[Phileasfoggtmc]

I work in Account Management for a top 10 TMC in the UK, and the feedback we have received from clients has been very good in our support. We quickly identified where travellers were and continued to work with them over the last seven days to repatriate them and support their needs. These were unprecedented circumstances, way beyond the support needed after 9/11 or other incidents.

From a CSR perspective we empowered our client with relevant information. Yes we were stretched, yes we put a huge demand on staff, but working together and cohesively producted results.

Some of the comments on here are very ill informed, amazing that everyone is a travel agent these days, but get the right partner and it should be an effective relationship, no good harping on back to the 80s, good TMCs have moved with the times – one main change is that the purchase of travel has gone to a commodity now sitting in procurement – where the agent is beaten up at the tender process, and there is now a disconnet – clients want to pay the lowest fee, but expect the best service.

So be realistic, or partner with a proactive agent that meets the needs of procurement and traveller alike

[Legroomneeded]

Well Philleas , its only fair to hear both sides of the story isnt it? its good you have been delivering during this crazy time.

[BABenji]

Phileasfoggtmc…this is precisely the point…everyone is a travel agent these days.

Events large enough in scale to disrupt global travel are very rare…as you say, prior to the volcano, the last such example was 9/11. Prior to that I can’t remember any…but I’m only a young pup.

Personally speaking, I fail to see the value in a TMC. I can book the same products myself for the same price and I can solve the problems myself should they occur.

As you also point out, the client wants the best service for the lowest price. TMC’s add another margin to the overall cost base. I appreciate you are paid commissions from hotels, airlines (although rather paltry ones, I believe), but this is still money which needs to come from somewhere.

I know through my own business, that in a commodities-based industry, these different layers soon render ones products uncompetitive, no matter how amazing the good/service. The size of the market willing to pay a premium for a product with little discernable differentiation is minimal.

It’s of course appreciated that you are selling convenience and specialist know-how, but for a relatively experienced traveller, these are things we learn over time.

I’m sure there are good TMC’s and bad TMC’s out there, but for me, I’d rather book it myself and look after myself.

[Phileasfoggtmc]

BABenji not sure how long it takes you to search, refine, review, choose, book then reconcile retrospectively your choice, but multiply that by thousands of transactions for larger clients and it can be considerable waste.

The key is to compliment good staff with good self booking systems that work within the constraints of a travel policy, then compare ‘best price of the day’ as well as negotiated rates to ensure best practise and consolidation to provide leakage where appropriate..

The time you take converted to a monetary value is probably more than the agent fee – as an agent we return ALL commissions and charge a flat transaction fee.

If you business is small and transactions/employees are low, I can understand why you’d want to absorb these costs internally, or indeed not even put a metric on them – but the role of the agent has changed considerably from your opinion

[NTarrant]

BABenji is right in his outlook on this and I agree. Back in the 80’s agents were paid 9% commission on all airline ticket sold, the point was that if you purchased a ticket LHR-FRA on a one month excursion with a six day minimum stay the price with BA or LH was the same and it did not matter which agent you went to as it was the same price. You got the business by the service you provided.

The travel industry changed much of the way we buy travel by making holiday shops on the High Street. Dumping traditional things like rail and ferry tickets in favour of holidays. The internet has really been the driver in as BABenji says, making everyone a travel agent.

I tried a TMC for a flight a few years ago, the fare was not a lot cheaper and they wanted 2% on top for using a credit card, which worked out much more than £3.50 airline charge at the time. Like any service industry TMC’s have their place the same as agents on the High Street, but I would also do it myself.

[Phileasfoggtmc]

so all you that made your own reservations and with regards to the volcanic activity;

* how did you ascertain where your travellers were?

* did you contact them all and give them the benefit of your ?
knowledge, as you never know, they may not be as good as you?

* did you keep them informed at all times

* did you engage with other areas of your business e.g. HR to ensure they were kept up to speed

* did you then collate all these details and present in a consise format to identify the size of exposure and any associated risk?

Remember this happed this week regarding volcanic activity, but next week it could be a terrorist attack, industrial action, or other natural disaster.

If the answer to these questions is no, suggest you think about the bigger picture and not just trying to compare on a transactional basis or your ad hoc experience several years ago with a TMC

[NTarrant]

A company should know where it’s employees should be at any given time when at work. If they choose to go AWOL then that is a different matter. A line manager would be able to report to senior managers/directors with such information if so required at anytime, irrespective of any events such as volcanic activity.

Certainly a TMC would not have given any value to my flight bookings and arrangements or that of my staff, who just got on with doing what they had to do. I am sure, as has been already said, there have been TMC’s that have performed well and those that have not. What is interesting thought is that no one has come on this site and said they had super service from a TMC over the volcanic issue. Just what is the bigger picture we seemed to be missing?

[Phileasfoggtmc]

NTarrant – how would they know if you all book yourselves – you can’t magic the information our of the air if you excuse the pun – so the line managers collate all the info for their guys, who then pass it up the line, and then a director/senior manager asks to be kept informed of any changes, so it goes back down the line etc etc.

So how you can see it adds no value beggars belief, unless you think that is a good use of resource, but your detail is so vague ” got on with doing what they had to do”? – rubbish

No one one is going to come on this site praising a good TMC, as they’ve got all the insular opinions such as yourself who look at everything on a transactional basis with some anecdote from years back.

Don’t get me wrong, I come across people with your view every day of the week, but thankfully they are in the minority

[BABenji]

For a lesson in how not to speak to a potential customer, please see above.

[PerthWA]

If the real ‘value’ in a TMC – as apparent from a scan of the comments – is in keeping tabs on travelling staff then I shall happily disconnect both my iphones, 2 mobile modems, not bother carrying the laptop, leave the mess and mass of chargers/cords in the office and tell my boss to communicate through the tmc instead. Daft. As if anyone is able to be out of touch/communication these days.

[Phileasfoggtmc]

BABenji – with respect you’re missing the point – I’m passionate about the role of an agent, so you think its OK to hammer agents and give your opinion, but defend the role of an agent and point out the pitfalls of what can happen, and its unacceptable

[NTarrant]

Phileas in a large organisation I have no doubt that the information you can provide may be of value. But in the case of SME’s most don’t need that level of detail. I know where my staff should be on any given day, whether abroad or in the UK, its at my finger tips. How they get there is their choice.

We can communicate by email, text and telephone to keep up dated as to what is or not happening and give assistance if required. I don’t see why anyone should not praise a good TMC on this site, I wish they would. Frankly you have not said anything to even try and change my mind other than rubbish my views and what went on years ago

[Phileasfoggtmc]

NTarrant – on the contary of you are taking about small companies, absolutely, spend your own time doing your own thing – my opening defence referred to companies with thousands of transactions which is our core market – e.g spend of £100k+

[Legroomneeded]

So in a nutshell the percentages TMC`s deal with are so low now compared with 15/20 years ago , it has meant that effectively you don’t go after SME business as it isn’t deemed to be worth your while ?
Or am i wrong ?

[Kaicat75]

or possibly that technology has now made the TMC redundant for SME’s?

[Author]

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