Despite only joining the travel industry just over a year ago, Seaside Travel Consultant Carly Taylor-Davis has quickly built a loyal client base – including one customer who now regularly drops into the agency for a cup of tea.

However, this particular client – Joyce – had previously booked all of her holidays with a nearby Hays Travel branch before deciding to try Seaside Travel in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.

"At Seaside Travel, Joyce spoke with one of our sales girls who has since left, and they just didn't gel. She then tried another one and they didn't gel either. She actually walked out on one of them," recalled Carly, who has been shortlisted for New Retail Travel Agent of the Year at the Travel Industry Awards by TTG this year. 

Carly decided to take a different approach when Joyce sat down at her desk. 

"I was just comfortable with her. I had patience because some people need that," Carly explained. "She has files where she keeps all of her paperwork and writes everything down, so I made sure not to rush her and we tried to go through everything carefully."

'She'll call me to extend a cruise by three weeks!'

Carly said Joyce later told her she immediately felt "safe and secure" booking through her.

That trust has developed into a close client relationship. Joyce, who is in her 80s and cruises regularly, now calls Carly while she is away to extend her bookings.

"She'll ring us and say, 'Oh Carly, I'm on a cruise. I want to stay on. Can you organise it?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, no bother.' I organise it for her and she ends up staying on for another two or three weeks," Carly explained.

Carly added Joyce has now booked around 13 cruises through her and is Diamond Elite customer for Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.

"She's one of those people – if she likes you, she likes you," Carly said. "Lucky for me, we just gelled!"

'I was off recently – she came in because she missed me'

The relationship has also become personal, with Joyce regularly visiting the agency even when she is not booking a holiday.

"She often just pops in for a cup of tea. I was off recently and she came in because she'd missed me," Carly said. "She's living on her own, so for her to feel she can come in and do that is really nice."

Carly believes her own first-hand experience of cruising has helped strengthen the advice she gives customers such as Joyce.

After travelling on educational sailings with Ambassador Cruise Line and Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Carly said she is now able to speak confidently about life onboard from personal experience.

"I'd experienced the food, the cabins and everything on board, so when Joyce came in I was able to talk about it confidently," she said. "I'm new to the industry, so that first-hand experience really made a difference."

Have you 'won over' an upset customer before? Tell us how you did it in the comments below or by emailing feedback@ttgmedia.com