Thomson and First Choice’s 24/7 Holidayline is gearing up to take its millionth call in August as thousands of holidaymakers jet off on their summer getaways.
2013-08-16 — /travelprnews.com/ — The service, which ensures customers can receive assistance at any point in their holiday, will have helped a million customers since the 24/7 Holidayline took its very first call in 2007. The month of August is the busiest time for the team, and it is expecting to receive around 100,000 calls and 87,000 text messages.
The service is available around the clock to customers in all resorts by phone, email or text. People are able to get in touch with a member of the team exactly when and where they want, and they will be on hand to deal with a wide variety of enquiries, whether it’s sorting out a trip or activities, providing local information on the resort or fixing any issues.
Kathryn Ward, Director of Retail, Financial Services and Contact Centres for Thomson and First Choice said: “We are really excited about our 24/7 Holidayline taking its millionth call. It proves that this is an extremely valuable service to customers and it is just one of the many ways in which we are ensuring we provide the best possible service to our customers. With countries all over the world operating in different times zones, it’s important to have support for customers round the clock in a way which suits them, whether that’s email, text, phone or face to face. The team is always on hand to help. It doesn’t just stop at the Holidayline either, our social media team is now also 24/7 so customers can get hold of an advisor, regardless of the time of day, in the most suitable or convenient way for them. ”
Having received nearly a million calls, the questions the 24/7 Holidayline team deal with on a daily basis are extremely varied, however they have identified the five most commonly asked questions:
1) Holiday Extensions – No one wants their getaway to end and we’d all like to extend our holidays a little to avoid going home to the awful weather, the early morning starts and the school run. It appears more people do this than you’d first think. The 24/7 Holidayline has received hundreds of calls with customers eager to add an extra week to their stay.
2) Excursion Queries – Excursions are a really big part of a customer’s holiday, so it is inevitable that the Holidayline team will answer a range of excursion-related questions. The team are readily available to respond to calls, whether it’s about what time they will be picked up for their trip to Pompeii, the kind of shoes required for the off-road jeep tour in the Cypriot mountains or what slides we recommend at Siam Park in Tenerife!
3) Transfer Queries – Missing a transfer to the airport is not something anyone wants to do. A large amount of calls and texts that the Holidayline team receive from organised customers checking what time their transfer pick up is.
4) Weather Reports – One of the main reasons customers take a holiday is to experience the glorious weather that our resorts offer, so it’s only natural that they would be curious as to what the weather is going to be like. It’s extremely common for customers to plan their activities around the latest weather report and the Holidayline team understand how important this information is.
5) Local Resort Information – Whether customers are looking for a great tapas restaurant, the nearest chemist or a bus that takes them to the other side of the country, the 24/7 Holidayline team are fully equipped to give the most up to date information possible to ensure customers get the most out of their holiday.
In addition to helping with standard customer enquiries, the 24/7 Holidayline also provides a free translation service in partnership with Veritas with translators available in 157 languages, helping to break down language barriers.
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For further information please contact the Thomson & First Choice press office on pressoffice@thomson.co.uk.
TUI UK & Ireland
TUI UK & Ireland is the UK’s largest tour operator, employing a team of 17,000 and serving over 5.5 million customers each year.
Key brands include Thomson and First Choice, who between them account for half of the mainstream market within the UK. Sub brands include Sensatori, Thomson Couples Resorts, Thomson Family Resorts, First Choice Holiday Villages and SplashWorld resorts.
TUI UK & Ireland’s airline, Thomson Airways, is the UK’s third largest airline, with 57 aircraft and over 4,000 employees in the UK & Ireland, These include approximately 780 pilots and 2,600 cabin crew, operating to over 88 destinations in 30 countries. In 2013, Thomson Airways will be the first airline in the UK to take delivery of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and will be flying this on selected long haul routes from 1st May.
Thomson Cruises, also part of TUI UK & Ireland, is the UK’s third largest cruise line with a fleet of four ships.
Contact
Thomson Press Office
e: pressoffice@thomson.co.uk