One list showing who needs attention first, the next action and who will do it.
Find anyone who needs help with their trip now
Look first for customers travelling now, unable to check in, missing a transfer or facing another immediate problem. Follow your business’s assistance process and involve the right supplier or support contact. Give the customer a named person and agree when they will hear from you again. Keep ownership until a colleague has accepted the handover. This is customer support, not a sales opportunity. ABTA advises holidaymakers to raise problems with their travel company while they are still away.
Check real deadlines and promises
Next, look for a confirmed supplier deadline and any callback or update you have promised. Record the exact time, time zone and where the deadline came from. A customer saying ‘I’d love to book soon’ is different from a supplier confirming that an option expires at 11am. Do not invent urgency. Work backwards from genuine deadlines so there is time for the action needed. If two important jobs overlap, arrange help or contact the affected customer before you miss a promise.
Five messages: where would you start?
It is Tuesday at 10am at Example Travel. All times below are UK time. Sam handles the deadline while Jo helps the customer already travelling.
| Start with | Message | Why it matters | Next action and timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Immediate support | A customer has reached their hotel, but reception cannot find the booking. | They need help with the trip they are on. | Jo contacts the customer and the relevant assistance contact now, then agrees the next update. Keep this out of the sales queue. |
| 2 · Confirmed deadline | A customer wants to proceed. The supplier has confirmed that their held option expires at 11am. | There is a genuine deadline, verified in the supplier’s message. | Sam contacts the customer now to explain the next booking step and deadline. Check the supplier’s terms and obtain the required authorisation before proceeding. |
| 3 · A promise to keep | You agreed to call a customer about their quote at 10.30am. | They are expecting your call at a specific time. | Sam prepares for the 10.30am call. If it clashes with the booking, arrange a handover or contact the customer before then to agree another time. |
| 4 · New enquiry | A new customer has sent their dates, airport, travellers and budget. | There is enough information to agree the next step; no deadline is stated. | Acknowledge the enquiry after the time-sensitive actions are covered. Agree when you will send suitable options and add that promise to the list. |
| 5 · Early holiday idea | Someone is thinking about Japan in a future year, with no dates or budget yet. | They need help shaping the idea before a detailed search. | Reply with a few useful questions or offer a short call. Record the agreed next step so the enquiry is not forgotten. |
These are example circumstances, not response-time rules. A new message or a nearer deadline can change the order. If you work alone, use your normal assistance contacts and keep track of the other commitments while support is under way.
Give new enquiries a clear next step
Once immediate support, deadlines and promises are covered, deal with new enquiries. Acknowledge the request, ask for any essential missing detail and say when you will reply properly. Choose a time you can keep. Someone exploring next year’s holiday still deserves an answer, but may need a short conversation before a detailed search. Do not let these enquiries disappear: put their next action on the same list.
A reply you can adapt for a new holiday enquiry
Replace every bracket, choose a realistic reply time and remove the question if you already have the details. Use your assistance process for a customer who needs help during their trip.
Write down who is doing what
Use your existing customer system, a simple sheet or a notebook. For each open enquiry, record one next action, an owner and the next customer update. If you work alone, you are the owner. ‘Follow up’ is too vague; ‘ask which departure dates work’ tells you what to do. Check the list when a new urgent issue arrives and before you finish for the day. If a promised reply will be late, explain what is happening and agree a new time.
If you use Luna Work, review the inbox with this list beside you.
Copy this short priority list
Your first action
Take five open messages. Identify any immediate traveller support first, then write a next action and owner for each message.
A simple check
Can you see who needs help now, which deadlines are confirmed and which replies you have promised? Before finishing, make sure nobody is waiting beyond a time you agreed without an update.
How Travelgenix helps with this
Organise the inbox with Luna Work
Use Luna Work to review incoming messages and decide who should reply. Apply the order in this guide: immediate travel problems, real deadlines and promised replies. Check the latest customer information before choosing the next action; an AI suggestion should not decide whether an urgent problem can wait.