The scheme, which will run from 1 December to 30 September 2024, is open to all Hays retail employees, from apprentices to branch managers.

Hays will name a monthly winner from each of its 20 regions over the next 10 months; this list will then be whittled down to 22 regional winners, to be announced in October 2024, before the agency’s divisional service managers choose winners across Hays’ five divisions.

All five will be invited to the 2024 Hays Travel retail conference, where one of the finalists will be crowned national Be The Sunshine champion.

Announcing the scheme to branch managers at the agency’s annual conference this week, retail director Jane Schumm said: “You’re at the forefront. You really are the best people to be dealing with our customers – we want to give you something a little bit special.

"For those of you who flippantly say, ‘it’s just my job’ – we know that, but we want you to know that we appreciate everything you do.”

But Schumm also dismissed any notion winning the top prize would be easy. “We’ll be coming after you for evidence," she added.

Monthly winners will get a certificate, £100 cash and access to social media assets to promote their success, while regional winners will be awarded £1,000 in cash, a bronze certificate and a badge.

Divisional winners get an extra £1,000 plus a silver certificate and badge, while the national Be The Sunshine winner will get a further £3,000, a trophy and an upgraded badge for their uniform.

Emphasising the theme of service excellence, Hays Travel owner Dame Irene Hays closed the conference with a quote from Weymouth branch manager Hayley Gadd, who was named Branch Manager of the Year at the 2023 Travel Industry Awards by TTG.

“It’s not our usual day job, but you’re showing everyone what kind of person that you are and that you care," said Gadd in an interview with TTG. "And that’s the sort of person I’d trust to book my holiday, someone who cares.”

Dame Irene also reiterated the importance of Hays’ retail staff. "You and your people are the most important people in the company who hold that power in your hands – what you do day in and day out," she said.

“I always talk about the importance of listening to what our customers want. We have a reputation for that. The ability to listen carefully and translate into reality – and the easiest most seamless, most simple transaction to get that out of the way so those people can off and enjoy their holiday.”

She recounted a moment nearly 20 years ago where her late husband, Hays Travel founder John Hays, was asked at an Abta conference whether the days of high street travel retailing were over.

“Here we are”, she said emphatically. “All these years later, and we have a significant increase in the number of people who are new to booking in s high street travel agency across every demographic.”

Dame Irene stressed the vital importance of customer service, while also acknowledging her own lack of experience in the area having not worked on the frontline herself.

“It’s about going above the beyond the expectation," she continued. "Are we just taking an order for a holiday? Is that what we’re about? Or do want to become part of their journey?”

’Where’s your pixie dust?’

She told delegates about her “one example” of providing an above and beyond service when she and John were organising an evening event for customers who had spent a significant amount of money with Hays Travel at the time.

Talking to one client who had taken a 160-day cruise, Dame Irene said she learnt how he had got into a competition with another passenger about the number of shoes their wives had taken on the trip, with the Hays client losing by 72-68.

“This particular couple were going on another very long cruise so John and I asked what was it that would transform things for them,” she said.

This resulted in them calling the client’s cruise line to ask if their chef would make a pair of chocolate shoes and place them on the clients’ bed with a card that said: “Just in case there’s another shoe competition."

Hays said her client must “have sent 120 pictures on Instagram". “What’s the pixie dust you can put on for your customer?” she challenged the audience.