October 2009 Archives

This week Mystery Shopper was in Bath, looking for a solo holiday around Eastern Europe.

Apart from Flight Centre's score of 82%, there were very low scores this week. First Choice failed to scorer because Mystery Shopper wasn't acknowledged after 15 minutes, World Market Travel scored 24% and Thomas Cook only scored 33%.

I don't do the Mystery Shops, but I do write the reports. On this occasion I found the reports particularly surprising. I used to live in Bath, know the agencies, and myself and my family have even booked through World Market Travel and have always been more than happy with the service.

It's always worth remembering that Mystery Shopper is a snapshot of one person's experience at an agency, but it goes to show that even one below par consultation can give the customer the wrong impression.

In terms of scoring, the only agency that would have scored full marks for appearance was First Choice, had they not automatically failed to score. Otherwise, the scores were low - World Market Travel getting 24% of the available marks for customer service while Thomas Cook got 28% of the available marks. Flight Centre scored 100% for customer service, proving that a tough Mystery Shopper could be won around.

This week Mystery Shopper was in Eastleigh, Hampshire, looking for an environmentally friendly holiday. Most agents had a bit of knowledge, but given the efforts that organisations such as  The Travel Foundation and Tourism Concern have put into educating the trade, the results were a bit disappointing.

However, the results raised two questions:

Do you think customers are genuinely interested in sustainable tourism?

Is knowledge about sustainable tourism a good selling tool? Do you think it actually sways a customer?

By the time you've read Mystery Shopper, you will have seen our 'green' issue. What do you think? How well have we addressed the issue? Did you find it relevant?

This week Mystery Shopper was in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, looking for a holiday to Florida.

Another strong set of scores this week - the lowest being The Co-operative Travel which scored 60% and the highest being Thomson, which scored 97%.

Mystery Shopper wrote about Thomson: "The agent took an interest in the holiday plans and patiently found the ideal choice."

However, she wrote about The Co-operative Travel in comparison to the other agencies: "Other agents had a better overall idea as to how to address my needs and the quotes were considerably less than with this agent."

All scored full marks for appearance, except for The Co-operative Travel. Mystery Shopper deducted five marks writing: "There was rubbish in a bag in one corner and stacks of brochures on the floor."

There was only one point in it between World Choice and Deeping Travel in terms of customer service, but Thomson got the higher overall score in the advice and product knowledge category.