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This week we’re in Irvine, where our winner impressed through providing a helpful and thorough service…
The mystery shopper visited two travel agencies in Irvine, Scotland and requested a 7-10 day escorted coach tour of Eastern Europe in early October for a retired couple with a budget of £2,000-3,000 with a local pick-up.
They then made two Google.co.uk searches using the term ‘regional coach tour of Eastern Europe’.
Leger Holidays, Irvine
Score: 84%
Mystery Shopper said: The website looked great - it had some beautiful shots of European cities on the banner and was well designed. The site was also easy to navigate and the search function very responsive.
The descriptions of the tours were well worded and inviting, and lots of details on each holiday were provided. There was also an emphasis on comfort and reliability, which gave me confidence in the brand.
The consultant I spoke to through live chat was very helpful and replied to all my questions quickly and fully. The product they suggested - Imperial Capitals: Prague, Vienna and Budapest - matched all of my criteria at £1,398 on a half-board basis for eight nights, and a door-to-door service was also available for an extra fee.
The offer to “personalise any holiday to individual requirements” was appealing and an early-booking discount of £40 was tempting. However, the consultant could have done more to persuade me to book.
Amanda King, reservations consultant, Leger Holidays
Have you been in travel long?
I’ll only have been with Leger Holidays for two years in July, but I’ve been in travel a while. I used to work for The Co-operative Travel as an assistant manager.
How did you find the move from frontline to call centre?
It was a bit of a change of pace. It’s different being on the other end of the phone rather than face-to-face.
What are some of the more complex aspects ofcoach touring you’ve had to get your head around?
Learning how the operators work and the routings, and also appreciating the detail that goes into putting a tour together.
Any holidays planned this year?
I’m off to the Belgian Grand Prix in August, as part of Leger’s See It Live programme, which I’m really looking forward to.
TTG has teamed up with React Surveys to simulate a realistic booking process each week – that means a mystery shopper looking for the best deal from agents and operators on the high street, online, on TV or in newspapers. The Mystery Shopper research is carried out on behalf of TTG by React Surveys,and no further details or information can be disclosed. Researchers take into consideration first impression, sales process, product and budget match and extras offered before giving an unbiased opinion of which channel/company they would have booked with on that occasion. We do not claim that the winner is the best in an area or specialist sector, as we may report on competing travel firms in the future. Please note that the aim of Mystery Shopper is not to criticise individual agents or companies, but to promote good sales technique for the benefit of all in the travel trade.
