3Qs for Cruise Month: Charles Sylvia, CLIA
In honor of National Plan a Cruise Month, TMR is interviewing executives from across the travel industry. If you would like to be included email us editor@travelmarketreport.com.
Today's interview is with Charles Sylvia, vice president, membership and trade relations, at CLIA.
What advice would you give travel agents selling cruises for 2016?
Adopt the mindset and attitude of a professional consultant for 2016! After all, that is what you are! Organize all of your cruise prospects and clients into an easy-to-manage database and start hitting the phones. Call to wish them happy holidays and ask for a couple of minutes to talk about their travel hopes, dreams, and aspirations.
Engage with prospects and clients using the approach of a financial consultant. Condition them to plan their trips with the same level of importance they would give to their investment or retirement planning. Doing so positions you as a professional and an expert in your field. It will open up a conversation that will result in your client’s next booking, as well as the planning of the following two or three bookings. Remember, anticipation is half the fun of your clients’ overall cruise experience. Leverage that to benefit your book of business.
Additionally, take advantage of trainings, educational webinars, and events where you can learn to leverage your skills to sell more cruises. It’s always important to stay up to date on the newest itineraries and offerings from cruise lines to make sure you are giving your clients as many options as possible.
What do you think cruise lines and travel agents might better understand about working together?
The relationship between cruise lines and the travel agent community is growing stronger by the year. Cruise lines clearly understand that agencies and agents are responsible for nearly three-quarters of their annual booking revenue. What is missing, in my view, is an understanding of the comparative guest satisfaction data – comparing the satisfaction of guests who booked cruises using a travel agent with that of guests who booked directly, either online or through a cruise line call center. By identifying how guest satisfaction rates correlate to methods of booking, cruise lines can empower themselves to focus further attention on the distribution channel that sets them up for the greatest success. My money is on travel agents.
What will you be doing differently in 2016?
CLIA will be focusing on upgrading and enhancing the member experience to ensure our members always receive the best service and benefits we have to offer. From improving the website to exploring ways to make enrollment and renewal convenient and hassle-free, the CLIA leadership team is dedicated to providing our members with the most pertinent information they need to enroll and renew, as well as to understand all of the benefits CLIA members receive. Additionally, we are looking to provide more FAQs to help members get the answers they need without having to call into and wait on our Member Services phone lines. We hope this will significantly reduce hold times in reaching a Member Services Representative. There are a lot of fantastic initiatives in the works that will greatly benefit our members in the coming year and the years that follow.