6.1
Introduction
In order to provide the best
possible service to your customers and clients, it makes sense for you to have
a better understanding of the actual reasons for the industry in the first
place along with why people travel.
By being able to get to grips
with these reasons it means that you will be able to provide a better service
that is more in tune with what they are looking for. As a direct result, you
will then find that you have happy customers making your entire job so much
easier.
6.2 The Reasons for the Industry
To begin with, we need to look at
the actual reasons for the industry, even though they are going to be pretty
self-explanatory.
As humans, we are pretty much
wired to wish to explore and experience new things, and travel is a wonderful
way of doing this. Furthermore, we are curious and when we see examples of
nature or how people live their lives in other parts of the world we want to go
there and see first-hand what it is really like.
However, there are other reasons
for the industry that go beyond curiosity. People have to travel for business
reasons, personal reasons, for job interviews, or even to study. This all takes
planning and arranging so many different things and that is where the travel
and tourism industry really does come to the fore. In addition, people do not
even have to travel far in order to experience new things hence domestic
tourism, which also includes day trips, accounting for such a large percentage
of the market.
In other words, there are a
number of reasons why the industry exists and from those reasons there are
numerous different facets of the industry as we have discussed in previous
modules that are all able to survive as a direct result. It is your job, with
you working within the industry, to take these reasons and not only understand
them, but also to use this information to provide your customers with what they
are looking for at the first time of asking.
We are not saying that you have
to be aware of exactly why any individual is travelling all of the time, but as
we will see through this module, it does have an impact on the way in which you
provide a service to the customer or client.
6.3 What People are looking for When They
Travel or are Tourists
After understanding the very
reasons behind the industry as a whole it is important to look more closely at
what people are generally looking for when they are going to travel or are even
becoming tourists for the day.
It is important to understand
that no two people are going to be alike as everybody will have specific ideas
as to what they are looking for or what they want when travelling and it is up
to you to be able to supply them with this to the best of your abilities. This
is where your ability to work with people and to interact with them in the
correct manner is going to really come to the fore.
As you can imagine from the list
of reasons as to why people travel or turn into tourists, it does then lead to
them having a wide range of things that they are specifically looking for when
it comes to their trip.
To help you to better understand
where your career could go we should look at some of the main reasons why
people travel in a bit more detail as well as provide them with the service
that they are looking for.
An interest in another culture or
country.
The main reason why people will
travel to another location is to basically see what it has to offer. This may
include the culture, the sights and sounds, the food, or anything else related
to the location in question.
However, when you work within the
travel and tourism industry, it is important that you quickly ascertain the
reason for them wanting to travel. This can also apply when you are just aware
of a general interest in why they wish to go on holiday,
For example
They want to sun themselves on the
beach. By getting this information it then allows you to begin to compile a
number of possible locations that may appeal with you able to present them with
that information to help them choose where to go.
To achieve a dream.
While a number of people will go
on holiday or visit a location because it is easy to get to, there are a number
of individuals that will save up in order to have that experience of a
lifetime. They may have often thought about travelling first class. They may
have always wanted to go on the Orient Express. They may have always wanted to
visit the Great Wall of China. No matter what it is you have a role to play in
helping them to achieve that dream when you encounter them in your working
life.
Requirement for business.
We mentioned this elsewhere, but
people do have to often travel for the sake of business and that requires a
different approach from you when it comes to giving them what they are after.
Generally speaking, people travelling for business purposes will be very
specific in that they want their hotel for a certain reason, they do not want
to hang around with lots of connecting flights, and they want things to go as
smoothly as possible. Once again, you have to listen to what they are looking
for and then go out of your way to provide them with what they want.
To visit something that has been
recommended to them.
A final reason that we will
mention here before going on to what people expect when they travel and become
tourists is that they want to visit a destination or have
an experience that
has been described to them by
other people. In some ways this is something that is easier for you to deal
with simply because they are already aware of what to expect so your knowledge
becomes slightly less important as a direct result. Indeed, with this all you
have to do is to be able to put together the pieces of their trip, according to
the services or part of the industry you are involved in, to make sure that
they get what they are looking for.
Remember that we are not just
talking about you being a travel agent or booking flights here as the same
principles can be applied, aside from the business one, to anybody that is
working in the cruise industry, the resorts, or even just individual tourist
sights.
However, we also mentioned that
it is important for you to be aware of what people are looking for when they
travel and this is easier to explain.
No issues with travel.
If you are involved in the
travelling aspect of the industry, then the last thing people want are any
issues related to them getting to their destination and then getting back home.
They want it to go smoothly and without a hitch so it is up to you to provide
them with this wherever possible.
The hotel comes up to scratch.
While it is impossible for you to
make absolutely sure that an individual is going to be in the perfect hotel and
that it will go off without a hitch, you can at least be aware of those hotels
that have a poor reputation in order to prevent your customers from going
there. Also, it is important that you are aware of places to stay that fit in
with their specific requirements. Perhaps they are looking for a family
friendly place? A pet friendly place? A place where no kids are going to be
running around causing trouble? Close to the beach? Close to the middle of the
city? Easy transport to it?
then work hard to give them the hotel that fits with those needs.
The entertainments are there as
expected.
This is especially true when you
are dealing with families as they will be looking for very specific
requirements when it comes to keeping their children entertained. It is up to
you to be aware of what their children are looking for, that the place is going
to be safe for them and that there is enough to keep them happy.
There are other key things that
people are looking for when they travel. For example, business people want to be near where they
are working. People that are travelling
on a budget
want a budget hotel and yet
something that is also going to come up to scratch. This is where your time
speaking to customers pays dividends, although that should be something that
comes naturally when you work in the travel and tourism industry.
