EL
Gazette
Internet
is no threat to South American agents
Hi-tech marketing won't replace the personal touch
"…in long haul markets particularly, rumours of the agents' demise are premature. There is going to be a continuing need for agents and educational consultants: for 'knowledge-brokers'"
The South American ELT markets are primarily agent-driven, and for at least the last year and a half agents in the region have been having a tough time. Sources of difficulty include Brasil's January 99 maxi-devaluation, and in Uruguay, Argentina and Chile, the knock-on effects of the devaluation coupled with election caution, unemployment and general recession. In the face of these difficulties, what impact is the internet having, with its long-promised direct access from end-user to service-provider? Students are already starting to book language courses on line - particularly when they know the school, course type or price they want. The threat is there for all agents and it is one that nobody can ignore.
However, in long haul markets particularly, rumours of the agents' demise are premature. There is going to be a continuing need for agents and educational consultants: for 'knowledge-brokers'. These are not likely to be travel agents or people dealing with the mass market, but specialists who know which courses are available in which institutions at what time and price. They will be people who provide much more than information; people with the experience to understand clients' needs and the knowledge of which organization would best suit them. And they will be the ones offering a value-added service which the client is quite prepared to pay for, as Brian Brownlee, senior Sales Manager of Aspect, which does large amounts of business throughout Latin America, confirms: "My view is that the internet is becoming an increasingly important marketing tool in our business. However, agents, especially in areas like Latin America, will continue to play a vital role in selling language travel products and sensible schools will look for ways to cooperate with them."
There are challenges for both schools and agents in the new reality. For schools there will be an increasing need for partnerships with the right specialists: not just people with access to target markets, but people who act professionally, efficiently and ethically, and people who share the same objectives. Schools must be willing to budget time and resources to train and motivate agency staff so they can really add value to their service. They need to recruit the right front-line staff in their own organizations so that the service levels are universally superb. And now more than ever schools must forge close relationships with chosen agents so that business is developed in a spirit of partnership and mutual support.
For the agents and educational consultants the challenge is complementary, and similarly great. Clearly they will continue to need agreements with a wide variety of schools to ensure that they can meet client needs. However, in partner schools, they will be expecting to find courses which meet the changing demands of their own clientele - be they junior courses in January, weekend courses for executives, or 6-month courses at vastly reduced prices. They will be expecting superb value for money and excellent service to students so that 'word of mouth' supports their promotional activities. They may well expect contributions to local promotional activities and immediate (not just fast) responses to enquiries, queries and proposals. Finally, they will expect an understanding of local market conditions, and the flexibility to adapt to them.
South America represents markets where the personal recommendation counts for a great deal, which is why upwards of 75% of all bookings have traditionally come through agents. As Brownlee points out, "The internet is a very good way of creating sales leads, but in my experience the conversion of these leads is best achieved by face-to-face contact with real people. Agents provide precisely that."
Schools which choose to act in a cavalier fashion, or bully agents for students, or insist on uneconomic commission levels, or choose this time to undercut agents and do special direct promotions, will have only themselves to blame when they lose their market share. Notwithstanding the internet, in long haul markets at least, EFL schools still need the right agents very badly.
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