Jamie Biesiada
How do you get your clients ready to travel during the winter months, when illness seems almost inescapable?
As of Jan. 17, the CDC reported high levels of acute respiratory illness across the country. Influenza levels were elevated, and Covid-19 was increasing. Levels of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, had peaked in many areas, the CDC said. And those are just the respiratory illnesses the CDC shares information on.
While travel advisors have told me clients take all sorts of measures to avoid getting sick before winter trips - such as taking vitamin supplements and avoiding crowded events -- sometimes, a sickness-related cancellation is bound to happen.
Generally, clients are sicker during the winter, said Amanda Klimak, president and co-owner of Largay Travel in Waterbury, Conn. However, it presents advisors a chance to highlight their status as a trusted advisor to their clients.
Klimak prepared a list of five things advisors can do for clients before they travel so they have a level of comfort if they do have some kind of health challenge.
Here is her list:
• Include a review of cancellation policies and financial risks in your services up front, prior to working with your client. Let them know that it is your job to simplify the supplier policies, and don't forget to include your own cancellation fee in this discussion. Also mention that you will also review how they can protect their investment and themselves with travel insurance.
• Offer insurance, both supplier and third-party insurance, and discuss the benefits as soon as money is transacted from the client to the supplier. Give real-life examples of what can happen; and if they decline insurance, ask them if they are OK possibly losing the entire cost of the trip should they need to cancel at the last minute. For example, ask them, "If you were to have a car accident three days before your trip, are you OK losing $25,000 if you can't travel?" Or, "If you were sick abroad, do you have the funds available to cover hospital costs upfront, as your health insurance may not be accepted?"
• Have a pre-written blog post or email prepared to send to clients 30 to 60 days prior to travel suggesting ways clients can protect themselves from getting sick before they depart. For example, wearing a mask at, or avoiding, large gatherings a few weeks before travel, getting vaccinated for flu or Covid at least two weeks prior to travel, working from home or keeping the kids out of school prior to travel.
• A few weeks before travel, send a note to your client to suggest ways to prepare for the trip if they were to come down with something. This is also a great time to remind them of the protection their travel insurance provides and, if they did decline insurance, to offer them insurance without trip cancellation that covers them once they depart. Recommending that they bring over-the-counter medications that they have used in the past can be super helpful, as packaging and what is offered can vary based on their travel destination. Additionally, if they are traveling to a remote destination, you may suggest that they ask their doctor if they would prescribe an antibiotic medicine to carry for extreme situations. Also, if they purchased insurance, remind them of the concierge services and even telemedicine options that may be offered.
• Lastly, be the client's advocate and assist whenever you can. When things go wrong, this is where you truly shine as a trusted travel advisor, and they will remember this. Keep calm, make no promises and let them know that your job is to assist them. That alone will speak volumes and is something they can't get on the internet or through an AI booking tool. Empathy and compassion go a long way in creating a lasting client-advisor relationship.
Speaking of telehealth
I want to expound on one point here: telehealth.
Last summer, Allianz Partners introduced telehealth services as a benefit for customers.
Klimak recently had a client in a small town in Portugal where there wasn't a major medical center. As a result of a back injury, the client decided to return home early. She was able to use Allianz's telehealth diagnosis to trigger an insurance claim.
"I thought, 'Wow, that is such a great feature,'" Klimak said. "They weren't able to go to a doctor in this little village, but they needed to have the doctor's approval."