A Day in the Life of Our Reservations Team It’s 5:30 pm and John Scaggs is just getting off a call with a customer. It’s a surprisingly busy afternoon for late August, but the assistant manager of reservations is unfazed. “We get a lot of a last-minute reservations for fall trips at this time of year,” he says. After five and a half years working the call centers and processing reservations for ATA’s client organizations, John can pinpoint when his team can expect an influx of calls. October and February, for instance, are busy booking months, and just before 5 pm on Fridays, the phones seem to ring off the hook. If you’re picturing circuit boards lit up with customers on hold, or frustrated future travelers caught in a tangle of automated voices and choices, you’d be wrong. “Our phone tree is short,” says John. “Ideally within seconds, you have a human being picking up who won’t transfer you out to another department.” They’ll create or consult the traveler record, answer questions, give out their extension, and follow up. “Continuity is there.” When we operate your call center, we become you. Learn More John’s team handles all manner of situations and questions, everything from “Do I need a visa?” to “Do the beds in my hotel face East?” He points out that his team rarely has to sell an itinerary: “marketing does its job,” he says, and callers tend to know want they want. “They need us to clear the hurdles and make it happen.” To run a call center, the reservations specialists need to be fully versed in all the travel programs the client organization offers, including the destinations and hotels featured and the study leader or expert who lead the trips. When they pick up the phone, they are representatives of the brand: they introduce themselves with the organization’s name, and they send emails from its domain. So how do you train to become your client? “It takes time,” says John. It also takes comprehensive briefings that cover the client’s website, database, and reservation protocol as well as each travel program’s itinerary and potential clientele. “We learn the most from the guests themselves—by talking to them we get to know the personality of the brand.” “Within seconds, you have a human being picking up who won’t transfer you out to another department.” -John Scaggs, Assistant Manager of Reservations It makes a difference. “There have been many times when I’ve been able to say, ‘Here’s what we’re offering for this price: what’s included, what you’ll see and do. And here’s what makes it different: our expert, the educational aspect. You can’t do this on your own.’” It’s gratifying to be able to bring a caller from lukewarm to “Yes, I’m going to sign up.” Traditionally, after the reservation team handles inquiries and reservations, they hand off the new booking to the guest services department. They speed-date, goes the office joke, while the guest services staff courts the traveler until departure. But the reservation team’s responsibilities don’t end there. They manage inventory for all clients, coordinate with a client’s other tour operators to maintain brand consistency, and maintain a range of client databases to make sure traveler records are up to date. And while the team is in charge of acting as a call center for a number of our U.S.-based client organizations, it also represents the call center for some international travel brands. Life on the reservations team is fast-paced and dynamic, and while multi-tasking and great oral and written communications skills are critical for doing the job, a sense of humor keeps you going. The rewards often come when talking to travelers. John remembers a World War II veteran who tried to book a D-Day trip on the 70th anniversary but was 30 down on the wait list. When a spot miraculously opened up, John got to make the call and confirm his reservation. And occasionally a couple will call to book an anniversary trip, and they’re so excited they’re talking over each other. The enthusiasm can be contagious. After all, “these are life-changing experiences,” says John, “We’re playing a part in this transformation.”
Behind the Scenes
Why We Attend Women in the World
One snowy evening back in the winter of 2015, I made my way to a gathering of women in a DC hotel ballroom called “Women in the World.” The panels—made up of impressive women representing a variety of fields—gave me my first taste of “live journalism” as legendary writer and editor Tina Brown defines it: “vivid storytelling, stirring videos, and provocative discussions.” I was hooked! The following spring, Kate Simpson, ATA’s President, and I attended the 3-day WITW summit at Lincoln Center in New York, and have attended each year since then. This year, Kate summarized the activists, politicians, CEOs and changemakers that we saw on stage: “From Stacey Abrams to Hillary Clinton, from Ashley Judd to the Soloway sisters (creators of Transparent), from a Uighur woman fighting the detention camp policies of China to a Jordanian woman who established the first self-defense school for women in the Middle East, from exiled Masih Alinejad who started a social media campaign in Iran for women to remove their hijabs to Ibtihaj Muhammad, the Olympic medalist in fencing, from Indra Nooyi (former Pepsico CEO) to Cindy McCain and Glenda Jackson… The list of women changing the world was long and powerful.” Not only does this mini-retreat in New York feed our souls, it has been the catalyst and inspiration for us to continue to make our company better and stronger. Here are some of the changes we’ve made since attending the conference. We offer paid parental leave: Kate and I are both mothers who strung together vacation leave and sick days to fashion our maternity leaves, as many, many mothers before us have done and continue to do. We knew we could do better for ATA’s new parents, and set out to find a way. What began as a new staff policy of two weeks of paid maternity leave four years ago has become a new benefit of 8 weeks of paid parental leave for either father or mother. We no longer request salary history from job candidates: Requesting salary history in the hiring process disproportionately harms women who exit the work force more frequently than men in the course of their careers to raise their families. As a result, women can fall behind in salary. Our own instincts were validated at Women in the World when we heard Chirlane McCray, wife of New York City major Bill DeBlasio, speak passionately about her work to ban the practice entirely in New York. As a result, our hiring practices are more transparent than ever, and salary history is never a factor in determining a new employee’s starting salary. We established a diversity and inclusion committee: We are a company that embraces difference and celebrates diverse cultures, and we believe in learning from those who do not share our backgrounds, our viewpoints, our experiences. We embrace these values both within our work and our workplace. Diversity within the workplace engenders enriched innovation and creativity, as well as better-informed decisions and well-rounded perspectives. The ATA Diversity and Inclusion Committee, founded formally a couple of years ago, has drafted recommendations on promoting diversity in our recruiting practices and continues to lead our staff training curriculum. We remain committed to our philanthropic goals: Attending Women in the World reminds us that the world’s problems need passionate advocacy and a steadfast commitment to find solutions. We remain committed to our areas of philanthropy: diversifying the field of study abroad through our sponsorship of The Fund for Education Abroad, advancing the travel industry’s positive social and environmental impact with Tourism Cares, supporting displaced peoples through the International Rescue Committeeand conserving our local environment with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. We can’t wait for next year!