FACT
Only about 3 percent of people
travel throughout the UK for business. The rest travel throughout the UK for
education, shopping, visiting, leisure, and personal reasons.
Source: Gov.uk
6.4 How to Take the Reasons and Give Them What
They Want
At this point you now have a
better understanding of the reasons for the industry as well as the kind of
things that people are generally looking for when they enter into an
interaction with you.
However, it is now important that
you are able to take the reasons and the information that you have been able to pick up and provide
your customers with what they want.
This is not something that is
always going to be that easy to do, although with experience, there is no doubt
that life does become that little bit easier.
So, what are the steps that you
must follow to ultimately give your customers what they are looking for when it
comes to them travelling?
Remember to listen.
The first thing that you must do
is to remember to listen to them. Why are they either here at this location or
why are they looking at booking for a specific location? They are going to
generally tell you quite a lot of information that will ultimately prove to be
rather useful for you if only you know how to use it correctly, but you must
listen first before you can hope to do anything else.
Match up the information with
your knowledge.
Once you have listened to what
they have to say to you about where they are going and the general reasons why
it is then obvious that you have to take this information and match it up with
the knowledge that you have gathered together in the industry. Now, this is
something that you cannot just do without having the background so there has to
be an acceptance that it takes time to work yourself into this position.
Go the extra mile.
Listening to what people want,
mixed in with the knowledge that you already have about your own part of the
industry, means that it is always possible for you to go the extra mile when
you are providing your service or product to your customer. This in itself is
something that you need to be prepared to do because that is going to be
something that will actually further your career. How? Simply because going
that extra mile will often lead to a happy customer and as a result, you build
your client base, reach targets, and you are then more likely to move further
up the career ladder due to you being seen as a success.
Offer options.
To really provide the best
possible service it may be best if you are able to offer customers a number of
options to choose from with the final decision resting firmly on their
shoulders.
For example
Say you are involved in the
cruise industry and your client or customer is looking at touring the
Mediterranean. There is every possibility that there are several cruise options
available that visit different locations and it makes sense for you to then
provide details of as many as possible. By doing this, you will not only come
across as being extremely helpful, but it is also good customer service and the
same principle when it comes to offering various options can be applied across
the board.
6.5 How to Handle Problems When Products or
Services cannot be supplied
Finally, we are going to look at
how you deal with issues that may arise when you have to tell the customer that
they are unable to get exactly what they want whether that be a product or a
particular service.
The way in which you handle this
delicate situation is going to have a profound impact on the way that the
situation ends and clearly it is your responsibility to deliver something that
is as close to what they want as possible.
Make sure you understand the
problem.
The first thing to do is to make
sure that you completely understand the problem as this is the only way in
which you will be able to make amends and rectify things to the best of your
ability. If you fail to get to grips with the issue then it stands to reason
that you will provide the wrong solution and only make matters worse.
Make sure you have various
solutions available.
While this is not always
possible, you have to think about various solutions that could potentially be
offered when an initial service or product is unable to be supplied. Remember
that this is tied in with you having already understood the problem in the
first place as you can see how easy it is to misunderstand a situation and make
things worse.
Never lie.
If you are unable to provide a
certain product or service or simply fail to meet the expectations of your
customer, then never lie to cover up this fact. Instead, you should always
offer an apology and then immediately offer them some alternatives that you
believe would be suitable and at least come close to their demands. This may
not always work, but it is still important to try in the first place.
Always try to help.
Perhaps the most important part
of all of this is to always make sure that you try to help the customer no
matter the predicament that they find themselves in. Remember, you may not be
able to always resolve things, but at the end of the day you never know what
may be able to make a difference to a customer and what they are looking for if
you do not give it a go. In other words, never just shrug your shoulders and
move on to the next person.
However, it is also how you
tackle this kind of situation that is important. Generally speaking, you should
follow these key points.
Be friendly.
Smiling and being friendly can
help to largely diffuse so many situations and it then helps to settle down a
customer who is often quite irate at them not being able to get what they want.
Be positive with body language.
If you are dealing with a
customer in person then make sure that your body language is open as it does
make you seem to be more approachable than you may otherwise be. If you are
closed off, which basically means you seem tense, then there is a pretty good
chance that the customer is also going to be closed off making it hard for you
to deal with their issue.
Be attentive.
Do not just listen for the sake
of listening, but pay attention so you can offer them solutions. Nod, repeat
back parts of what they have said to let them know you have understood the
situation, and just make sure they are aware that you know what they are going
through.
Never take things personally.
There is no way that you should
take any kind of abuse or insults personally, although clearly the customer has
no right to abuse you in this manner either. However, they are probably very
upset at how their dream holiday or visit to a destination is no longer able to
happen. Once again, your knowledge of your industry and what you are able to
provide people is going to help you to pull things through resulting in you
being able to turn things around.
Being a people person does make a
huge difference, especially when things are going against your customer. The
way you handle these situations will then go on to make a difference to your
career and how far you will go.
MODULE SUMMARY
In this module we have looked
more specifically at the reasons why people travel and how you take that
information to provide them with what it is that they are looking for.
This is something that will take
time for you to develop as a skill, but at the same time it is essential that
you have a firm understanding of your own job and sector of the industry to
then also be aware of what it is that you can offer your customers. At the end
of the day, the way in which you deal with their reasons for travelling will
also then determine your ability to really work within this industry.
In the next module we will look
at the concept of promotion and marketing within the travel and tourism
industry.
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