The Trust Factor

The Association of Travel Marketing Executives

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The Trust Factor in the Travel Industry

By Gary Sain

According to Webster's, TRUST means confidence or faith in a person or thing; care or charge; to believe; to expect; to entrust; to depend on.

We have witnessed everything but the truth in recent years and it has created an atmosphere of skepticism and mistrust with the American consumer. The moral misadventures in government, business, sports, the Church, and legal court cases have caused many of us to ask...who can we trust? The terrorism issues add more risk and uncertainty. We are a society where taking a risk, once viewed as a positive, is now a negative. Every one of us has been adversely affected by risk...either psychologically, physically, or financially. We also don't know who is telling the truth or where we can go for the truth. In the Oct. 18, 2002 issue of the Orlando Sentinel, one survey of 40,000 U.S adults revealed that nine in ten Americans admit that they lie habitually. Ninety three percent of those surveyed say they have fibbed at work.

According to Yankelovich Partners, in the nineties, risk was good. Dangers were predictable. We focused mostly on the upside...the positives. We had a feeling of control and optimism. However, going forward...risk is bad...based on all that has happened to us in the past twelve to eighteen months. We focus mostly on the downside. We have feelings of anxiety and cautiousness. The biggest risk is not knowing the dangers ahead and how unimaginable they could be. According to a CNN/Time Aug. 28-29, 2002 survey, 54% of Americans state life will never be back to normal...57% state their lives have changed in a lasting way since September 11.

The attitude of consumers has changed...from an active to a passive optimism. Consumers are open to fresh alternatives and looking for leadership. They want to minimize exposure and looking around for trust. They are now more vocal than ever...insisting on performance and a new definition of value. This changed consumer has less trust in products/services and will scrutinized much more aggressively. They have much higher expectations and more demands.

Also according to Yankelovich Partners, 72% of American consumers always review monthly bills and statements because they do not trust most companies to do it right. Six in ten state having knowledgeable salespeople is critically important on where to shop and almost five in ten state services, which provide trustworthy advice, are very important. In addition, if consumers do not like your product or service...they will tell eight more people about their negative experience.

In these challenging times, travel agents can greatly benefit by being the trustworthy link between travel suppliers and consumers. Leisure travelers are in need of knowledgeable travel counselors who can validate and bring credibility to their travel decision-making process. Travel agents can greatly reduce risk of the unknown. According to the Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown/Yankelovich National Leisure Travel Monitor, leisure travelers state product knowledge is the most important criteria in choosing a travel agent.

So how can travel agents build trust and credibility in this skeptical marketplace?

First...be knowledgeable. Not just on the surface, but in depth. Know more than your customer/client. If you are the travel expert and product knowledge is what your customers/clients are seeking...you must take the time and energy to be the credible source for advice and counsel. Anyone can sell price. Your customers/clients can easily go to the Internet to look for deals. They came to you for a different reason. They want the reassurance they are making the right travel decision based on their personal needs. They want the personal insight, which they cannot obtain anywhere else. So...how can you be more knowledgeable?

· Become accredited (CTC, MCC, ACC, etc.) to distinguish your skills.

· Personally experience each preferred supplier's product.

· Read and re-read all travel product collateral of preferred suppliers.

· Stay current with travel industry news.

· Attend all travel product seminars where appropriate.

· Become a specialist, i.e. family travel, destination, cruise, etc.

· Be a student of the industry...you never stop learning.

· Learn from your clients...their travel experiences and insights.

· Attend appropriate industry events and seminars.

· Use the Internet to gather information...your private library.

· Identify role models and learn from them.

· Participate in all consortium opportunities for training and development

· Take continuing education courses...you never stop learning.

· Maximize your relationship with your district sales managers for training opportunities, additional information, updates, and fams.

· Know your geography...critical for credibility.

· Be up to date on safety and security issues...now more than ever.

· Know the features and benefits of all preferred suppliers.

Second...deliver exceptional uncompromising service. The most effective means of building lifetime client trust is exceeding your client's expectations each and every time. It's under promising and over delivering. It is building your credibility and trustworthiness by always placing your customer/client first. According to Yankelovich Partners, 74% of consumers who make $75,000 a year agree that most businesses have completely forgotten the idea that the customer is always right and 86% expect to be treated like their best customer. Building trust is never having to apologize for forgetting who the customer is. It is also doing what you said you were going to do when you said you were going to do it, delivering what you said you going to do and doing it better than you said you could. Some thoughts for customer/client interaction...

· When was the last time you said thank you?

· How timely is your follow up? Is it customized?

· Do you listen twice as much as you talk?

· Do you take notes; update your records on new information?

· Do you ask your clients to rate your service/performance?

· Do you provide "good surprises" without being asked?

· Do you return all calls within an hour? Email?

· Do you provide undivided personal attention?

· Do you follow up to ask how the trip went? How could it have been better?

· Are you pleasant to deal with? Do you always smile?

· Is your attitude one of indifference? How do you check it?

· Do you take the time to know your customers/clients as individuals? Is your communication relevant to them?

· Do you take immediate action on customer service problems?

· Do you meet all deadlines? Do you deliver before the deadlines?

· Do you inspect what you expect? Do you mystery shop your services?

· Do you promote/sell travel experiences or travel products?

· Do you update your database with relevant customer information?

Third...you as a trusted brand. Great brands are about relationships. They are trustworthy. Great brands reduce risk. They make it easy to purchase and re-purchase. They are credible and believable. They develop a one to one marketing relationship based on the individual needs of their customers. It is important to think of yourself as a brand. People buy from people in the service industry. As travel agents, your customers buy from you, not necessary the travel supplier. Granted, the reputation of the travel supplier is critical, however, it is the travel agent the customer seeks out for knowledge, credibility, insight and reassurance. Your brand name on the door and on your letterhead is the company. We all know how important the reputation and credibility of this name is in your marketplace. More important, however, is the reputation, trustworthiness, and experience of the individuals who work within. These are the individual brands that customers actually buy. The most powerful validation for travel agents in building great relationships is their own personal travel experiences, which they can share with their customers/clients. This is the compelling insight customers are seeking. A brand name on a door cannot do this alone.

Travel agents have the opportunity to build trust with their customers/clients in this time of uncertainty and in concert with the changing priorities of consumers. Consumers will place more focus on experience, service and product knowledge in their buying decisions. They will be more demanding in how they want to be treated. They will seek out authenticity...the real deal. And they will not be so giving of their trust and business without credible validation of the service provider. Those travel agents who earn the trust and credibility of their customers will distinguish themselves in the marketplace. They will create lifetime value with their clients. They will be sought after for their insight, knowledge and uncompromising personal service. They will reduce risk and make it easy for their customers/clients to do business with them. And they will book more business. Trust me!