Look behind any of the 560-plus home-based personal travel managers (PTMs) spread across Australia and you’ll find a team of people hard at work to ensure that they have all the support they need to succeed.
TravelManagers’ National Partnership Office (NPO) is made up of teams who provide the company’s network of PTMs with support in every area of their business: accounts, ticketing, marketing, product training, supplier issues, and business mentoring. In the current COVID era, with international and domestic travel on long holidays of their own, you would be forgiven for thinking things might be a little quiet around the NPO just now.
“On the contrary,” says Michael Gazal, who is TravelManagers’ Executive general manager. “Our fifty six support staff, although officially on reduced hours, are still busy behind the scenes, providing as much assistance as possible to help our PTMs navigate through the pandemic.
“For example, the Finance, Ticketing and Supplier teams have been crucial to the mammoth task of managing and processing the tens of thousands of refunds and future credits. They’re assisting PTMs in keeping the mid-office system accurately updated with financial adjustments as they come through, stepping in to assist with extraordinary situations and providing moral support to PTMs who are at risk of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation.”
According to Gazal, the Ticketing team has been kept busy by the sheer volume of refunds, changes and cancellations that have been processed in the past seven months. They have been assisting in interpreting the ever-changing airline waiver policies, reissuing tickets and processing refunds, and ensuring that PTMs are kept informed of changes as they occur.
COVID has resulted in a need to find alternative ways to communicate, with many PTMs attending virtual training sessions and weekly video updates, Gazal says. At the same time, the Marketing team has created a range of digital marketing materials such as individual websites, EDMs and social media activities. Some PTMs have also used the time to strategise new, niche product offerings within their domestic travel market.
Meanwhile, the NPO Operations team has been integral to managing the expectations of TravelManagers’ customers, many of whom have seen their long-planned and much-anticipated holiday plans disappear.
“And to ensure that we are well-prepared when international travel does eventually resume,” Gazal says. “We have conducted a network-wide customer survey relating to likely future travel plans. This data has been segmented and shared per PTM so that they have access to their own personalised client data for future reference.
“At a local level, BPMs have been able to conduct socially distanced walking meetings with small groups of PTMs, reverting to a Zoom-based version of the same when required by COVID restrictions.”
As well as the support received from various areas of NPO, the national network of 560 PTMs has been encouraged to stay in touch with one another and reach out to colleagues who may be struggling.
“I have been so fortunate to be working with a great, supportive company like TravelManagers in these crazy COVID times,” says PTM Michelle Michael-Pecora. “The NPO team has been with us every step of the way in all areas, supporting us with our business and our mental health wellbeing.”
“I am always impressed by the friendly, helpful and competent support I receive from the NPO,” adds PTM Pauline Bell from ACT. “I didn’t think it could get any better, but somehow they have exceeded all expectations during this terrible pandemic. From the hard working, friendly and fantastic accounts section and all other sections to the involvement of the management and Executive teams, I thank them for being there for all their personal travel managers.”
IMAGE: Perth-based PTMs Alison Parker, Vikki Southern, Ali Banks (BPM) and Daiana Magalhaes
