An agent has taken up British Sign Language (BSL) to support her local deaf community, securing five-figure bookings and earning recommendations from customers across the Midlands.
Hays Travel Branch Manager Kelly Irvine took up classes after work to help deaf customers book holidays independently, and to give her more confidence when arranging their trips.
Kelly, who is manager of the Allestree store in Derby, started learning around two years ago after a group of 15 customers, all but one of whom are deaf, came into the branch to enquire about a cruise.
“I just didn’t want them to feel frustrated or excluded because at the end of the day, booking a holiday is meant to be exciting and enjoyable,” she said. “I wanted to remove those barriers from them.”
Kelly discovered that the group took it in turns each year to organise holidays for everyone, as arranging trips could be stressful and time-consuming. But the customers wanted to be able to travel independently, rather than always holidaying together, and were unsure where to start.
She decided to take a BSL course to make communication easier, and can now sign conversationally, taking new customers’ details, filling in medical forms and chatting about the weather and upcoming plans, all in sign language.
“You can tell they appreciate it when they come into the shop,” she said. “I mean, they WhatsApp me saying, are you in this week? Okay, we’ll come at this time. And then they come in and they wait for me.”
Kelly has also encouraged colleagues to learn some signs so they can make customers feel welcome when they visit the branch.
“Now my staff are starting to learn the basics. They know how to ask the customer if they want a drink, a tea, coffee, milk, water.”
The skills have helped her build relationships with deaf customers in the local community, with some recommending her to friends and family.
“So in Derby, we have a very big, from what we found out, a very big deaf community. But they’re recommending people not even local to us. I’ve got people coming over from Nottingham. I’m booking their friends and families and they FaceTime me while they’re in the shop.
“I love it. I absolutely love it. And it makes them feel really special as well.”
One deaf customer spent around six hours with Kelly planning a trip to Canada, entirely in BSL, which resulted in an £18,000 booking through First Class Holidays. The holiday included travel from Canada’s east to west coast and a journey on the Rocky Mountaineer.
“It was a long time, but it needed to be to make sure it was right for them.” added Kelly. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether they’re deaf or not. It’s about them and what’s right for them.”
Kelly’s approach is about making sure deaf customers can access the same personal service as other travellers.
She added: “It wasn’t necessarily about going the extra mile to get the sales. Obviously that’s nice getting the sales. But for me, it was making the customer feel valued and understood.
“The sales are a wonderful thing and that’s what I’m in the job for, but it was never about that.
“Just because they can’t hear me, it doesn’t mean they’re any less important than any of my other customers.
“I’m a strong believer that I want to treat others the same as I would like to be treated. I think that’s just a life lesson for everybody, whether it’s in travel or anything.
“And it’s going to make lasting relationships with them.”
