants the assurance that they will make that appointment on time, the meeting room will be booked properly, and all of the details of the trip will fall into place neatly and as expected. Similarly, the owner/manager needs to trust that the travel agency will always be looking after his/her interests.



Finally, business travelers want choices—both to save money and to find improvements in their schedules. Just because, say, United Airlines is the traveler’s preferred airline, it doesn’t mean they don’t want to hear about a faster, more direct route on Northwest. On the other hand, the busy traveler usually is not looking to be bombarded with information the way it is often dished out on the Internet. This is where relationships, trust, and choice coalesce. A good travel agent who knows the client well, a client who trusts the agent’s judgment, and skill make a winning combination.



What Do We Think?

We polled our own agents to see what they think makes a good corporate travel agent. Here are some of their answers:

“A good agent has experience with airline routings and can pinpoint the best hotels closest to the client’s destination, all with the view of saving the customer money.”



“A good corporate agent understands loyalty and frequent-flyer programs. He knows how important these are to clients, and can help them maximize points earnings, book free trips, and secure frequent-flyer upgrades.”



“Good agents maintain excellent working relationships with all important hotel chains, car rental agencies, and airlines; so when a client needs help, the agent is able to work effectively as his customer’s advocate.”



“A good agent understands complex airfares, is able to find alternative airports and routes, is aware of small regional airlines, uses the web and many other resources, and has enough experience to find creative ways to save the client both time and money.”



Conclusion:



Interestingly, customers seem to value the “soft” issues, such as trust and choice, while their agents think the technical issues are most important. Let’s leave the last word on the subject with you. Send us your comments about what makes a good corporate travel agent, or why you like your favourite agent. Simply click here and send.