News

ABTA’S trade relations committee is considering mystery shopping its tour operator members as part of an investigation into the time agents are kept waiting on the telephone.

The move follows a recent meeting at which ABTA committee members set out their grievances over 0870 numbers and waiting times. A survey conducted by Travel Weekly (June 4) found agents are switch-selling to other operator members that answer the telephone quicker.

Martin Wellings, who chaired the meeting in his role as head of a new trade relations working party, said ABTA was now considering canvassing members to pinpoint how widespread the problem is.

However, the six operators at the meeting also voiced their own complaints over call delays, insisting that a third of all calls clogging the system were availability checks that could easily be done by agents over viewdata. Wellings said: “We realise there is a training issue for agents. Staff should be able to use the technology available to them to cut down on wasted calls.”