Despite seeing a record number of calls for bookings in APR, guests and travel advisors are only being placed on hold for an average of two minutes, according to Collette President Jaclyn Leibl-Cote, thanks to upgrades the tour operator made during the pandemic.
In APR 2022, Collette reported more than 29,000 calls — an increase of 50 per cent over JAN 2022. In MAY 2022, Collette experienced its best sales week since 2019. A record number of calls have been met with just a two minute average wait time, the tour operator said.
“As people worked from home during the pandemic, we realized that we could transform our call center so that it was spread out geographically and better able to serve our guests all over the world,” said Leibl-Cote. “At the same time, we made a significant investment in the newest technology so that our systems today are state-of-the art.”
Currently, 60 per cent of Collette’s 140 Call Center employees are located at Collette’s Pawtucket, Rhode Island headquarters; as well as Henderson, Nevada; Vancouver and Toronto, Canada; and Sydney, Australia.
Prior to the pandemic, just 10 per cent of Call Center employees were remote. Currently, Collette’s Call Center count is at 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, but Leibl-Cote says the company is confident it will be fully staffed back to pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year and that Collette will continue to hire as travel demand increases.
“Based on the numbers of calls and bookings, we see wonderful things ahead—not just for Collette but for the entire travel industry and for travelers,” Leibl-Cote added.
For more information on Collette, visit its web site.
