Travel Agents should educate consumers about travel insurance, says industry leader
Published on 8th November 2014, 10:27
Many travel agents are missing an excellent opportunity to strengthen customer relations – and grow repeat customer business – by educating their customers about the benefits of travel insurance and using their travel suppliers’ white label protection plans, says industry expert Bill McGovern, president of McGovern Associates. McGovern notes that agents don’t always realize that major travel suppliers like the Globus family of brands and Crystal Cruises offer customizable travel coverage that can be tailored to meet the travelers’ specific needs. Some also protect the agents’ commission if the trip is cancelled.
“Travel agents have enough on their plates providing the best possible service to their customers – creating the best itineraries, finding the best deals, and offering advice for a safe and productive trip,” said McGovern. “Sending their customers somewhere else to purchase their trip coverage puts that relation at risk, because the customer is basically on their own in choosing the best plan for their itinerary. Should the customer later submit a claim, they will directly blame the agent if the claim isn’t settled satisfactorily. However, since a wholesale partner can offer more personalized attention to those claims, the travel agent is viewed as providing superior service.”
McGovern observed that most travelers are only familiar with the standard plans that offer trip cancellation and medical coverage. This is where the travel agent can shine. They can educate their customer about the more complex coverage, such as evacuation and search-and-rescue that could be critical for their particular itinerary, and the benefits of purchasing these programs through a trusted source. This is an area where branded coverage could offer the best of both world – perfectly-matched insurance coverage, and more personalized customer service. The beneficiary is the travel agent, whom the customer perceives as being genuinely interested in protecting their investment and the quality of their vacation.
Globus family of brands senior vice president of marketing, Steve Born agreed. “As a trusted travel supplier, we’re on the agents’ side and do not want them to risk the loss of future bookings if their clients submit a claim or are unhappy for any reason about their trips,” he said. “As well, offering partner agents a commission guarantee means that they have peace of mind when they sell our products. We protect their tour commissions when customers who purchased our protection plans cancel the trip due to a covered insurance reason.”
“We take great pride in working with partner agents who also trust us to provide their customers with superior trip protection,” said Edie Rodriguez, president and COO of Crystal Cruises. We appreciate the confidence that a travel agent shows in us, when they select our branded insurance for their customers. Therefore, we’ll do everything possible to quickly address their customers’ insurance needs and make sure they are happy with the end result.”
