Business History Books » Business Plans » POLL…..WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SERVICE A TRAVEL AGENT CAN DO FOR YOU?
POLL…..WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SERVICE A TRAVEL AGENT CAN DO FOR YOU?
Question:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I HAVE NOTICED IN HERE ON SEVERAL COMMENTS THAT MANY OF YOU ARE > > DIS-SATISFIED WITH TRAVEL AGENTS, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT FROM > > YOUR TRAVEL AGENT? WHAT DO YOU EXPECT A TRAVEL AGENT TO DO FOR > > YOU? > I enjoy looking for my own routes & hotels, but when I ask an agent to > book these for me would like that agent to use his/her expertise and > advise me of possible alternatives that I may have overlooked… for > instance if I am going to hire a car anyway, it might be better or > cheaper for me to get to Anaheim through San Diego than LAX. Also an > agent probably knows of hotel-car-fly packages that might do the same > for me, but cheaper. But they never tell me. > Also, I would like an agent with knowledge of, or contact in the place > I am going to. For instance in London crummy Edgeware Road and smart > Baker’s Street are both off "Oxford Street" and unless you know or > someone tells you, you could pick a hotel in the wrong street.(I’m > going to Paris this year – and I’m having a hard time selecting a > hotel- and no-one to ask.)So I think (as someone said) a savvy agent > can be a godsend. Though He hasn’t sent me one yet.
You probably get more responses from usenet groups. I’ve noticed a general trend with agents these days is that they don’t care to find the best and cheapest for you. They try to minimise the amount of time they spend on your booking. There’s just no incentive for them. The one’s who’ll do more for you invariably charge a lot more. — Weiyun [Remove the obvious for email replies]
Response:
>Ellen: >The profession has indeed declined some in recent years, as some of >the older veterans have gone away and the pool of potential new talent >shrinks due to the general labour shortage, as well as being scared >away by questions about the future. But there are still a good number >of us out there who are pretty darn good too! :)
Of course there are — I didn’t mean to imply that ALL TAs were inept. But I’ve only had two really excellent ones in several decades. (One retired and the other had some sort of breakdown, unfortunately.) If you know of any excellent TAs in Philadelphia, please let me know!
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Pardon me for my typo—I would not even plunge into the thought > of helping you with your travel plans. When the shoe fits the > dander can sure come to a rise. Go fix your toliet yourself. > You are the only one who could possibly do it. > Does anyone know who/what this post is replying to? > — > Weiyun > [Remove the obvious for email replies]
more to the point – does anyone CARE?
Response:
> I HAVE NOTICED IN HERE ON SEVERAL COMMENTS THAT MANY OF YOU ARE > DIS-SATISFIED WITH TRAVEL AGENTS, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT FROM > YOUR TRAVEL AGENT? WHAT DO YOU EXPECT A TRAVEL AGENT TO DO FOR > YOU?
I enjoy looking for my own routes & hotels, but when I ask an agent to book these for me would like that agent to use his/her expertise and advise me of possible alternatives that I may have overlooked… for instance if I am going to hire a car anyway, it might be better or cheaper for me to get to Anaheim through San Diego than LAX. Also an agent probably knows of hotel-car-fly packages that might do the same for me, but cheaper. But they never tell me. Also, I would like an agent with knowledge of, or contact in the place I am going to. For instance in London crummy Edgeware Road and smart Baker’s Street are both off "Oxford Street" and unless you know or someone tells you, you could pick a hotel in the wrong street.(I’m going to Paris this year – and I’m having a hard time selecting a hotel- and no-one to ask.)So I think (as someone said) a savvy agent can be a godsend. Though He hasn’t sent me one yet. All the best. Before you buy.
Response:
> >Ellen: >The profession has indeed declined some in recent years, as some of >the older veterans have gone away and the pool of potential new talent >shrinks due to the general labour shortage, as well as being scared >away by questions about the future. But there are still a good number >of us out there who are pretty darn good too! :) > Of course there are — I didn’t mean to imply that ALL TAs were inept. > But I’ve only had two really excellent ones in several decades. (One > retired and the other had some sort of breakdown, unfortunately.)
