Incentive Travel Programs—Think Beyond the Sales Force by Sandi Cottrell While companies have been planning incentive travel programs to motivate their sales forces for decades, incentive programs for non-sales groups are a recent development. Companies that have introduced successful incentive travel programs for sales people have enjoyed such positive results that they have asked, “Why not apply the same principles to other areas of the business?” A carefully constructed program, beginning with a well-thought-out qualification process, to an enticing promotion campaign, to the final reward—a flawlessly orchestrated group travel experience, can indeed produce measurable results and a quantifiable return on investment. A great deal of study points to the fact that a customer retained through outstanding customer service initiatives has a greater financial value to your company than a new customer whose loyalty to your firm is unproven. Great effort and expense goes toward customer service training, and successful companies reward and recognize the individuals who excel in this area. Why not raise the bar? An incentive travel program for customer service staff members may have an impact that is “off the charts”, especially in a situation where your participants may have limited resources for leisure travel on their own. A stereotypical sales force may have a “been there, done that” attitude, while a customer service group in the same company can be motivated in a whole new way by an attractive incentive travel program. In choosing an incentive travel company to orchestrate such a program, look for a firm that has expertise in designing programs for non-sales groups. Although the strategies will be different than those applied in the sales area, the criteria for any successful incentive program are the same regardless of the target audience: • The goals must be achievable. • The reward must have an extremely high perceived value (from a trip content standpoint, as well as the status that comes from being part of a recognized high-achievers’ group.) • The program must show return on investment through measurable positive change in your business. Designing a qualification structure for a non-sales group may be tricky. It can include points for customer survey results, quantity of repeat customers, and a plethora of other measurement devices. Your incentive company will be invaluable for helping to design a program that suits your corporate culture. Many incentive companies also provide full-service qualification tracking. When addressing a non-sales program, you may want to explore new travel options. Perhaps a five-star golf resort is not appropriate. Depending on the group dynamics, consider such options as an upscale dude ranch, a cruise ship, or even a “children-included” program at a theme park destination. Obviously, the trip must be appropriate for your group. The events and activities should suit the group’s level of sophistication and tastes. A seasoned destination management company or incentive travel company will have an abundance of ideas. In addition to customer service incentives, the incentive travel industry has experienced substantial growth of other types of non-sales programs. Manufacturing safety programs, employee recruitment and retention, team incentive rewards for entire customer sales/service/manufacturing teams, and even programs where employees vote for their co-workers as the top team players are just a few examples of the use of this powerful tool. For case studies and additional resources on non-sales incentive travel programs, as well as other aspects of incentive travel, see www.incentivecentral.org and www.site-intl.org. Published with the permission of Human Capital Strategies & News.