Welcome to our last module “Why There are Some Vendors You Should Avoid”. While it may seem counter-productive to not do business with all vendors being selective can save you a lot of headaches and while deepening customer connections.
Maya Angelou has a lot of great quotes. One of my favorites is: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Another one is: “When they show you who they are, believe them…” I am not here to tell you what specific vendors to deal with and those to avoid. Rather, I would like to make you aware of some signs to look for that could affect your client experience and your bottom line. The truth is most well-known vendors are reputable. Rather, it is a matter of whether their corporate culture is in alignment with yours, is a good match for your ethics and integrity and will be there for you and your clients when you need just a small favor and most especially when disaster strikes.
Let me explain what I mean. Our corporate culture is one where we build open, honest relationships where everyone wins and we do not just look out for ourselves. When we look at a vendor, we look at the company culture: Are the reservation agents friendly? Are they willing to help or are they just looking to close a sale or get to the next call? Is the sales rep willing to think out of the box to help with an unusual situation ? Are they empowered to get a resolution? Do they get back to you in a timely manner? Do you notice similar personality types within the company? Don’t use just one interaction with a single person as an assessment. Someone can be having a bad day or there may be one agent who is not the norm.
In recent years, cruise and tour vendors have been expanding their offerings rapidly. If a vendor you have relied on in the past ventures into a new product which they are not known for, give them time to work out the bugs. We used a vendor that did a great job in tours to China. When they expanded into other parts of Asia, it soon became clear that they were in a steep learning curve and the client experience suffered. In another example, a major luxury cruise line had two superb ocean cruising vessels where the service, food, and accommodations were impeccable. They expanded into the river, yacht and expedition market which spread their staff too thin and for a while the quality that clients had come to expect suffered. They eventually worked out the kinks and are back to their original high standards. When clients have a trip where their expectations were not met or exceeded, it affects your credibility as an agent. Be sure to warn a client of the possibility of issues with a new product, and if the trip falls short, you will have positioned yourself as an authority. If they come home happy, you can thank them for their valuable insight.
Examine the safety history of a vendor. If a cruise line has recurring problems such as fires or accidents, it may mean that they are taking shortcuts to save money.
If you are trying to solve a problem and it feels like you are pushing a boulder up hill to get resolution, you are probably working with the wrong company. Learn the lesson for the next time. This becomes especially important in times of crisis such as 9/11 or the coronavirus. As an example; Royal Caribbean Corp., who owns, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara cruise lines, was the first to come out with Cruise With Confidence program after the coronavirus became an issue which allowed a guest to cancel after their final payment deadline and providing a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) in the full amount of the cancellation fees. They then offered commission protection to travel agents. Here is a company that you know without a doubt has a commitment to both their clients and the travel professionals that support them. In contrast at the onset of the coronavirus problem Norwegian Cruise Line managers instructed their sales people to tell potential customers that coronavirus is not a concern in warm Caribbean climates because it "cannot live in the amazingly warm and tropical temperatures that your cruise will be sailing to." Norwegian’s policy did eventually change as the seriousness of the coronavirus became more evident but the difference between the corporate cultures of Celebrity and Norwegian reflects where their managements priorities and values lie. Holland America was slow to respond to the coronavirus crisis and left clients and agents with unanswered questions and stressed out clients.
Just because they are big doesn’t mean they don’t have financial problems or won’t go bankrupt. Recently Thomas Cook Travel, the largest travel agency in the world, went bankrupt and left thousands of people stranded all over the world. Another example is South African Airways who filed for the South African equivalent of Chapter 11.
An easy way to check for potential problems is to review periodically the Allianz covered suppliers list for known suppliers and always for small or little-known suppliers: https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/about/covered-suppliers.htm
In addition, you can keep your clients alerted to weather and other travel hazards by checking Allianz’s travel alert site: https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/coverage-alerts
While it is not possible to be aware of every potential problem, you can protect yourself and your clients by checking the Allianz covered suppler list and by selling travel insurance. Also be aware of who you are doing business with because it is likely to be a long relationship even if it is just one booking and you want to be sure that whoever they are they will have you and your client’s backs.