You are inviting here Ellen. Guess he/she must got driven insane by some of his/her customer. ;) — Weiyun [Remove the obvious for email replies]
Response:
> Pardon me for my typo—I would not even plunge into the thought > of helping you with your travel plans. When the shoe fits the > dander can sure come to a rise. Go fix your toliet yourself. > You are the only one who could possibly do it.
Does anyone know who/what this post is replying to? — Weiyun [Remove the obvious for email replies]
Response:
Pardon me for my typo—I would not even plunge into the thought of helping you with your travel plans. When the shoe fits the dander can sure come to a rise. Go fix your toliet yourself. You are the only one who could possibly do it. * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Hello Debs, >The responses from this group reqarding TAs should not come as >surprise to you. "Do it yourselvers" are in every occupation >and still people manage to make a living–lets say at being a >plumber. People can go to Home Depoe and buy toliets with all >of the pipes and "the works" that go with them and install it >themselves–because they know they can do it–and probably pride >themselves at their plumbing skills and their college degree >that the rich plumber doesn’t have. He tells everybody how he >could install a toliet—no need for a plumber—when in reality >he keeps the plundger handy–and keeps cleaning up his messes >without anyone knowing of his inexpertise. In the end he will >probably call the stupid rich plumber to "fix it!" People do >their own travel and they mess up. Next time they will call you- >-but this chatline—Do it yourselvers–Dont be offended.
A ‘plundger’ in the ‘toliet’? Maybe in Joliet… Before you expound on the ‘inexpertise’ of us DIYers, you might want to learn how to look a tad more professional yourself. You should have plenty of time to do this while you smugly wait for us to call you when we ‘mess up’. As you present yourself now, I personally wouldn’t trust you to get the right three-letter airport code on my ticket (and even less your buddy Debs). The more you folks write, the more oblivious and off-the-wall I realize your profession is.
Response:
Hello Debs, The responses from this group reqarding TAs should not come as surprise to you. "Do it yourselvers" are in every occupation and still people manage to make a living–lets say at being a plumber. People can go to Home Depoe and buy toliets with all of the pipes and "the works" that go with them and install it themselves–because they know they can do it–and probably pride themselves at their plumbing skills and their college degree that the rich plumber doesn’t have. He tells everybody how he could install a toliet—no need for a plumber—when in reality he keeps the plundger handy–and keeps cleaning up his messes without anyone knowing of his inexpertise. In the end he will probably call the stupid rich plumber to "fix it!" People do their own travel and they mess up. Next time they will call you- -but this chatline—Do it yourselvers–Dont be offended. Hang it there TA! Krista * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
Response:
>Well,,I can tell you are all quite nice and helpful here. I >will remember about the caps, I am new at this. Unfortunetly, >this doesn’t seem like a very forgiving crowd. >You also don’t know me or have any idea about how I work as a TA. >Oh well, who cares about all the people that "bash" you anyway, >I will stick with the ones that appreciate all my hard work and >helpfulness. We are changing into a pretty rude society and you >all prove that, I just was wondering what traveling people want >in an agent. So, EXCUSE ME.
Debs, I’m sorry you got this reaction to a perfectly simple question. But you’ve got to understand something: in this newsgroup, you’re dealing with airline people. Expecting grace and courtesy from them is like expecting efficiency from a bureaucrat. You might call this the one business where everybody’s French. Alan Gore | is like giving whiskey and car keys Software For PC’s | to teenaged boys" – P. J. O’Rourke http://www.alangore.com
Response:
> Well,,I can tell you are all quite nice and helpful here. I > will remember about the caps, I am new at this. Unfortunetly, > this doesn’t seem like a very forgiving crowd. > You also don’t know me or have any idea about how I work as a TA. > Oh well, who cares about all the people that "bash" you anyway, > I will stick with the ones that appreciate all my hard work and > helpfulness. We are changing into a pretty rude society and you > all prove that, I just was wondering what traveling people want > in an agent. So, EXCUSE ME.
