The life of a travel agent is nothing as glamorous as others may think. The past few weeks have been challenging to say the least. I say this because technology is attempting to replace the travel agent—again. I’ve received calls from potential clients requesting quotes only to compare them to what they have found on the internet.

I have been interacting with honeymooners whose main interest is to find the best “deal”. Many like the fact that they can go online and book their entire trip with the online travel agency-which means cutting out the travel agent altogether. But instead of getting discouraged, I’ve decided it’s time to adapt to the changing market. I need to convince my clients that I have the expertise and knowledge…

“Hire the best people to make it happen, and bump the lamp.”

Be Our Guest: Perfecting The Art of Customer Service - by the Disney Institute & Theodore Kinni, page 28

I have noticed over the years that due to the nature of your work that when it comes time to filling the void left by a former employee, the knee-jerk response is to “fill the seat” and get on with business. Another tendency is to look for someone with direct travel experience. This is definitely one huge mistake, and in all probability, two huge…