Kylee Ellerton
A Travel Agency who believes in making a positive contribution to the community.
I own Frank ford travel which is a travel agency selling all things travel.Opening its doors alongside Sovereign Hill and Melbourne Airport 50 years ago, Frank Ford Travel is the longest running travel agency in Ballarat. In a world where we want to feel safe and protected, our customers appreciate that we look after them like they are family. We define success differently at Frank Ford Travel, we believe in making a positive contribution to our community, because it is only when we give back that our work becomes truly meaningful.
Our Team - Frank Ford Travel has been the local travel agency for many of our clients for over 50 years, it has stood the test of time as other agencies have come and gone. This, together with our supportive and customer-focused culture, has seen longevity in our staff, choosing travel as a long term career (which goes against the industry norm). Our staff have returned to us after maternity leave, moving interstate and trying other careers.
Our Customer Service Our customers appreciate the personal services we provide, that other agencies lack. We offer airport transfers, so their relaxing holiday starts the moment they leave home to the time they get back. Our 24/7 emergency number manned by myself, gives them peace of mind as someone is always there for them and that we will go above and beyond to make their holiday stress free. We also send them a personal emails wishing them an enjoyable stay/trip, thanking them for their support, and letting them know how to contact us if they need us.
With such limited cashflow, but still strong demand for customer support, our ability to pivot into new revenue streams was limited. Our new initiatives were the development of hygiene packs, offering airport transfers and regional accommodation packages.
(1) With nothing to sell, we saw the demand for face masks and hand wash and buying 500 hygiene packs ready for sale. Our valued clients supported us in this initiative and businesses brought them for their staff's cars and desks.
(2) Our airport transfers were initially developed to provide a safe door to door service during COVID, for fly in and fly out miners and clients in a high-risk category. We now offer this service to all clients.
(3) Our last initiative, involves us visiting local accommodation providers and helping them put together packages (such as doggie stays, mystery picnics, and high teas), which helped us have a product to sell and encouraged travellers to regional Victoria. Win/win.
We adapted internally whereby we were able to strip our business back to bare bones, fully embrace the work from anywhere concept and focus solely on caring for our customers and making them feel safe. We learnt you can do so much, with so little