One more thing. Most people on usenet dislike anything that has a commercial slant on it. This is not an advertisment board. Hope this helps too along with your new found lower case posting. — Weiyun [Remove the obvious for email replies]
Response:
>Debs, I’m sorry you got this reaction to a perfectly simple question. >But you’ve got to understand something: in this newsgroup, you’re >dealing with airline people.
Not entirely. A significant number of us have nothing to do with the airlines except for using them. Personally I have not used a TA for bookings for over 20 years. I occasionally need one to print a ticket when it’s the only way I can get it. For which they assess a $20 fee – an hourly rate of around $240. From my point of view a TA adds no value. I know what I want and how to get it, either by phone or increasingly via the web. If I were a casual/infrequent traveller, unfamiliar with the nuances and pitfalls then I probably would use one. But to answer the question, three words – get it right ! In order to do this a TA has to employ people who really know their stuff. A high school graduate who selects the first itinerary which pops up on the screen doesn’t fit this profile, but IME that’s what you get most of the time. hth Brian
Response:
> I am very satisfied with my travel agent. They have all of my frequent > flyer/hotel numbers. They know which airlines I want to use, even if it > means a connection rather than a non-stop. They know which hotels I like to > use in my routine cities. My tickets arrive next day Fedex. If there is a > convention going on and the rates are too high, they know what my preferred > back up is. If I’m on the road and have a change of plans, I call the > travel agent and the e-ticket is waiting for me at the gate. If it’s > personal travel, they make a point of finding the least expensive and > letting me make the decision of whether or not to pay more for convenience. > In short, after 14 years, they know me personally and have an extensive > record of my data, they know my travel style and the price parameters set by > the company.
Couple of points here. 1. You are lucky. 2. The company pays and it has clear parameters. You don’t care too much, you have clear parameters also and your TA knows about all of this. They probably charge a service fee or have some arrangement and everybody is OK with this. 3. Keeping the focus on Deb’s question, most folks here are quite knowledgeable about the business and on average they may well beat mediocre TA who just go thru the motion of punching things thru Sabre. 4. Most people who do their own arrangements are control freaks. Who end up scaring the shit out of their TA (or physician 
… Yes we had one who would beg my wife not to take me along. Her intimidation game would not work and that would leave her totally out of balance.) > If my personal travel involves redeeming points or miles, I do it myself > because I get a great deal of pleasure in developing and implementing my > strategy for free travel.
Which brings me back to point No. 1: in most of my trips, what I pay comes from a combination of (a) a fixed budget, (b) my own pocket, (c) especially if my wife comes along, points (also our own pocket obviously), and (e) upgrades. Sometimes this gets interesting. And I can’t imagine a TA, even a good one, put as much time, effort and imagination into this than I do. Or even daring to propose the sort of things we end up doing. Or knowing destinations as well as we do. (For instance, I doubt most TAs would be aware that a D-class class ticket from Germany to the US can cost only around 50% of a business class ticket initiating in the US. And that at that level, back-to-back is perfectly legal.) This said, I probably still do most of my business with TAs. although I do buy tickets directly from airlines, on their web site for simple tickets, and sometimes by phone, mostly because (a) they are open thru much better schedules than TAs, and (2) they get you through the whole thing right away, while most TAs take notes and call you back. They don’t have a service charge, and the airline that I love to hate has an elite line which usually answers right away. Whenever I get into a more complicated itinerary (and when going to Europe, believe me I do), then I will use my corporate TA. Which does a competent job and are usually pleasant, although I don’t recall any time when they came up with any brilliant idea. They charge me around US$20/ticket. (This is back home in Calgary.) They have an office downtown, you phone or send an e-mail, and most of the time it’s impersonal and none of them really ends up knowing you and what you really want, beyond what’s in the file. Not long ago, I got a couple of tickets paid from an account and issued by a local travel agent here (were I am temporarily). On UA. I gave them my AC FF number. Which ended up not showing up in the file. And yes, they charge a service fee. Do I care for their survival? I think not. Hotels? Most of the time, I qualify for some special price on which my TA gets no fee. Rental cars? If your TA uses Sabre or Apollo, you’ll probably get the same rates directly thru Travelocity or ITN (same with hotels, actually). Sometimes better ones, with FF discounts and the like, directly on the rental car company’s web site. And the odds are the TA will only look at one system, print you the list and ask what you like. While you will look at both, and perhaps also directly. So, yes it’s tough. Which gets us to the real question: what role is there left, if any, for TAs in the emerging business model? > I feel bad for my travel agent as I watch him getting squeezed out by the > airlines and the new economy, but there is a line where my loyalty ends. My > sense is that the smaller agencies will either die or merge to become larger > agencies, similar to the real estate agencies that band together under one > alliance, e.g., Coldwell Banker, etc. I think a breakthrough for a travel > agency would be to develop more flexible software for building an itinerary > than the cumbersome systems currently in use by the major airlines. Also, > travel agents could provide a database of subjective experiences at > individual properties rather than steering people on the basis of price > and/or commission alone.
