06 June 2008

CCS restructures by splitting regional sales execs

Complete Cruise Solution has restructured its sales team with field-based regional sales executives split to create two units.

A team of eight will be dedicated to working with national multiple accounts and four with independent agents.

CCS, the umbrella sales force for P&O Cruises, Cunard Line and Ocean Village, claimed the changes would result in a more specialised service being offered to agents.

A new position of field sales manager will be appointed to oversee the field operation for national multiple accounts. This will be a Southampton-based role reporting to senior sales manager Paul Ludlow.

Senior sales manager Trevor Dupont is taking on a Ã¢â¬Ëœspecialist salesÃ¢â¬â¢ role, overseeing the business development programme with Laura Gibbs as business development manager.

They will lead a new, three-strong, account development management team, dedicated to growing new business with agents and Ã¢â¬ÅâœinnovatingÃ¢â¬~ the ways in which cruise holidays are sold, according to CCS.

This group will be based in Southampton to provide Ã¢â¬Åâœa more intense phone-based service, tailor made to suit the needs of medium and smaller independent agents,Ã¢â¬~ CCS said.

The role of on board sales manager and loyalty manager will form part of this new account development team. A Southampton-based loyalty and future cruise liaison manager will be appointed.

The senior sales management roles will be responsible for four sales regions: North, South, East and West.

Key roles within the sales team are now:

Head of sales, Mark Pilkington
Senior sales manager, North, Bob Dixon
Senior sales manager, South, Justin Pearson
Senior sales manager, East, Iain Baillie
Senior sales manager, West, Steve Morrish
Senior sales manager, Multiple accounts, Paul Ludlow
Senior sales manager, specialist sales, Trevor Dupont
Sales operations manager, Chiara Brooker

CCS head of sales Mark Pilkington said: Ã¢â¬ÅâœThis new structure for the CCS team will ensure consistent and excellent delivery of service to travel agents and truly offer what we feel to be the best and most tailored account management service for each and every agent.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœWe are dedicated to offering a fantastic service to agents, from those who sell millions of pounds of cruise business each year to those who are only just dipping a toe in the water Ã¢â¬' and everything in between."

The revamp comes after rival Royal Caribbean International/Celebrity Cruises expanded its UK sales force under a new sales director.

by Phil Davies