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Dealing with customer complaints in a travel agency. Handling Complaints - A Simple Guide Any Business Can Use

Hello everyone!

I want to talk to you about how to sell more tours by phone, because I know how relevant it is for you today. Let's, for a start, analyze with you what qualities a manager should have on tourism, and then we will continue this topic.

The most important qualities of a selling tourism manager

1. Personal qualities - this is how your manager or, if you sell tours yourself, looks, how he dresses, what tone he speaks and how pleasant it is to hear his voice from the side.

Here are some tips:

If you are a tourism manager yourself, be sure to work on it. Try to write down your voice and listen from the outside and honestly evaluate - it would be pleasant for you with such man to communicate on the phone.
If you are the head of a travel agency, then when choosing employees, be sure to contact attention to this and work with existing personnel on their personal qualities by recording telephone conversations.

2. Expertise - This is knowledge of the tourism product, i.e. directions, countries, resorts, visa regulations, etc. Today, knowledge of the tourism product at a basic level is already not indicator your expertise, you can see for yourself that often tourists themselves know more about the country and read there is a lot of information on the internet about this.

Here are some tips on what to do to increase your expertise in the eyes of a client:

It is necessary to find some peculiarities in each direction, such that they cannot just find it on the internet. This is your "trump card" when you say this to a tourist. it has a WOW effect. For example, talk about a specific store, a restaurant, a guide or a person from whom you should not (or should) buy souvenirs. Try this trick and you will be surprised how it affects sales.
Update your knowledge base for a specific area every month and look for such "trump cards" all the time.
Try to call other agencies as a tourist and listen to how they tell t about directions (find a few tips for yourself in their stories).

P.S. Many clients go on vacation once a year and for this they save money for the whole year, therefore they want to entrust their vacation to experts (although many people think that they are looking only for cheap prices).

3. Attitude Is how a tourism manager and their leader relate to business, to clients, to work and to the industry as a whole.

I can firmly say that your sales are highly dependent on this. Your thoughts and words are material and the more often you think that this is the wrong market and here customers are all "goats", they are only looking for discounts, they do not value your time, and in the end buy where it is cheaper, the worse your sales are. For some reason it happens just like that, it's amazing, isn't it ?!

The worst thing here is when the manager himself believes in it and shows their negative attitude towards business, the market and customers. My advice- watch your words and thoughts, you need to be careful with them!

4. Technique - this is just the use of technology and sales scripts (ready-made speech modules).

The sales process can be divided into the following stages (and your task is to create or use already tested speech modules for each stage):

Discovery is the creation of a trusting relationship with a client at the first contact with him.
Identifying the needs of the client.
Presentation.
Work with objections.
Closing the deal.

So, we discussed which4 important qualitiesa must have for every selling tourism manager. I want to draw your attention to the fact that this is by no means a theory, all these factors greatly affect sales and you should immediately start working on it.

The 4th quality of a selling tourism manager is knowledge of sales techniques. This means that first the manager must understand what stages the process of selling tours consists of and what he must do at each stage, what scripts (speech modules) the manager must create and use.

We followed the whole process and noticed that the majority of managers are trying to immediately sell tours by phone, voice offers with prices or send a selection of tours by mail.

We found that this approach ends up with the client saying "Thank you, we'll think about it" or after sending the collection, the client does not answer emails or calls at all. And vice versa, we drew attention to the fact that mainly those clients who, after contacting the office, come to the office (7 out of 10) buy tours, so we decided to develop technology in order to first of all invite the client to the office.

But there is one big BUT - clients do not agree to come to the office just like that, so we decided to divide the sales process into several stages in such a way that the manager's PURPOSE was not to sell tours, but to schedule and hold a meeting.

What are the stages of sales

1. Opening - creating trust with the client at the first contact with him

Unfortunately, our research using phone recordings and mystery shoppers at our travel agency and other agencies shows that 90% of managers work very poorly and spend little effort on it. What is "opening" in the sale of tours by phone?

This is the first contact that a tourism manager makes with a client as soon as the manager takes an application (online application or call). The task of the manager at this stage is to make a solid start and create maximum trust in the client so that the client will be pleased to have a conversation with the manager in the future.

