Baldwins Travel, Uckfield

There’s a real sense of collaboration and fun among the ranks, with consultants more than happy to chip in to offer each other’s clients advice and top tips.

Manager Laura Hill puts the camaraderie down to the majority of its seven-strong outfit working part-time, meaning there are no eyes on target chasing here – just a focus on the customer and making their holiday dreams a reality.

The Uckfield team has enjoyed impressive growth over the past few years. If you ask Laura, a big part of that success comes from how staff treat each and every customer who walks through their door – with a beaming smile, as if they are the first person they’ve seen all day.

Consultants make welcome home phone calls to every client, instead of simply emailing, to make their customers feel extra special and chat about the trip they’ve just enjoyed. The team takes great delight in popping a bottle of fizz when honeymooners make a booking too.

Those rare occasions when things don’t go according to plan for a client are an opportunity for the team to swing into action – such as a couple celebrating their 40th anniversary on a river cruise last summer whose cruise was cancelled because of low water levels.

Not only did the team fight to secure the clients’ refund, they also sent flowers to cushion their disappointment and – as a result of the sterling service – the customers were eager to plan their next trip with the agency.

An inaugural appearance this summer at Eastbourne’s Beach Life festival, working alongside colleagues in Baldwins’ Lewes store, helped drum up customers from further afield.

And if you need to grab any last-minute travel accessories, then Baldwins’ Uckfield branch has you covered: it’s the only store in the group to feature a holiday essentials stand thanks to Laura’s enterprising suggestion.