A Trip Concept We Didn’t Expect: Yellowstone During the Government Shutdown
Airline strikes, lost passports, political unrest: dealing with the unexpected is probably the most predictable part of the travel business—and we pride ourselves on being prepared for whatever comes our way. This past January presented a conundrum of a different sort: we had nearly 40 travelers booked on two New York Times Journeys departures of Winter in Yellowstone—and the U.S. government was shut down indefinitely. We immediately contacted our partners on the ground and were able to run the full itinerary with a few logistical adjustments. As the first group arrived, our quick-thinking tour manager Caroline Ogden made contact with an area non-profit and found out that local businesses and vendors had come together voluntarily to keep the park running—cleaning and stocking the bathrooms, emptying the trash, providing freebies to the furloughed park staff. In the evenings, our groups sought out those businesses, including two restaurants in Gardiner, Montana. We ended up meeting the owners and getting to know members of the local community who were volunteering their time to take care of this national treasure. Over the past 50 years, ATA has faced its fair share of crises great and small, and we’ve weathered them all by being nimble, creative, and building strong relationships with our partners. Instead of being hampered by the shutdown, both of these trips became something more than any of us expected: our travelers forged an intimate connection with Yellowstone’s community and became involved in the inspiring local effort to help the park. Says Caroline, “When things don’t go as planned, there is almost always a silver lining if we reach out and talk to people. I think ATA does a great job at building connections whenever possible. Those are the unexpected experiences that participants will remember, and I will too!”
Wellness Around the World
Q&A with Tour Manager Kyra Sudofsky Wellness travel is no longer considered only to be a high-end spa vacation. Today, it encompasses everything from yoga retreats to tech detoxes. It’s about traveling with a purpose to promote health and well-being. Wellness travel is rising in popularity. That shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the wellness industry grew over 10% between 2013-2015. Tourism now makes up $563 billion of the $3.7 trillion growing industry, according to the Global Wellness Institute. Expanding into wellness travel is a great way for companies operating in the health and wellness sector to extend their brand reach and capitalize on the growing popularity of wellness. We recently partnered with Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and this spring marked their first-ever international wellness program to India. We had the chance to speak with a former Academic Travel Abroad program manager, seasoned tour leader, Kripalu ayurvedic counselor, and dedicated yoga instructor, Kyra Anastasia Sudofsky. Read on to gain insight on wellness travel and the success of Kripalu’s inaugural international program. Q: Hi, Kyra! Tell us a little bit about yourself. A: I’ve been working as a tour manager with ATA for almost 25 years. I have traveled all over the world, throughout Europe and Asia. It has been a pleasure to work with such a professional company and to meet interesting people from many cultures and backgrounds. Q: Have you ever participated in a wellness travel program before? A: Yes, many times. I have led retreats to Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, West Virginia, and Hawaii. These trips typically included a strong element of yoga and meditation as well as a focus on healthy cuisine. Q: How did you get involved with the Kripalu organization? A: I have been attending classes at Kripalu for over 27 years! I started while still a student at the University of Massachusetts, and I worked in the Kripalu kitchen during spring break. Kripalu is a very special place for me, and I know I will continue to return over and over again. Q: What motivated you to lead the Kripalu Yoga trip to India? A: It was a dream come true for me to unite ATA and Kripalu. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time! I liked the idea of connecting my two loves, yoga and travel. Q: Describe a typical day on the Kripalu program in India. What activities did travelers participate in? A: We typically began each day with a yoga class and then went on a sightseeing excursion. One of the group’s favorite excursions was visiting a local school and teaching yoga to the children. We also had the opportunity to make bread at a Sikh temple and dine with a local family in their home. The extension was much more active than the main program. While staying at the SwaSwara resort, we had more time to relax and enjoy Ayurvedic treatments. Q: What makes India a good location for a Yoga trip? A: India is where yoga originated. It makes so much sense to travel to India for anyone interested in yoga, spirituality, or meditation. Q: What other destinations would be ideal for wellness travel? A: There is so much that can be done in India, but other excellent destinations include Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Greece, Italy, France, Indonesia, Nepal, and Bhutan. Q: What was the most meaningful or memorable part about the trip? (for you or the travelers) A: The highlight for me was making new friends from Kripalu and in India. We were fortunate to have such a cohesive and wonderful group of like-minded people. Kripalu’s first international wellness trip was a huge success! Mandie Dixon, a Kripalu traveler, reminisced, “The trip was awe inspiring. The yoga and ayurveda was above excellence in subject content and delivery. The food, lodging, and tour was outstanding in comfort, and the leaders were knowledgeable and caring. This trip changed my life and will forever be in my heart.” We look forward to working with Kripalu on future programs as the demand for wellness travel continues to grow.