Be sure to find out the name of the client;
Voice your name and company name;
Further, refer to the client only by name;
Use phrases that the client is pleased to hear and that he rarely hears when communicating with managers of other travel agencies. For example: "I will be your personal manager";
You must show that you are ready to make the client happy. For example: “I want to convey gratitude to you from our company for choosing us and trusting us with your vacation. I, represented by the company, will do my best to justify your trust. "

2. Identifying customer needs

If I were asked what is most important in the sales process, I would call the stage “ Identifying customer needs". BUT for some reason this is precisely what most agencies devote very little effort to and when you ask them why this is happening, they answer: “Clients just want to know the offer and the price right away. I would like that myself. Why spend so much effort on this when more applications can be processed instead? "

Of course, I am surprised by this approach and even more shocked when they spend more time sending offers 20 times and then calling 10 times from different numbers, hoping that the client will pick up the phone. This is sad, you must admit ... It is through identifying a need that you can achieve an office meeting (that is, you have a better chance of this) and increase sales conversion.

My advice to you when writing scripts for this step:

Draw up all the questions in detail to identify the needs of the client. For example: “How many people are traveling, who is traveling, when are you planning to go, where you want to go, etc.”;
Find out what clients really want from the holiday and what they would like to avoid;
Ask the client about past trips, what they liked and what didn't;
Find out what is important for the client when choosing a tour and company.

What points you need to pay attention to in the process of identifying the needs of the client:

More often refer to the client by name;
Give comments after the client's response;
Show your expertise;
Create new needs;
Create a picture of relaxation in the client's head when identifying needs;
In the course of the conversation, gently remind him of the deadlines (for example, that prices are growing every day and places are leaving, since all of Europe is being booked besides us);
Allow the client to speak and sell to himself.

IMPORTANT POINT: we sell a meeting to the client. After applying the scripts and identifying the client's needs, the moment comes to sell the meeting to the client (appointment). The most important thing here is to use only those phrases, the answer to which can only be "yes" or "yes". For example: “Dimitri, I heard you and, in principle, there is good options according to your wishes. I have a colleague who recently returned from there and we will show you catalogs with real pictures in the office. When is it convenient for you to come to our office? Will it be 18:00 today? "

My advice when making an appointment:

Do not use phrases such as: "Could you come to our office?" or “Would it be convenient for you to come to our office?”;
Make an appointment in a very confident voice;
Not to draw conclusions that I myself would not agree and that I myself would like to see the proposal first;
After the offer to come to the office, do not justify why it is necessary and do not wait for the client's response;
Agree on a specific time, not “at the end of the week” or “in 2 days during the day”.

3. Presentation

After you have identified all the needs of the client, we need to present our proposal at a meeting or by phone. Before I tell you how to conduct a presentation correctly, how to write the necessary scripts correctly, I want to show you the difference between two important concepts that we will use in the presentation process - these are Property and Benefit.

Let me show you the difference between them with an example: “I live near the metro” is a property. “It’s not long for me to walk to the metro in the morning” - this is a benefit from this property. I hope I could show you the difference with an example.

"Why do I need it?" - you ask. And here is just one not a big secret. successful sales... When presenting, it is not enough for you to show the properties of the trip or the hotel, you also have to show what benefits the client will receive from these properties.

For example, during a presentation, when talking about the hotel territory, you can do this: "The territory of the hotel is large and green (property), just you will not be bored and there is a place with a child for a walk (benefit)."

Make up as much as possible full list all properties, for example: territory, location of the hotel, beach, food (kitchen), rooms, etc.
For each property, compile typical benefits based on the situation.
When presenting, be sure to use flaws in addition to positive properties, because a presentation with flaws is more objective and creates more confidence in you from the client.
When presenting, consider all the needs that you previously identified.
After you have named the price, in no case pause, immediately ask a neutral question in order to close some of the client's objections about the price, for example: Dmitry (client), the price for a tour to such and such a hotel from such and such a date to such a date with arrival and transfer from the airport to the hotel and back for two is $ 2500, but tell me, is everything all right with the validity of your passport? There are still 6 months before the end of the term (this is just a neutral question).

