On The Deck: Chris Truscott
Guest Writers are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the specific writer directly
There are few cruise lines that generate as many headlines today as Cunard Line and P&O Cruises. The two companies – both part of Carnival Corp – are renowned for their inherent British ideals. Although from very different perspectives. For Cunard it’s old world, liner luxury. The more mass market P&O is arguably the most British cruise line operating today. So with such interest in the two cruise lines, the recent personnel announcements have unsurprisingly caused something of a stir. Managing director of P&O Cruises Carol Marlow and president & CEO of Cunard Peter Shanks are both on their way out, due to be replaced by a different corporate structure under the Carnival UK umbrella. Complete Cruise Solution has also undergone changes; primarily the repositioning of Princess Cruises away from Cunard and P&O. We caught up with Chris Truscott, head of sales for the British brands – and himself only four months into the job – to see what his plans are for challenge ahead.
What does your role as head of sales encompass?
I look after our sales teams across the travel agent community and also our sales operations team, which is a trade support team in terms of trade communications. That also covers CCS.com, the training academy and our field sales as well. The role obviously includes both P&O Cruises and Cunard Line.
How have you got to grips with the role?
I did a lot of work prior to joining Carnival UK. I spent some time talking to agents prior to joining, I attended industry events to meet the trade and this helped me get to speed with other brands and our position in the market. Understanding agents’ businesses is hugely important; it’s the way we’re going to help ascertain what they need and the opportunities that are out there.
How do you think the relationship is between the trade and Cunard and P&O?
We’ve seen some very strong business delivery in end of year performance, which we’re very happy with. I’ve spoken to agents far and wide to get a feel for their businesses, no matter how big or small, to get a feel for the challenges they face. Clearly in terms of the ‘agent matters’ campaign I announced last week, we are looking to provide a forum to work with agents to work and identify mutually beneficial business opportunities.
Can you explain what the ‘agent matters’ campaign entails?
There are four aspects to the campaign. The first is the agent survey, so for all trade members we deal with, we will be able to get their views in a more quantitative manner. I’ve spoken to a lot of agents and I want to spread that net as far and wide possible. The second part of the campaign is us continuing to proactively talk to agents so as to identify those previously mentioned mutually beneficial opportunities. The third is a new email address we’ve set up – agency.sales@cunardpocruises.com – which is a direct method of contacting us and discussing business opportunities whether agents deal with us currently or not. Then the fourth area is around industry involvement – working closer with CLIA for the benefit of the industry.
What do you expect it to achieve?
There are some great agents out there who provide fantastic levels of customer service. These are agents who have access to customers – not just within cruise – but from across the holiday market. They are extremely knowledgeable, experienced and capable of handling their customer base. We have to work together to seize the opportunity to grow both our businesses.
You’ve also implemented some bonus payments? What do those entail?
It’s available on cruises from an 8 September departure date through to and including 31 December for our top agents. The must be for seven-night or more and need to be sold 60 days prior to departure to qualify for payment. It’s a simple, straight amount per passenger for the first two passengers per cabin based on them paying full fare.
Would you ever consider raising agency commissions to 10% in the future?
In the case of our bonus payments, they are only available to our most supportive agents. Our team is always willing to talk to agents who want to develop their business. I’ve already referenced agent feedback, which is something I see as being critical to our relationship going forward.
So if the feedback from agents came back that 10% commissions would be mutually beneficial, the team would listen to that and possible action the increase?
On this occasion it’s a specific activity but we will look at any opportunities to discuss our business going forward. With regard to the commission changes which were put in place a couple of years ago, the feedback I’ve had from the trade is that it has been well received in terms of its effectiveness at removing discounting from the marketplace. Many agents told us that the entire discounting problem was a huge drain on their time and one which was confusing to the consumer too.
How can agents become part of the bonus payments?
On this specific occasion we are dealing with specific agents who have a history with us but my team is always willing to hear from agents that are looking to increase their business with P&O or Carnival.
I recognise that a travel agent has their own business at heart and rightly so. I’ve seen some great travel agents out there who are fantastic at what they do and I want to promote them from a mutually beneficial standpoint.
What does the year ahead hold for P&O and Cunard?
We’re seeing really strong demand for our cruises on balance for the year. We just need to make sure we maximise the opportunity for our agent partners and ourselves, which is priority number one. Equal to that is that we establish the agent matters campaign, continue to talk to agents and continue our engagement with the trade via emails, the phone and face-to-face to help inform everyone of how we intend to develop our business going forward.
Comments are closed.