Hold times at tour operator call centres are a major issue these days, as large operators struggle with labour shortages and soaring inquiries as travel restrictions are lifted around the world. But at least one company seems to be getting it right.
Collette President Jaclyn Leibl-Cote reports that despite a record number of calls for bookings in April, guests and travel advisors are only being placed on hold for an average of two minutes. The company credits upgrades it made during the downtime caused by the pandemic.
In April, Collette reported more than 29,000 calls, an increase of 50% over January. Then in early May, Collette experienced its best sales week since 2019.
"As people worked from home during the pandemic, we realized that we could transform our call centre so that it was spread out geographically and better able to serve our guests all over the world," said Leibl-Cote. "At the same time, we made a significant investment in the newest technology so that our systems today are state-of-the art."
Today, 60% of Collette's 140 call centre employees are located at Collette's Pawtucket, RI headquarters; as well as Henderson, Nevada; Vancouver and Toronto, Canada; and Sydney Australia. Prior to the pandemic, just 10% were remote. Currently, Collette's call centre count is at 80% of pre-pandemic levels, but Leibl-Cote is confident the company will return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year and that it will continue to hire as travel demand increases.
"Based on the numbers of calls and bookings, we see wonderful things ahead, not just for Collette but for the entire travel industry and for travellers," Leibl-Cote added.
Collette stakes a claim as the first tour operator to resume travel operations in 2020, operating 45 departures across the U.S. between July-October 2020. Since the start of the pandemic, Collette has operated more than 1,100 departures and has been operating internationally for 13 consecutive months (March 2021-April 2022).
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