4. Dealing with objections

The more I communicate with my colleagues, with tourism managers, with the heads of other travel agencies, the more I hear from them how tired they are of customers' objections, for example: “We will think about it”, “Will you give a discount?”, “We were offered cheaper”, “ It's expensive, "and so on. and everyone thinks that this is the most a big problem in the sale of tours and everyone is looking for magic pills from this.

What I want to tell you about customer objections:

This is not the biggest problem in sales.
It is necessary to process ALL objections and you can and should close most of them.
If you go through all the previous stages of the sale correctly, and the main thing is to do the right identification of needs, then there will be much less customer objections. And if you just find out in a nutshell what the client wants and send a couple of several sets of tours by mail - it will not end with success.
The more customers annoy you with their objections, the more often such customers will come to you.

List all possible objections.
Compose various answers to these objections (for example: the client says "It's expensive", you answer: "Expensive compared to what? We can offer you an installment plan or a loan on good terms, or let's take a hotel of a lower category, or less nights")
Do not rush to give out discounts, our practice shows that not all customers who ask for a discount will not buy without it, many of them simply try to get it.
You must understand that some clients “merge” anyway and we cannot sell to everyone.

5. Closing the deal

No matter how well you identify the client's needs, no matter how you close objections, and no matter how expert you are, if you do not know how to close deals, then you lose most of the clients.
Clients (not only in tourism) are never in a hurry to buy and part with money that they have earned with sweat and blood during the year, even if they want to receive a valuable and desired product in return (in our case, this is a trip abroad).

My tips for closing trades:

I tried to be a good fellow and give you all the practical information from my experience of running a travel business.

Your task- start implementing all these technologies and get results. Read our articles, come to our seminars and trainings and make your travel agency more profitable.

P.S. write your comments and questions on the stages of sales, so that in the following articles I will take this into account.

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Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Classification of customer groups of tour firms

From the point of view of motivation of social and professional characteristics and characteristics of people's behavior, four main types of clients of a travel agency can be distinguished.

Sedentary type. It is characterized, as a rule, by low or medium income. This group includes a significant number of elderly and young people. Among young people, the desire for a beach holiday prevails. On the one hand, young people are burdened by the constant stay in a family, on the other hand, they do not want to give up stereotypes of a certain comfort. When traveling, this group prefers to stay in mid-range hotels. For this type of tourists, it is important to conduct excursions and always entertaining evening and night programs in order to avoid possible boredom. They attach great importance to buying souvenirs.

Due to limited personal budgets, clients in this group tend to prefer short and medium-distance travel, react negatively to price increases, and lack intellectual curiosity.

Saddle-mobile type. Tourists of this type want to combine relaxation with learning something new. These are mainly people with higher education and representatives of the liberal professions, as well as teachers with an average income and students. The age of persons in this group is usually from 20 to 50 years. Tourists of this type prefer a variety of sports activities in their free time. They attach great importance to contacts with the local population, visiting memorable places. This type of tourists may well come to terms with some lack of comfort. This type is fond of taking pictures. Their travels usually last more than a week.

Mobile type. Tourists of this type are looking, first of all, for new experiences, strive to change the cultural and social environment. This is the most numerous group of tourists; it is represented by well-to-do clients. This segment consists of two different age groups: 30-70 years old for those who prefer to travel in a group, and 20-50 years old for individual or small group travel. With organized tours using transport and providing comfortable accommodation, tourists of the type in question will visit everything that the guide offers them. Their nutrition matches international standards, experiments with local cuisine are also permissible. Tourists of this type love to take pictures and welcome the presence of a special local flavor. They attach great importance to a well-organized trade in exotic souvenirs. The duration of their travels reaches two to three weeks.

Nomadic type. It includes tourists who want to achieve close contact with the local population and nature. They usually have a high level of education. All age groups are found among representatives of this type, with a certain predominance of young people. Their specific motivation may be different: the desire for a change of scenery, travel for religious or creative purposes. Representatives of this category of tourists in most cases travel individually or in small groups, like to improvise, settle in local hotels or rent a house. This clientele is open to any culinary experimentation, interested in local customs. In this group, there are tourists with low incomes, as well as those who are influenced by fashion and are ready to spend a lot for it.

