Travellers who found themselves at the mercy of the ash which closed large swathes of the country's airspace last week have realised the benefit of booking with a trusted travel agent.
As tens of thousands were stranded and hundreds of planes grounded because of ash spewing from Cordon Caulle in southern Chile since June 4, leading independent travel company Travel Counsellors set to work to rescue its stranded passengers.
As soon as news broke, Travel Counsellors, which prides itself on offering the best possible levels of personal service to its customers, notified its agents of the situation so they could contact all clients who were affected to offer advice and reassurance that they would find a safe route home for them as soon as possible.
West Sydney based Travel Counsellor Koleti Tauga had two customers due to fly back from Auckland, New Zealand after attending a family wedding. Koleti says, “When news of the ash cloud hit I called my clients straight away to inform of them situation and set to work to try to find them alternative flights home. After many searches and phone calls in the early hours of the morning I managed to secure seats on a flight from Auckland to Sydney, and later that afternoon I called to ensure that they had arrived home safely. My clients were so pleased and couldn’t stop thanking me for the effort I had gone to get them home. They said that they had never experienced this level of customer service before, and would be recommending me to everyone they know!”
Koleti believes the secret to her success is the fact that she can provide a unique level of personal service that cannot be matched in a retail agency, and because she works from home she can be available to her clients 24/7. Plus unlike many retail agencies which are owned by a big name tour operator, Travel Counsellors is completely independent, meaning that Koleti is free to recommend the very best travel option to suit her clients’ needs.
Brisbane based Travel Counsellor Scott Mayne says; “I found the constant “ash” updates from Travel Counsellors’ head office invaluable. I was able to forward these updates on to all of my customers, including one of my business clients. My client was so impressed with the proactive, up-to-the minute information I provided and the fact that it only takes a phone call to reach me in comparison to long periods on hold to airlines, that she vowed they would never book with anyone but me and Travel Counsellors from now on. The support and advice from head office during this time made my job so much easier and by going the extra mile they also helped me to secure new business for the future.”
Koleti and Scott are part of a network of 1,200 expert Travel Counsellors operating across six countries. Scott adds, “With this level of support during a crisis, and the fact that I can rely on global supplier deals and the shared knowledge of my fellow agents worldwide via leading-edge technologies, webcams and intranet message boards, I know 100% that my travel business will continue to grow from strength to strength with Travel Counsellors.”
Travel Counsellors Managing Director Steve Byrne comments; “There have been so many stories in the news over the past couple of weeks about stranded travellers. At Travel Counsellors our priority is our clients and as soon as the news broke our agents and head office team made sure that contact was made with all clients who were affected. The situation was changing all the time and we ensured that our agents and customers were constantly updated and enjoyed the backing of 24 hour support and expert knowledge. We offer unparalleled support to our agents so that they are able to focus on what they do best, building relationships with their customers and advising on the very best travel options for them. We are the number one rated travel company in the world for customer service and I think the stories we have been hearing about the lengths our Travel Counsellors have gone to, to ensure their customers got home as soon as possible proves why.”
