Phone Scripts for a Travel Agency: 5 Tips to Avoid Costly Mistakes
During a busy holiday period, one office nearly lost thousands of pounds because travellers with emergencies reached the wrong voicemail. Good phone scripts for a travel agency prevent these costly misunderstandings. They make sure anxious travellers get through to the right person straight away. Here, I share five focused insights from the recording studio. These will help you set up clear, reliable telephony for your business.
1. Distinguish Immediately Between Departures and New Bookings
A clear menu takes the biggest strain off your team during peak times. If someone calls from an airport with a delayed flight, they do not want to wait behind another caller calmly asking about next year's summer holiday. In the studio, I often see travel companies trying to squeeze too many options into one go.
Keep your main choices strictly separate:
- Urgent help for travellers currently on their journey
- Changes or questions about an existing booking
- New holiday plans and consultation calls
Splitting these three paths straight away stops an urgent situation from escalating while your team is preparing a quote.
2. Ask for the Reference Number Upfront
In the studio, I often hear scripts that ask for details only casually towards the end. If a voice actor only mentions after thirty seconds that the caller needs their booking number, the customer will only start looking through travel bags or emails then. My directing tip is always: put practical instructions at the beginning of the sentence. When a voice actor calmly states: "Please have your reference number ready; an advisor can then help you more quickly," your team saves tens of seconds on every call. This time adds up significantly during busy periods.
3. Create a Robust Emergency Script for Out-of-Hours Calls
An emergency script is a specific message that guides callers outside office hours to the right assistance service.
In practice, this is where most problems arise. A travel company that simply states the office is closed leaves a stranded traveller in a panic. In your script, state the exact number available for travel emergencies. Always repeat that number twice. Ask a voice actor to record the phone number deliberately slower, with a short pause between number blocks. This helps callers on a noisy platform write down the digits straight away.
4. Keep the Tone Calm and Reassuring
When travellers call about changed flight times or lost luggage, their stress levels are high. An overly cheerful or hurried voice will only cause frustration. For our Flemish customers, we often use voices that convey calm and empathy in Belgian Dutch. Our Dutch voices are a great match for Dutch travel companies. The intonation should combine warmth and control. The caller needs to feel straight away that their situation is in good hands.
5. Use a Clear Destination-Specific Menu
If your office specialises in bespoke travel, it helps to connect callers directly to the right destination manager. Nothing is more frustrating for a customer than having to tell their entire travel story to someone who only handles city breaks, only to be transferred again to the long-haul tour specialist. Name the regions concisely and directly. This ensures the caller immediately reaches the employee who truly understands the local situation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a travel agency's welcome message be?
Keep your welcome message under twenty seconds. Callers want help quickly, especially when they are travelling. Limit it to a friendly greeting, your office name, and the main menu options.### Should a travel agency provide multilingual phone scripts? For a travel agency in Belgium, multilingualism is often advisable. Ensure a clear choice between Dutch and French. That way, every traveller feels understood in their own language when they have urgent questions.
Do you want to create a professional script for your telephone system? Feel free to browse our ready-made example scripts for inspiration for your organisation. Or contact us for specific voice advice.
Frequently asked questions
Short and to the point. Click to see the answer.
What does a professional phone message cost?
The price depends on how long your text is and which message you need (welcome, menu or hold). As soon as you pick a voice, you see what it costs. Hold music is optional.
What exactly does a buy-out entail in voice-over?
A buy-out is the right to use your recording on a medium (radio, TV, online, telephony) for an agreed period. You'll see it reflected in your price before payment on /tarieven/.
Learn more: buy-out explained · dictionary.
How much does a professional voice-over cost?
The price depends on three factors: the medium (corporate video, radio advert, telephony), the licence duration (1 year, unlimited) and the script length. With Voices, you see the exact price per voice artist before you order. No surprises later on.
A short corporate video starts from a modest amount. A radio advert with national reach costs more due to the buyout (broadcasting rights). Telephone messages are generally the most affordable.
Tip: enter your script for the voice of your choice and you will instantly see the cost.
Is a home demo as good as a studio demo?
- The demo on the profile is your reference. Professional home studios deliver quality suitable for TV, radio, online, and telephony. You explicitly schedule live direction or an external studio in your brief. More: home demo versus studio.