Customer service strategy

In the tourism business, as in other service sectors, the strategic direction of working with clients is twofold:

1) maintaining effective communication with buyers of tourism services;

2) the ability to meet the needs of tourists in terms of the economy and convenience of the tourist product.

Services in the tourism business are provided by people, so the effective selection, training and motivation of personnel associated with serving tourists is of paramount importance. The ability of staff to serve a customer is called interaction marketing. The tourist judges the quality of the provided tourist service not only by its technical perfection (for example, were there any transport delays, problems with check-in and food), but also by the functional quality (was the staff courteous, did not show excessive desire at any cost to make money on the tourist etc.).

Tourist services, like any others, are intangible, inseparable from the source of their receipt, fickle and not preserved. These four main characteristics influence the customer service strategy and the design of the appropriate marketing programs.

Intangibility. At the time of purchase, a tourist service, unlike a material product, cannot be touched, seen, or felt. In an attempt to reduce uncertainty, clients analyze what is available to their perception outward signs quality of tourist services. At the same time, neither the popularity of the travel agency, nor advertising, nor the price can be a reliable guarantee of a high-quality tour. However, these components of the tour selling process still have an impact on the customer's perception of the purchased service. Therefore, the task of travel agency workers is to make the intangible tangible. This can be achieved through physical evidence, which is understood as any demonstration of treating your client as a core value. The manifestation of such a demonstration can be the speed of service, the attractiveness of the premises of the travel agency, the politeness of the staff, various ways of offering services, and much more.

Inseparability. Tourism services are provided and consumed at the same time. The tourist is directly involved in the service process, therefore, the interaction between the seller of the tourist service and the consumer is a distinctive characteristic of this service as a product. The end result of a travel service is influenced by both the customer and the seller.

Impermanence. The quality of the same type of tourist services provided in different time, cannot be exactly the same. It will fluctuate within certain limits depending on a variety of factors. Increasing the reproducibility of tourist services is achieved by improving the work of personnel, standardizing the process of providing services or the procedure for certifying the tour, as well as monitoring the degree of customer satisfaction with the service. Control methods can be analysis of complaints and wishes, studying the level of claims of travel agency clients, comparing the quality of services offered by competitors with the quality of their own services.

Not persistence. Tourist services cannot be saved. If the tourist does not participate in the group tour, he will not be able to use this service in the future. This will be a different tour, even if the tourist does not incur additional expenses.

The considered characteristics of the tourist service complicate the customer service process, which sometimes leads to justified complaints, which cannot be prevented at the time of sale. However, there is a practical trick to minimize possible problems when the tourist consumes the purchased service. Since the choice of a tourist service by a client depends on a wide variety of factors, some of them can be formed or corrected by the travel agency employees. For example, for a tourist planning a vacation in Turkey and having chosen Antalya, which is widely represented in catalogs, the manager can recommend the Side resort with more comfortable and clean beaches. In this case, the likelihood of claims about a pebble rather than a sandy coast of the sea or the cleanliness of the coastal water area will be reduced. True, this will increase the cost of the tour, but the purchased tourist service will have fewer factors of potential tourist anxiety.

Forms and styles of customer service

Customer service travel agencies have common features characteristic of the service sector. However, depending on the range of services provided, their quality, distinctive properties (internal, outbound, inbound tours), the forms and styles of tourist service may differ.

According to the forms of customer service, group and individual tours can be distinguished.

Customer service styles can be formal, informal, and mixed. In a formal style, the client turns to the travel agency, as to an ordinary company providing services, and chooses a tour. At the same time, there is a psychological distance or social alienation between the client and the staff of the travel agency, which is natural during episodic contact.

The informal style presupposes confidential communication between the staff and the client, the formation of an image of his "home" or "good friend". Mixed style implies a standard approach to the client, but with elements of informal communication, for example, an invitation to have a cup of tea or coffee. But regardless of the style of customer service, the manager of a travel firm must master the art of improvisation and acting skills. Already at the first communication with a client in the office of a travel agency, the manager needs to find out as much as possible about him, without becoming unnecessarily annoying and tactless. Questions asked to the client should be formulated in such a way that he answers them only positively. If for any reason the client responded negatively, all the previous work of the manager may be ineffective, because the word “no” is associated with negative emotions.

