Day in the life of a Travel Consultant
Ever wondered what your day would look like if you were an international travel consultant? There’s no such thing as a ‘normal’ day at Flight Centre, but here is one example of a working day from one of our staff members...
8:30am - 9:00am: Team Meeting - Every morning prior to opening the shop doors you’ll sit down with your team to focus on both team and individual goals as well share relevant information and successes. Now its time to open the doors!
9:00am - 10:00am: Our recent television ad highlighting specials to Europe has attracted a lot of attention and the phone is ringing off the hook! Mr and Mrs McDonald need to fly to their son's graduation in London and also need accommodation, car hire and travel protection cover. After extensive consultation with the McDonald’s family they are now ready to book an amazing holiday thanks to your recommendations!
10:00am - 10:30am: A repeat customer of your colleagues walks in - but today is their day off. You inform Mrs Connor that you would be more than happy to look after her today. She has already booked and paid for business class seats to New York with a hotel for herself and her husband but would now like to change her departure date. You bring up her booking in the system and take a quick look at availability of seats. She’s in luck – seats are available! You make a quick phone call to the airline to confirm if any date change fees will occur.
10:30am - 12:30pm: Over the next few hours you take a number of phone calls. One phone call you receive is from a first time traveller, an older lady who recently received her first passport. Her very first trip overseas is for a special occasion – her daughters wedding in Rarotonga. You make an appointment to meet her tomorrow morning to ensure she’s receives unbeatable service.
In the course of the morning you received one online enquiry to Queenstown. You seize the moment and contact the customer to find out more about their dream holiday.
12:30pm - 1:30pm: Lunch is rarely a set time as things always come up or "rush hour" descends - you always want to be in your seat to help our customers. You find a great time to break for lunch and as you leave the store you take some brochures to read so you can do some research for a future holiday.
1:30pm - 2:00pm: You return to a bustle of activity. There are several customers browsing brochures and checking out the current specials displayed in store. After approaching a young couple you discover their dream to experience a safari in Africa. You’ve been to Africa yourself and happily make recommendations and provide a quote suited to their price range. You arrange to make a follow up call for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Ms Harrison is calmly waiting. She and her friend want to go on an exotic beach holiday and want your recommendation - Bali or Thailand? You have been to Thailand but not Bali and you start to worry....but suddenly Julie, the consultant that sits next to you overhears and informs you that she's been to Bali and will help you. You are silently grateful that all of the consultants are well travelled and eager to help out. Ms Harrison has very little time today so you hand her a brochure and a quote and guarantee her that you will have flights, accommodation ideas and pricing to her by the end of the day.
2:00pm - 2:30pm: While you are on the phone with a wholesaler securing a quote for a Mexican honeymoon you begin paging through brochures to find a suitable holiday package for Ms Harrison. You find a package combining flights, accommodation and a couple of day tours which you send to Ms Harrison. You add another follow up call to your diary.
2:30pm - 3:00pm: Now it's time for a one on one with your manager which happens monthly. You both go to a nearby coffee shop where you look over your targets and achievements, discuss your future plans with the company and your wish at becoming an Assistant Team Leader within the next six months. This will mean fully understanding the financial aspects of running the store, taking control of the budget and stepping into a leadership role whenever possible. It also means a great focus on your current position, increasing your sales figures and building a strong repeat and referral customer base.
3:00pm - 4:00pm: Once back in the office you create a great package for your Mexican honeymoon clients including private transfers from the airport to their five star all inclusive hotel. You send everything to the clients and give them a call to make sure they have received it as well as check if they have any questions. They want to think about it overnight so you schedule a time to follow up with them tomorrow. You also advise them to check out a fantastic web site for up to date information on the area they are visiting. The phone rings again and its Mr Wong who needs flights to Wellington. Oh and he wants to take his dog!
4:00pm - 5:30pm: Nick Barnett arrives to collect his ticket wallet. He’s taking his family to Disney World in Orlando. After confirming his travel arrangements in details and answer any questions, you wish him a great trip and provide a few last minute travel tips.
As part of the airfare expertise programme it’s now time to complete your latest online module. All your study pays off and you pass with flying colours.
Now that you have a few free minutes you place follow-up calls to clients you have talked with yesterday and diarize everything you need to do tomorrow. You tidy up your desk and say your goodbyes to your colleagues. Tonight you will go home and rest because tomorrow is another big day and tomorrow night you will attend your first "Buzz Night." This is a company wide tradition where once a month or quarter you get together with shops in your area for a social and celebrate individual and company accomplishments. This is always motivational, entertaining and a lot of fun...reminder to self - tomorrow's Buzz night is an 80's theme so I need to get my costume ready.