OFFICE PROTOCOL & ORGANIZATION 2013 National Travel Associates
Topics Confidentiality Privacy Policy Agency Terms and Conditions Email Protocol Handling Documents Invoices Accountability Accepting Payments Vacations FAM Trips FB Group Page Professionalism Office Organization
Confidentiality All communications with your clients should remain confidential at all times. During the course of your conversations and emails with potential clients you will receive information that should be filed in a locked filing system or entered into your Client Base program. Any information written on paper should be shredded. Credit card information Passport information Client personal address and telephone numbers Client email addresses Birthdates Medical information for insurance
Privacy Policy Here at National Travel Associates we take the privacy of our clients very seriously. Clients trust us with their personal information and safeguards should be implemented to ensure the information is secure. We have a detailed privacy policy posted on our website that all clients should be made aware of. Become familiar with the privacy policy posted on our website found at http://www.thedestinationexperts.com/privacy.html NTA follows the government privacy guidelines as per PIPEDA. You may view these guidelines here: http://www.priv.gc.ca/index_e.asp
Agency Terms and Conditions The travel business is a very complex industry. Also, it is very competitive. With this mentioned we implemented a $50.00 per personal cancelation fee in the event a client cancels. This fee would be reimbursed to the client through RBC in the event they purchased Trip Cancelation and Interruption Insurance. This fee is posted on the footer of client invoices. Please take a moment and become familiar with the agency Terms and Conditions as per our website. Clients should also be made aware of this link. http://www.thedestinationexperts.com/disclaimer.html
Email Protocol Your professionally assigned email address is used for business purposes only. Keep in mind that whenever you are using this email you are not only representing yourself but the company. Creating a database of clients over time will allow you to communicate with them on a regular basis. Below are some rules and best practices you should incorporate. Maintain current email lists people change their emails regularly. Use a 6 month rule if you have not communicated with a client for 6 months on an email promotion list ask for permission to keep them on the list. Use timely content do not email sun vacations out of season for example. Use your subject line to be effective you want them to open the email Keep it short and simple include agency name or your name (5 8 words) Identify immediate benefit of opening email Avoid SPAM techniques and be consistant
Canadian SPAM Legislation http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ecic-ceac.nsf/eng/gv00521.html
Handling Documents All documents that you receive from the office or from suppliers should be deemed as confidential and sensitive information. They are never to be shared with a third party. This of course would not apply to promotional materials used for sales purposes. Credit card authorization forms to be kept in a locked filing system Passport photo copies to be kept in a locked filing system Supplier Invoices for your own records and placed in client file Agency Invoice send to client Confirmation of booking send to client Electronic and hard copy tickets send to client via email and post Client personal data to be kept in a locked filing system
Invoices Once your reservation is completed you will need to invoice your sale in Client Base. If it was booked using one of our integrated booking tools such as SABRE it will automatically populate to the clients rez card. In the event you booked using a source that is not integrated you will need to manually process the client invoice. Invoices should be completed directly after the finalization of the booking. Client should receive either a print copy or electronic copy of the invoice within a reasonable amount of time after purchase. You should then check off on your client check list that you issued your client an invoice.
Accountability National Travel Associates is your Host Agency. What that means is you are an Independent Contractor self employed. Your business should be managed using our agency protocols to avoid any issues that would place you in a liable position. Managing your business ethically and professionally will avoid any situations. You are responsible for your client files You are responsible for applying payments and issuing all supporting documents You are responsible for ensuring your clients are managed while unavailable such as a personal vacation. You are responsible for credit card charge backs ensure you have all of the proper documentation to prove the claim. You are responsible for managing your client files for: Cancelations and adjustments Client emergency issues and service complaints
Accepting Payments Agents are NOT permitted to accept cash payments from clients at any time. This practice places you and the agency in a liable position. Client can pay for their travel packages using credit cards, email money transfers to head office and direct deposit into the company accounts. Credit Card Payments Agent will ensure that the credit card being used is indeed a non fraudulent card by either having the cc form filled out or having a relationship with the client. Agent will receive all appropriate signed credit card authorization forms and photo copies of card if required. Client will be advised that the reservation is not confirmed nor guaranteed until the credit card authorization number has been issued. This will appear on your booking screen after the card is processed or- the supplier will provide you with that information for telephone bookings. Interac Email Money Transfers Clients can arrange to send payments directly to head office via email money transfer. Agent should notify accounting it is coming. Once email money transfer is completed accounting will contact you with the authorization code to proceed with the booking. Most financial institutions have this option available with their online banking however there are daily and weekly limits set. Direct Deposit may be a better solution for some clients. Direct Deposit Clients may do direct deposit to any Credit Union branch or CIBC branch. Once the funds are received accounting will proceed with the booking using the Company Credit Card. You should notify accounting via email that the funds will be deposited this way so they can monitor it. Direct Deposit Trans Details for each institution are provided in a document found under this presentation. Please print off the document and place on your agent binder for easy reference.
