On Dec. 14, Ken Shapiro, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of TravelAge West, hosted a Facebook Live chat in partnership with Apple Leisure Group Vacations (ALGV). The theme of the discussion was the three most important parts of a business recovery right now, and guests from ALGV included Tracy Genrich, contact center service director; Loren Janssen, director of marketing consortia, trade and campaign strategy; and Ben Recob, senior manager of education and implementation.
“I was really excited to be discussing such an important topic with a tried-and-true partner for travel advisors,” Shapiro said. “As we emerge from this pandemic next year, advisors need to be thinking about ways they can make their business as strong as possible.”
Make Yourself Better
The first of the three principles for a business recovery is related to “training to win the fight,” as Recob put it. He discussed the ALGV education platform, VAX Vacation Access, and he shared a few of the many tools ALGV makes available to advisors in order for them to work smartly and efficiently. In particular, he suggested starting with the Anchor Stores on VAX.
“Bookmark the Anchor Stores because those are really critical to success,” Recob said. “If your phone is not ringing off the hook with bookings right now, go to the Anchor Stores and read up on deals, promotions, incentives, agent rewards and destination knowledge. This is the place to go to get the best overview.”
Recob also suggested advisors learn more about ALGV’s Travel Protection Plus.
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“The entire travel landscape has changed,” Recob said. “We’ve all seen how important travel protection has become these days, and advisors really need to feel confident when selling it.”
Market Yourself
Janssen continued the discussion with a look at ALGV’s marketing tools, including the ways the company can help with videos, social media, blogs, email and more. She especially highlighted ALGV360, which is a platform that enables advisors to download a variety of creative content assets — including photos, videos and text — that can be used in their own marketing efforts.
“It’s a great, flexible tool that is used by almost 8,000 daily users,” she said. “It’s a way for you to learn more and look really professional as you market yourself to your customers.”
Janssen also suggested that advisors check out www.ireporttravel.com, where advisors can find a wealth of safety protocol videos and other information from all around the world.
“It’s a great way to educate yourself on all the safety measures in effect,” she said.
Service Is Crucial
The last aspect of a strong business recovery is related to service. Genrich discussed the need for advisors to make customer service a priority, and she also shared all the steps ALGV is taking to make sure their service is top notch as well.
“We’ve made changes so that our team members have the information they need in order to provide correct answers to every question,” said Genrich. “We’ve also changed our quality evaluation measures to raise the overall level of service.”
As we emerge from this pandemic next year, advisors need to be thinking about ways they can make their business as strong as possible.
In addition to chatting about business recovery, the participants shared an update on top destinations, as well as highlighting the company’s BDM locator tool, so that advisors can keep up to date on who they can reach out to for assistance.
Finally, the discussion turned to ALGV’s focus on advisor partnership. Janssen said the company’s own research has shown that 75% of consumers are interested in working with advisors, so they know how important agents are going to be as the travel industry moves forward, and making sure advisors have the tools they need is a top priority for the company.
“We understand that we could not do what we do, and be as successful as we are, without travel advisors,” Genrich added. “That’s our focus at all levels of the company. We appreciate the partnership we have with advisors and we value that all the way through the organization.”
The full Facebook Live chat is available on TravelAge West’s Facebook page.
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