Agents attending HX Expeditions’ mega fam this month were told they risk losing repeat business by failing to encourage customers to book their next cruise with staff on board the ships.
The expedition line introduced an onboard sales programme eight months ago, offering guests who rebook a range of incentives such as discounts, a price guarantee and a 10% deposit instead of the usual 25%.
However, Mark Walter, Sales Director for UK and Northern Europe, said guests are reluctant to rebook because they’re worried their agents will miss out.
“Clients feel disloyal to agents, but you pick up the business and clients pick up the benefits,” Mark told 350 agents attending the two-day mega fam, which included 110 agents from the UK. “It is low-hanging fruit and a great way to earn commission.
“Please have the confidence to embrace the programme. You get full commission for every booking, but we do all the heavy lifting, and it’s automatically allocated back to you, our trade partners.”
Mark said the reason he had introduced the onboard sales programme was to support agents, but he said: “The trade hasn’t really followed it up. They don’t really know about it, but it’s a nice easy sell.
“There is a bit of hesitation from clients [to rebook] because they feel disloyal to their agent, but the reality is that we are not taking agents out of the picture.
“Agents should encourage clients to rebook on board for all the benefits they get, such as the discount, the cooling off period and the price promise, but that hasn’t been happening.
“Our TripAdvisor reviews and our customer satisfaction scores are phenomenal, but the bit that is missing is what the client is doing next.”
Given that a typical HX booking is £20,000, Mark said agents were potentially missing out on thousands of pounds of commission.
To further encourage trade bookings, HX – which is 130 years old this year – is offering agents £130 in shopping vouchers, for six high street stores, for every new booking until 31 July.
Other incentives include free cabin upgrades from a balcony cabin to a mini suite on select sailings booked before the end of July, plus HX has trade rates from as little as 25% for agents and a companion booking 150 days out.
To further celebrate its 130th anniversary, the cruise line has recreated a three-berth cabin from 1896, the ‘golden era’ of exploration, which guests can book for one night, for an extra €100 per person. Half the money will go to the HX Foundation.
It is also hoping to host 15 agents, mostly from the UK, on a fam trip to Antarctica in November. Further details about how agents can earn a place will be revealed at a later date.
