Written By: Jesse Morris, Owner – We Book Travel, LLC
As we roll into 2020 I think it’s important that we take the time to be grateful for all we have and the opportunities this wonderful industry provides. Every day I think about how fortunate I am to work with some wonderful suppliers, partners and agents. Even on days where things do not necessarily go to plan.
I was on the phone recently with one of my cruise line partners correcting an issue for a client. It was an error made by the cruise line and took a significant part of my day to get fixed. The agent had to put me on hold and came back more than a half dozen times to check to see if I was still there. Each time she would apologize and I could tell she was bracing herself for an angry retort from me. I repeatedly told her “It’s okay, you didn’t do this and I appreciate that you are helping me to get it fixed for our client.” Yes, I was frustrated but it does no good to take out that frustration on the person working hard to get it fixed. I know she would have rather this error had not occurred.
After the error was fixed and all was good for our client, the agent said “I cannot believe how patient you were! Most travel agents would have yelled at me!” This made me sad and I apologized to her. “There is no reason to yell at you. Yes this was frustrating but you are helping me fix it. What good does it do to get angry with the person who wants to help?” Really, if spending time on the phone correcting an issue for our clients is the worst thing that happens to us in a day, we are having a better day than a lot of other people!
It costs us nothing to be understanding and kind. That is a lesson I have to constantly refresh myself on. It’s easier said than done. But I try to think about the times I have been yelled at for things outside of my control. This is something we have all experienced at some point. This is also why I try to remind myself that kindness and understanding are so very important. We get the opportunity to help people go on vacation, plan amazing trips that help our clients make lifelong memories and we not only get paid to do it, sometimes we get to take these trips ourselves! What other career gets that? In exchange…we have to deal with a frustrating issue from time to time. Sounds like a pretty good deal if you ask me.
In 2020, let’s do our best to make kindness and understanding the norm when it comes to our supplier partners and not the exception. Let’s start each day with a reminder that even the most frustrating days in our industry are better than good days doing most any other job. Let’s remember to be grateful for what we have.
Have a wonderful New Year and a prosperous Wave season! As always, you can email feedback to [email protected]