Travel employers face a significant challenge in attracting and retaining talent. Whenever I meet with travel agency owners I repeatedly hear them say that talent retention is among their top five challenges, and with good reason. As competition in the industry intensifies, it becomes clear that “People Power” is a travel company’s best asset. Travel employers should consider four golden rules to ensure their business is a magnet for talent.
1. Recruit candidates with full passports
Typically, travel professionals are young, energetic, and drawn to work in travel because of their love of exploration and desire to travel. But in the past, that hasn’t necessarily meant that they needed to be experienced travellers. Clients went to them for a reservation service, rather than expert advice. But that is now changing, due to the evolution of online travel. Travellers have an easily accessible channel to book point-to-point travel online, and when they turn to a travel agent, they are looking for the kind of expert advice that can’t be found on a website. Travel employers will need to recruit team members who are not only passionate about travel, but people who have a passport filled with stamps and travel experiences.
2. Hire people who understand technology and are open to change
A day in the life of a travel professional today involves a heavy element of administration. Calls to confirm fares with airlines, looking up customer information in hard-copy files, and telephone calls to clients to confirm details or make changes to a reservation. But all that is changing, with travel agencies realising that it makes sense to embrace new technology to free up consultant time for customer service. As a leader in not only distribution technology, but also IT development, Amadeus is working with travel professionals across Asia Pacific to update technology systems and automate manual processes, so they can focus on their customers. Travel employers should seek to hire individuals who are comfortable with technology, and embrace the critical need for change.
3. Provide a career, not just a job
A 2011 study on global employee engagement by BlessingWhite Research revealed that “lack of career growth opportunities” was the number one reason for leaving a job. The study showed that employees worldwide view opportunities to apply their talents, career development and training as the top drivers of job satisfaction. This is contrary to popular belief that salary is the primary driver!
Travel employers need to ensure that they provide a career plan for employees and ongoing professional education to help employees develop new skills. Amadeus has partnered with the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) to run training courses for travel agents in various markets across Asia Pacific, enabling them to earn a Corporate Travel Expert (CTE) designation. This type of training helps travel professionals to develop skills in new specialised areas, and achieve professional qualifications to build their career.
4. Create a workplace that encourages travel and offers incentives
A young professional who chooses to embark on a career in the travel industry is clearly someone who has been bitten by the travel bug. Why not encourage employees to travel, by offering incentives for strong performance or team trips to recognise company achievements? An employer who follows through on this strategy will achieve two objectives – firstly, they will motivate employees to achieve targets and remain with the company, and secondly, they will be improving their overall service offering by developing true travel gurus, rather than just booking agents.
There are many rewards and opportunities for a professional who chooses a career in travel, and there are many rising stars in our industry. But for a travel agency to attract the best talent they will need to select the right candidates who fit the new profile of today’s travel professional, and then keep them motivated with a real career path and ongoing professional development. People Power will be a key differentiator for travel agencies as our industry evolves, and the agencies who are magnets for the best talent will be the ones who thrive and succeed.
