‘If you build, it they will come,‘ and that’s certainly been the reaction from Australian travel advisors following the recent debut of The Travel Junction‘s new reservations call centre team.
“We are delighted to advise that our new phone reservation team has far surpassed our expectations since we started three weeks ago,” says James Whiting, President and General Manager, The Travel Junction.
“Week after week, we continue to witness a remarkable 50% growth in the number of calls received. While this surge is call volume is unsurprising given the team’s recent inception, we have made it our top priority to keep wait times and call volumes at a minimum, particulary during peak hours,” Whiting told LATTE.
Developed in response to travel advisor demand, The Travel Junction’s reservation sales experts are able to assist with complex itineraries, accessed on the phone, six days a week.
“We are delighted that so many new travel advisors registered to sign up with The Travel Junction and we continue to grow our registrations across the board from independent advisors to agencies from the larger consortia groups,” he said.
According to Whiting, the team are assisting with high-value booking requests – up to $70,000 for a single multi-destination booking – on a frequent basis.
“We are especially seeing European and North American booking requests coming through, covering all aspects of travel including flights, transfers, car hire, activities and accommodation.”
The Travel Junction has access to over 250,000 hotels globally, worldwide airfares (including wholesale fares), attraction tickets and multitudes of activities in hundreds of destinations.
“Our reservation team – and with our self-service option in HELiO – provide a complete end-to-end solution in a uniquely omni-channel environment, to tackle the most complex of our advisors’ customers’ requests”.
Whiting continued: “Our experienced reservation team has been effectively handling the multitude of booking enquiries we have received, as well as assisting with product and destination advice.
To manage its operation, The Travel Junction assigned a team with a variety of travel industry backgrounds, and with an average of 10 years experience in providing expert product and destination expertise. Most have a background with Flight Centre and wholesale bookings, and all have travelled extensively, gaining invaluable first-hand knowledge.
“The feedback from the industry is that there is frustration with prolonged call hold times. One of our primary objectives has been to minimise wait times and provide efficient and expert responses to their enquiries. By doing so, our travel advisors have the tools to handle their client’s needs, ultimately resulting in increased bookings,” Whiting explained.
“Currently the industry is experiencing extraordinary levels of business. The Travel Junction is dedicated to offering the most knowledgeable, expert and most effective service possible, aiming to boost the productivity of our agents.”
“Our advice for travel advisors is to call our team, and see for yourself!”
The Travel Junction’s call centre can be reached on 1800 003 903, or email sales@thetraveljunction.com.au.