Yes they are squeezed, mostly by the airlines. But ultimately, if the system gets more efficient, consumers will end up benefiting. Of course this will result in personal difficulties for some, even drama. But that’s not new, and there is not much we can do. Is it charity that they are asking us for? I don’t think so. So yes, in the meantime they can sell tours and cruises. To customers of a generation that’s not massively on the net. But which will disappear too. Luc
Response:
Well,,I can tell you are all quite nice and helpful here. I will remember about the caps, I am new at this. Unfortunetly, this doesn’t seem like a very forgiving crowd. You also don’t know me or have any idea about how I work as a TA. Oh well, who cares about all the people that "bash" you anyway, I will stick with the ones that appreciate all my hard work and helpfulness. We are changing into a pretty rude society and you all prove that, I just was wondering what traveling people want in an agent. So, EXCUSE ME. * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
Response:
You can do one of three things: save me time, save me money or provide me with a better result than I would achieve otherwise. Saving time means taking the time up front to really understand what I need and what I prefer, then being able to essentially read my mind for all those things when I say "I have to go to San Francisco next week." Saving money means being able to find better fares, within the airline/schedule/etc. parameters of my preferences, than I could find on my own. I will pay service fees for this, assuming they’re less than the savings. Providing a better result means finding things that I would not have found on my own and that I will be happier with than I would have been with anything I could have found on my own. If you want to make money, show customers and prospects that you can do one or more of these. Finally, stop shouting at us. Caps are the electronic equivalent of shouting. People hate to be shouted at. Turn off your Caps Lock key, pull it out and throw it away! You’re writing a newsgroup message, not a telex! Efrem – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I HAVE NOTICED IN HERE ON SEVERAL COMMENTS THAT MANY OF YOU ARE DIS-SATISFIED > WITH TRAVEL AGENTS, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT FROM YOUR TRAVEL AGENT? WHAT DO > YOU EXPECT A TRAVEL AGENT TO DO FOR YOU? ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY IN SERVICE > FEES? WHAT TURNS YOU OFF FROM USING A TRAVEL AGENT? OUR OFFICE WOULD > REALLY LIKE TO > KNOW. > THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, > DEBS > * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * > The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
Response:
I am very satisfied with my travel agent. They have all of my frequent flyer/hotel numbers. They know which airlines I want to use, even if it means a connection rather than a non-stop. They know which hotels I like to use in my routine cities. My tickets arrive next day Fedex. If there is a convention going on and the rates are too high, they know what my preferred back up is. If I’m on the road and have a change of plans, I call the travel agent and the e-ticket is waiting for me at the gate. If it’s personal travel, they make a point of finding the least expensive and letting me make the decision of whether or not to pay more for convenience. In short, after 14 years, they know me personally and have an extensive record of my data, they know my travel style and the price parameters set by the company. If my personal travel involves redeeming points or miles, I do it myself because I get a great deal of pleasure in developing and implementing my strategy for free travel. I feel bad for my travel agent as I watch him getting squeezed out by the airlines and the new economy, but there is a line where my loyalty ends. My sense is that the smaller agencies will either die or merge to become larger agencies, similar to the real estate agencies that band together under one alliance, e.g., Coldwell Banker, etc. I think a breakthrough for a travel agency would be to develop more flexible software for building an itinerary than the cumbersome systems currently in use by the major airlines. Also, travel agents could provide a database of subjective experiences at individual properties rather than steering people on the basis of price and/or commission alone.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I HAVE NOTICED IN HERE ON SEVERAL COMMENTS THAT MANY OF YOU ARE > DIS-SATISFIED WITH TRAVEL AGENTS, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT FROM > YOUR TRAVEL AGENT? WHAT DO YOU EXPECT A TRAVEL AGENT TO DO FOR > YOU?
