QueueBuster® saves the day as thousands of calls erupt for Portman Travel

April 20, 2010 - PRLog -- Cambridge UK- 20 April 2010

With most of Europe in air ban chaos due to the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull, the volcano in Iceland this week, Portman Travel found that QueueBuster gave them and their customers the support they needed at a very frustrating time.  The Association of British Travel Agents estimates 150,000 Britons have been stranded overseas by the crisis. Many of those who were in continental Europe attempted to return home by ferry or by Eurostar, which has added 33 trains since Thursday and carried 50,000 passengers more than originally booked.

Long-haul travellers have had fewer options but even some of them found ways home. A group of company executives flew to the United States on Monday from Madrid after the U.K. travel management company Portman Travel organised Eurostar tickets and a mini-bus to transport them from Paris to the Spanish capital.

QueueBuster is an invaluable tool for dealing with unplanned call centre demand.  Portman Travel, who provide thousands of people with corporate travel management services throughout the UK, have been inundated with calls during the flight ban.
Portman have carried on providing their 24/7 call centre help for all its stranded passengers and have even created a 2nd crisis centre using their offices in Tralee.  QueueBuster has played a pivotal role in the customer service aspect of this drama.
 
John Dick, Head of Operations at Portman said: “We understand everyone’s frustrations and need for information at this unpredictable time.  We have taken 10 times more calls than is normal for us at this time of year and we could not have survived it without QueueBuster, it has been priceless.”

QueueBuster gives customers an alternative to waiting in lengthy call queues.  They simply leave their name and contact number.  QueueBuster does the rest by waiting on their behalf in the queue and making the call back automatically once it has reached the front of the queue and only when an agent is available.  Leaving the customer free to get on and do other things.

“At certain times over this weekend we had 50% of all our calls going through QueueBuster, but this meant that we were able to get back to our customers and they were not left hanging on the line.  Calling everyone back and giving them the information or help they need has been very important to us. ” John Dick continues.