Here's my ratings

People love to see ratings, right? Well, I get rated every time I book someone and then again everytime one of my clients comes back from a trip. The truth is I love to see my own ratings. Here's the results.

How am I doing?

I've written previously about NPS - Net Promoter scores. This is where my customers rate me on a scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being the best. They fill out a survey from Avoya (not me). Currently my NPS is over 90 which is great since we can never make all the people all the time. Above is a snippet from some recent comments I've received from both newly booked customers and those that have just gotten home from their trips. 10 out of 10 is my goal and I'm right on target right now.

Why does it matter?

Ever read Yelp or search for reviews when looking for places to eat? Customers always give feedback. And it's valuable - whether its positive or negative because we can always learn. I'm very glad my comments continue to be positive as it reinforces what I'm doing.

But negative comments are just as important because it tells me perhaps things could be better. Here's an example:

This person wasn't happy because they were switched between two agents. In this case, the previous agent this customer was working for decided to pursue other ventures and I took over the booking. The other agent represented some things about the itinerary and excursions without documentation. So my answers were not always consistent with the previous agent's answers. That leads to confusion and ultimately disappointment on behalf of the customer.

So I've learned now to be careful about taking over others' bookings. The last thing I want is an unhappy customer.

The Payoff

There's two payoffs with respect to high NPS scores. I get lots of repeat business and my customers are very happy. In fact a majority of my business is now people that have previously booked. They call me when they're ready to travel. And they call me because they had great service and a positive overall experience.

So next time you think of traveling, think about working with a travel agent who consistently earns "10's" from her customers. And of course, one that learns from constructive feedback as well.