Michael Merrithew remembers when voicemail was first introduced into travel customer service. At the outset, he and others were hesitant to adopt this new technology: “…we felt that customers didn’t want voicemail, they wanted voice,” he says in episode 10 of Voices of Travel.

Far from a luddite, however, Merrithew was an early adopter with respect to new technology, but he cautions: “You really need to remind yourself of why you’re implementing the technology and what it’s really for… if you think it’s for just somehow reducing your costs by hiring fewer staff, you’re missing the whole point.”

“We are very much in the personal service business, ultimately. People are coming to us to fulfill their dreams and aspirations,” he continues.

Merrithew’s words are resonant with the wisdom only years of experience and hard won victories can bring.