The pandemic has crippled the tourism market – the number of travel agencies has significantly decreased. This year, the situation began to change: vaccination is accelerating, borders are opening, and people are interested in travelling options again. Reliable travel agencies are in demand again.
From a legal standpoint, the franchise is one of the affordable and safe options for running a travel business. The main advantage of this format is a significant saving of time and costs for increasing the awareness of your own brand. Let’s consider some tips for opening a travel agency and solving all business problems.
How to choose the location
Obviously, if you open an office in an industrial area on the outskirts of the city, do not expect a flow of customers. But even this option will be appropriate and save money on rent if the agent relies on online sales.
The best way is to rent an office in a crowded place, preferably on the first floor of a building with a front entrance. Pay attention to the important detail: the other network agency must be at least 500 meters away. The owners of the business also control the number of outlets in the city. This contributes to healthy competition and the implementation of the marketing and business strategy.
Customer acquisition
For the smooth operation of a travel agency, you will need a customer acquisition system. It should work both online and offline, including advertising, lead generation, promotion in social networks, as well as responding to specific requests. Brand owners also play an important role in the influx of tourists: the requests received are redirected to points of sale, depending on the location and tourists.
Creation of an automated database of tourists
Keeping loyal customers is one of the priorities. It is just as important as attracting new ones. All the necessary information can be organized using the software. Whether it is travel history, their frequency, preferences and wishes, or negotiation data and their results. All this will be useful in the formation of the most relevant offers, will help develop marketing activities, promotions, mailing lists, etc. After all, the more you know about customers, the more they will be satisfied with the service.
In addition, working with databases will protect contacts if an employee decides to quit. CRM provider companies guarantee the quality, safety of the database and the adaptation of the functionality for specific tasks.
Work process
The job of a manager is not only a comprehensive understanding of the operator’s product but also the ability to correctly identify needs and work with objections. An important point: no need to push or try to impose a particular product on the client. And even more important is flexibility and the ability to hear and understand customers. Only then will they get exactly what they have long dreamed of. As a rule, brand owners create special staff training programs. This is the hallmark of a good franchise. The motivation of employees to learn always remains on the side of the agency.
Becoming the owner of a franchise, you should not only rely on the strength of the brand or the competence of the franchisor. A travel agency is a business, and having a systematic vision of where and why to develop is essential for success. Moreover, be careful when concluding an agreement with the client. Each of the parties may demand amendments or termination of the contract in connection with significant changes in the circumstances from which they proceeded when concluding the contract.