Maya Angelou has a lot of great quotes. One of my favorites is: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Another one is: “When they show you who they are, believe them…” I am not here to tell you what specific vendors to deal with and those to avoid. Rather, I would like to make you aware of some signs to look for that could affect your client experience and your bottom line. The truth is most well-known vendors are reputable. Rather, it is a matter of whether their corporate culture is in alignment with yours, is a good match for your ethics and integrity and will be there for you and your clients when you need just a small favor and most especially when disaster strikes.
Let me explain what I mean. Our corporate culture is one where we build open, honest relationships where everyone wins and we do not just look out for ourselves. When we look at a vendor, we look at the company culture: Are the reservation agents friendly? Are they willing to help or are they just looking to close a sale or get to the next call? Is the sales rep willing to think out of the box to help with an unusual situation ? Are they empowered to get a resolution? Do they get back to you in a timely manner? Do you notice similar personality types within the company? Don’t use just one interaction with a single person as an assessment. Someone can be having a bad day or there may be one agent who is not the norm.
In recent years, cruise and tour vendors have been expanding their offerings rapidly. If a vendor you have relied on in the past ventures into a new product which they are not known for, give them time to work out the bugs. We used a vendor that did a great job in tours to China. When they expanded into other parts of Asia, it soon became clear that they were in a steep learning curve and the client experience suffered. In another example, a major luxury cruise line had two superb ocean cruising vessels where the service, food, and accommodations were impeccable. They expanded into the river, yacht and expedition market which spread their staff too thin and for a while the quality that clients had come to expect suffered. They eventually worked out the kinks and are back to their original high standards. When clients have a trip where their expectations were not met or exceeded, it affects your credibility as an agent. Be sure to warn a client of the possibility of issues with a new product, and if the trip falls short, you will have positioned yourself as an authority. If they come home happy, you can thank them for their valuable insight.
Examine the safety history of a vendor. If a cruise line has recurring problems such as fires or accidents, it may mean that they are taking shortcuts to save money.
If you are trying to solve a problem and it feels like you are pushing a boulder up hill to get resolution, you are probably working with the wrong company. Learn the lesson for the next time. This becomes especially important in times of crisis such as 9/11 or the coronavirus. As an example; Royal Caribbean Corp., who owns, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara cruise lines, was the first to come out with Cruise With Confidence program after the coronavirus became an issue which allowed a guest to cancel after their final payment deadline and providing a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) in the full amount of the cancellation fees. They then offered commission protection to travel agents. Here is a company that you know without a doubt has a commitment to both their clients and the travel professionals that support them. In contrast at the onset of the coronavirus problem Norwegian Cruise Line managers instructed their sales people to tell potential customers that coronavirus is not a concern in warm Caribbean climates because it "cannot live in the amazingly warm and tropical temperatures that your cruise will be sailing to." Norwegian’s policy did eventually change as the seriousness of the coronavirus became more evident but the difference between the corporate cultures of Celebrity and Norwegian reflects where their managements priorities and values lie. Holland America was slow to respond to the coronavirus crisis and left clients and agents with unanswered questions and stressed out clients.
Just because they are big doesn’t mean they don’t have financial problems or won’t go bankrupt. Recently Thomas Cook Travel, the largest travel agency in the world, went bankrupt and left thousands of people stranded all over the world. Another example is South African Airways who filed for the South African equivalent of Chapter 11.
An easy way to check for potential problems is to review periodically the Allianz covered suppliers list for known suppliers and always for small or little-known suppliers: https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/about/covered-suppliers.htm
In addition, you can keep your clients alerted to weather and other travel hazards by checking Allianz’s travel alert site: https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/coverage-alerts
While it is not possible to be aware of every potential problem, you can protect yourself and your clients by checking the Allianz covered suppler list and by selling travel insurance. Also be aware of who you are doing business with because it is likely to be a long relationship even if it is just one booking and you want to be sure that whoever they are they will have you and your client’s backs.