Happy New Year to all of you… well, I actually mean happy to include lots of fun and laughter and also wish you a healthy New Year.

Our industry loves statistics and reasons for everything- we will predict more bookings if there is snow and if it’s not as busy as anticipated, it’s because the public could not get out and get the brochure or visit their travel agent.

Will this year be as busy because it is election year?

It is also the World Cup for football and so it goes on and on.

Whilst I say this, it is historically true that for many of us one of our busiest booking months is January – well it is early days so I will let you know later if this rings true for 2010.

Whilst I am typing this my internet is down and I am waiting in a call queue to the provider – I keep getting taped messages saying ‘due to weather there is an unprecedented demand of enquiries for those that cannot get into internet’- the message keeps coming back saying ‘you will wait at least 15 minutes’ – well I have already waited over 15 minutes. It just goes to show how impatient we all are – or am I just speaking for myself? With all the technology available one comes to expect an improvement in speed and communications and we are not tolerant when things break down. I would be mortified if any of you had to wait so long on the phone for Bales – we aim to pick up at three rings and also to respond to email requests immediately (if the technology allows us to!).

I do find that as a generalisation those companies that sell us the tools to communicate more with technology are not good at personal communications themselves, well they may be when selling the systems but the support teams very rarely come up to the customer standards we are promised when we buy the ‘kit’. I am sorry to those that provide these services but it is my experience and I take pride in knowing Bales and indeed our new parent company have excellent customer service standards right from the planning and booking of your journey all the way through to your return home.

Great news that retail in general had a very good Christmas and New Year and that though we know it is going to be another very tough year for many, there is a bit of a buzz from some areas of the population and a positivity that 2010 is going to be better.

For myself, I believe if we ensure we continue to motivate and develop the Bales internal team and give them job enjoyment and satisfaction they will in turn keep delivering our promise of passion for customer service.

So who made New Year resolutions? I haven’t for a few years but decided that I would make some for this year – I am already thinking that I was over zealous and I have yet to commence with some of them, for instance: a friend and I are going to start art classes on Thursday evenings- last time I joined a class with my brother and I only attended 2 classes for the whole term because of work commitments. If anyone has the secret of work life balance- please share it with those of us that muddle through – in fact you could even sell the secret – I am sure it would be a winner!!! Steve and I have decided we are definitely going to go on the trip to Nepal that we cancelled in November and will do the Annapurna trek – so that is something else to aim for. My step son Mathew is doing a kind of triathlon – – it is canoeing, hill walking and cycling- and I said I would love to do it- so he challenged me to up a team – watch out Mathew I might just take you up on this!!

About Mandy Nickerson

Other articles by Mandy Nickerson

Mandy endeavours to share her travel experiences (where she will 'tell it like it is') and also detail the latest exciting projects that she is involved in. Mandy welcomes your feedback - please feel free to submit your thoughts, queries, comments and theories below.