Response:
>I HAVE NOTICED IN HERE ON SEVERAL COMMENTS THAT MANY OF YOU ARE >DIS-SATISFIED WITH TRAVEL AGENTS, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT FROM >YOUR TRAVEL AGENT?
I want this one to TURN OFF THE CAPS!
Response:
Mandatory Political Correctness Statement: I know there are lots of hard-working travel agents out there that really know their stuff, and always generate economical, right-on-target itineraries for their clients, working long hours tirelessly on each assignment. Whew. Unfortunately, all too many are like this poster, challenged to cope with the electronic environment, unfamiliar with the world of travel (and the world), struggling to make a buck selling packaged tours and simple tickets. What can you do to survive as a TA? Be smarter at better at making travel arrangements than your customers. You can do that by finding stupider customers (usenet probably isn’t the richest grounds for that kind of search) or specialize in a useful niche and get really good at it. And like everyone says, turn off those darned caps. * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
Response:
> I HAVE NOTICED IN HERE ON SEVERAL COMMENTS THAT MANY OF YOU ARE
By not typing in caps for one thing. Rich
Response:
I HAVE NOTICED IN HERE ON SEVERAL COMMENTS THAT MANY OF YOU ARE DIS-SATISFIED WITH TRAVEL AGENTS, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT FROM YOUR TRAVEL AGENT? WHAT DO YOU EXPECT A TRAVEL AGENT TO DO FOR YOU? ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY IN SERVICE FEES? WHAT TURNS YOU OFF FROM USING A TRAVEL AGENT? OUR OFFICE WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, DEBS * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
Response:
> I HAVE NOTICED IN HERE ON SEVERAL COMMENTS THAT MANY OF YOU ARE > DIS-SATISFIED WITH TRAVEL AGENTS, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT FROM > YOUR TRAVEL AGENT? WHAT DO YOU EXPECT A TRAVEL AGENT TO DO FOR > YOU? ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY IN SERVICE FEES? WHAT TURNS YOU > OFF FROM USING A TRAVEL AGENT? OUR OFFICE WOULD REALLY LIKE TO > KNOW. > THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, > DEBS
By not soliciting polls on r.t.a! — Weiyun [Remove the obvious for email replies]
Response:
Thank you for your help (NOT!) * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!
Response:
> I HAVE NOTICED IN HERE ON SEVERAL COMMENTS THAT MANY OF YOU ARE > DIS-SATISFIED WITH TRAVEL AGENTS, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT FROM > YOUR TRAVEL AGENT? WHAT DO YOU EXPECT A TRAVEL AGENT TO DO FOR > YOU? ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY IN SERVICE FEES? WHAT TURNS YOU > OFF FROM USING A TRAVEL AGENT? OUR OFFICE WOULD REALLY LIKE TO > KNOW.
NOT KNOWING HOW TO USE THE CAPS LOCK KEY? How would the service fee work? Would you pay only once the TA has found a package that your want to pay for, or is it some up-front cost before they even start looking? If the former, what would stop people using the expertise of the TA to find a good price, then nip down the road and phone order the same thing thus avoiding the service fee? The main reason I don’t use TAs for complex arrangements is I feel guilty taking up all their time when they could be selling other people package holidays in Benidorm. PAUL