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Multiples treat customers ‘like a number’ says ex-Lunn Poly boss
Multiples treat their customers as little more than a number with little interest in getting to know them or establishing any loyalty, according to former Lunn Poly boss John McEwan.
The managing director of Advantage Travel Centres, who spent many years working for the vertically integrated operators, told a debate on the future of travel agents that, “by and large”, high street chains are only interested in sales, not people.
The comments will confirm what many in the industry have been claiming for years.
McEwan, speaking at TravelMole’s Travel Industry Question Time in London, said independent agents can cash in by exploiting their ability to offer customers service.
But he also urged the sector to mirror the supermarket giants by getting to know their clients better by “touching” the customer far more often.
“Sainsbury’s know an incredible amount about their customers and an effective customer relationship strategy does not need to be high-tech,” said McEwan. “I can tell you that, by and large, customers coming through the door (of a multiple) are, by and large regarded as a transaction, as a head.
“Really good quality independents know their customers….but retailers can be smarter. They should be touching the customer not just when they book and when they pick up their tickets but six or eight times a year.”
He added that “ironically and paradoxically”, independents are becoming stronger in today’s ultra-competitive market while the multiples are “contracting on the high street.”
Report by Steve Jones
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