I read Jan Carlzon's book, Moments of Truth, many years ago. It was one of the most powerful customer service and experience books at the time, and the content aligned perfectly with my idea of creating Moments of Magic for our customers. Carlzon's definition of the Moment of Truth was:
Anytime a customer comes into contact with a business, however remote, they have an opportunity to form an impression.
Getting your first negative review feels a bit like having an unexpected fall—it takes you by surprise, stings pretty bad and take a hot minute for (our egos, in this case) to heal. And though garnering negative reviews of any kind are never the desired outcome, how you respond to them could steer you in a more positive direction and might even change the mind of the unhappy client in question.
People across all industries are setting their sights on expanding their businesses or pivoting to offer something new to match our ever-changing world. Group travel professionals are no exception! One such area of expansion worth considering is student travel, as the market is seeing fast-moving recovery and schools and educators are itching to get students back out on the road.
There are countless benefits to being and having a mentor, and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone in the travel industry who hasn't been impacted by mentorship in some way. By building this relationship, both mentor and mentee benefit from lifelong learning, an expansion of their professional networks and the development of more fulfilling careers.
As difficult as it may sometimes be, there are times when you simply have to draw a line in the sand when it comes to ending a client relationship.
Whether the parting of ways is mutual, born out of a misalignment of expectations or otherwise, it's never a pleasant step to have to take. Thinking about breaking up with a client? Here are some considerations that could help inform your next steps.