For clients that do not have a credit card, a Canada Post Visa is a great option It is a reloadable Visa with limits up to $10,000. There is no credit check required. Clients can simply go to most all Canada Post locations to purchase the card and load the funds on the card. Once the Visa is loaded they can use it for their travel purchase. To view more details about this option visit the link below: http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/personal/productsservices/visagiftcard.jsf
Vacations We understand that you are in the travel business. Vacations are simply an additional perk that comes with your career. You are required to inform the office of your vacation plans and dates that you will be away. Please ensure you have access to email in the event of a client emergency as the office should not be expected to handle those issues for you. What you deem as an emergency and what a client does can be two different things. They will call us to find out the color of their bedding at the hotel! Set your auto reply on your email. Provide all of your clients with their appropriate documentation prior to leaving Be assessable or have someone handle your files while away. Leave an out of the office voice mail on your phone Never tell clients you are on vacation let them know you are away on business. Clients never think you should take a break.
FAM Trips FAM trips or Familiarization Tours are common in this business. Suppliers want you to experience their properties and locations. Agents that are active and that have reached $10,000 in sales are permitted to attend FAM trips and represent the company. Agents that attend FAM trips will be required to send a full report of the properties and locations upon their return to share with the team. FAM trips are NOT vacations. You are required to attend all agent functions. Costs of FAM trips and airfare are the sole responsibility of the agent. Agents will have to qualify based on the supplier criteria. In the event of several agents registering, the office will choose the candidates based on previous sales volume with the supplier, current activity and availability for the dates. Agents are not permitted to register for FAM trips without the offices knowledge. If you find one please email help desk for approval. There are people in this business that present themselves as legitimate. You must protect yourself. We will source the FAM to ensure it is a legitimate FAM opportunity. DO not register for any FAM s unless you are 100% certain you can attend in the event you are chosen. It looks bad on you and the agency when agents try to opt out once they register. Locations and hotels are at the sole discretion of the supplier.
FB Group Page Our Facebook Group page is a secure and private area when you can share with your team, ask for support, post documents that pertain to travel and connect with everyone. Please DO NOT use this group to do your work for you. Posts like can anyone tell me the price of a Disney package for August 13 21 for a family of 4 from Halifax will be removed. The group is monitored and non travel related posts will be removed immediately. Please use the group as needed. Also, if a team member needs assistance and you can help please do. It is all about giving and receiving. There is a 0% tolerance for profanity. There is always team Camaraderie on the group page however if there is ever a time where you see something offensive or inappropriate please let us know right away. This page should be enjoyed and shared by the whole team. The DOCS section is a wealth of information please refer there to see if your answer is listed. There is a search option for previous posts available upper right of page, a looking glass icon. Click that and enter your key word. Please use this practice prior to posting your questions as it has most likely been covered in detail already. Please do not use the group to promote personal items. These posts will be removed.
Above is a screen shot of our group page. You will see the FILES section where several documents have been loaded. The Search Tab is where you can search the group by key word to see if we have already discussed your question. To join our group page go to the following link and request to join. ONLY active members of our team are given access. https://www.facebook.com/groups/133161650107983/
Professionalism You are the face of your business, your team and your agency. You should always maintain a professional appearance and good business practices. You never know where you next client will be! Also have business cards with you, talk travel and present yourself as a travel expert. Never post personal items on your Facebook. Your potential clients can be on your friends list. If you complain or post negative information people will see you as running your business that way. Be mindful of your social media presence as a whole. Try to avoid negative topics or politically volatile topics. It is better to maintain an even approach to your opinion(s) as potential clients may not feel the same way. Dress professionally. You never know where you may bump into a potential or existing client. Attend as many meet and greets, networking groups and local events that you can. NETWORK your heart out!
Office Organization Getting your office organized and maintaining it will be the key to your success. The following tools will help you: Binder to store all pertinent and current documents Filing cabinet with lock Printer and office supplies on hand Datebook Check your email DAILY! Pick up a binder and dividers at the Dollar Store. Use this to store all printed materials in categorize into sections. Use a datebook as a hard copy for quick reference. Document meetings, Webinars, Functions, Final Payment Due Dates, Telephone Calls everything that pertains to your schedule. Clear off your desk at the end of each day a messy desk leads to a messy and unorganized mind. Pick up a shredder at a business depot and dispose of sensitive documents correctly. Set your own personal schedules. Stick to it! You do not need to be on call 24/7 and clients should NEVER expect that. Use your cell phone as you feel appropriate. Personally, I never gave my clients my cell phone number. Use your home office phone professionally. Set your voice mail to indicate they have also reached the office of your name with The Destination Experts. If you have children we do not recommend not allowing them to answer the phone if you are using it for business purposes. If this is the case you should consider a second line. Use client files keep all documents in the file so you do not have to sift through emails to find an answer quickly. When you are not in your office ensure that your system is shut down or you are logged out of booking engines. Never leave documents out for someone to view. Make sure you allow time for family and personal rejuvenation this is IMPERATIVE to your continued success!
THANK YOU