Providing day-to-day care of your customers will give you an edge in the crowded selling field.

With so much focus on the Internet, selling upscale and/or niche products, and expanding group promotions and efforts, it seems that many travel agents are overlooking one of the key and most formidable areas that can affect their ability to gain new customers: customer service.

Top customer service is now a requirement if one seeks to build their business and attract repeat and incremental business. There are three reasons for this.

First, the modern-day customer demands it.  Seems pretty simple, but think back for a moment to the type of customer service that we were exposed to five, 10 or 15 years ago. We waited in lines or on the phone longer, had to put up with surly wait staff and customer service representatives, and did not have access to online information or convenience, as we do today.  Now, don’t get me wrong -- we all experience poor customer service in a variety of ways on a consistent basis, but we also experience higher levels of customer service from retailers that know the value of providing great day-to-day caring of their customers. The retailer that continually expands and improves its customer base is more than likely focused on delivering great customer service. 

The rule is simple. If you guarantee a mediocre level of customer service, even if it was the norm a few years ago, you can be guaranteed that you will lose customers and business on a day-to-day basis.

Second, great service wins the hearts and loyalty of customers.  Take this test: Think about your favorite retailer, one that prides itself on customer service.  We all have them in our local community, and I’d bet that you might even drive out of your way to support someone who gives you the type of service that improves and enhances the buying decision, regardless of the product. Nordstrom comes to mind when one thinks of a retailer that has built its reputation on merchandising high-quality items with unbeatable customer service.

As I travel throughout the U.S., I rarely walk into a top-selling travel agency that doesn’t pride itself on providing excellent customer service. It’s amazing to see competing agencies within a locale, and the defining element of the “super successful” agent vs. the lackluster producer, all things being equal, is customer service.

At Trafalgar, we learned long ago that travel agents demand top customer service from their suppliers. We pride ourselves on providing friendly and knowledgeable agents, low telephone hold times, quick and low-cost air confirmations, and a BDM team with impeccable followup and sales skills -- all because we know that the way to winning the hearts of agents is to provide great service for them and an unbeatable product for their customers.

This rule affects you, whether you are a brick-and-mortar agent or working from home. You need to have a customer who will recommend you to others, and great customer service can be the key to winning more clients.

Third, great customer service allows you to do something that the big Internet conglomerates can not do -- create a “relationship” with your customer, whereby they can see you as their own “concierge” and “vacation guidance counselor.”  People do business with people they like and trust, and there is no better way to build a rapport than to focus on customer service. Remember that the large companies, selling to millions of people, struggle to develop the degree and depth of personal contact and relationship that you can provide. Your local availability, constant communication and “high touch” approach to your customers can and will be the formidable link in providing you an edge against larger competitors.

Remember, you don’t need to outprice and outmaneuver your competition in all areas. Instead focus on the one element of your business in which you do have control, your day-to-day interaction with your clients, and that’s where you will win more loyal customers in the future.

As customers demand more service and attention in the future, you are being presented with a huge opportunity.  The consumer-focus trend and the need for service is higher than it’s ever been, and as customers look for travel agents who know them more as an individual rather than just a sale, you will find huge incremental growth for your business on a consistent basis.