Animation services for tourists

Tourist animation is an activity for the development and implementation of special programs, involving the personal participation of tourists in game and theatrical show programs, sports and cultural and entertainment events. Translated from the Latin soul, alive. The English derivative of these words: revitalization, spiritualization. Thus, the animation enlivens the rest of tourists, makes it more varied, rich in impressions.

The formula for animation in tourism consists of four components:

Use of interest;

Revitalization of the exposition;

Engaging tourists in action;

Variety of entertainment.

The emergence of tourist animation is associated with between accommodation companies offering mainly beach holidays. The most widely animated programs are presented in the sea resorts of Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, especially those working on the system.

Animation crews work with tourists throughout the day: they do gymnastics in the morning (often in the pool), invite them to play and sports and fitness programs, organize theatrical performances in the afternoon, involve vacationers in colorful shows in the evening, celebrate birthdays, organize dating evenings, dance evenings etc. For children and adolescents are offered game programs, water attractions, excursions, drawing contests, films, various circles.

Animation programs can be international in nature or acquire a national flavor. Being designed for vacationers of various age groups and social and professional backgrounds, they, nevertheless, are always targeted and adapted for a specific audience. In addition, animation programs must take into account the calendar of holidays and significant events.

Tourism resort animation is based on the personal human contacts of the animator with tourists, on the joint participation of the animator and vacationers in the entertainment offered by the animation program of the tourist complex. The animator must be young enough, slender, agile, know foreign languages, have the skills to communicate with people, have artistic inclinations and good memory on faces and names. The animators are usually dressed in brightly colored sports uniforms (T-shirts and shorts) with the resort's logo and name badge.

The process of perception of animation programs by vacationers depends on many factors:

The age of the participants or spectators;

Paul;

Educational level;

Ethnic background;

Mood, willingness to relax, etc.

The quality of animation programs depends on the skill of the animators, the availability interesting scenarios, a rich set of musical, speech, stage, plastic, lighting and even pyrotechnic techniques.

In addition to resorts, animation programs with live characters are increasingly used in museum exhibitions, for example, at the Skansen open-air museum in Stockholm, where you can meet passers-by in old Swedish clothes. In the countries of Southeast Asia and South Africa, theatrical performances with the participation of Aboriginal people are unfolding for tourists in folklore villages. Animation programs with costumed performances are used in theme parks: Disneyland (USA), Euro Disneyland (France), Port Aventure (Spain), Lego parks (Denmark), etc.

Costume tours are of great interest to tourists. It can be a vacation on an American ranch, where tourists change into cowboy clothes, get equipment, learn to ride a horse, throw a lasso. In Austria, tourists can rent dresses and suits stylized as 19th century clothes and attend professional balls for officers of the armed forces, pharmacists, laundresses, pastry chefs, and hunters.

V different countries there is a variety of cultural and entertainment programs - from traditional to exclusive. For example, in Italy they organize orange fights, in Thailand and Indonesia - banana fights, in Colombia - tomato fights. Fruits and vegetables must be ripe so that opponents do not injure each other.

Animation services for tourists are gradually appearing in Russian resorts. Further development animation programs will depend on changing tourist preferences and, to a lesser extent, on technological progress.

Formation of communication skills of the personnel of the tour company

The effective use of communication skills by managers working with tourists largely determines the economic success of a travel agency. Communication skills are not innate, they can be developed, and then even an uncommunicative or uncommunicative person can achieve significant success in working with clients. Effective communication skills of travel agency employees are acquired both in the process of work and in psychological trainings.

The communication skills of staff are primarily based on their ability to verbal (verbal) communication. Sociability consists of three equal parts: the ability to establish contact with the client, the skill of conducting a conversation and the ability to maintain a long-term relationship.

The following are the most important communication skills that travel agency employees should possess: quickly establish contact with customers, find effective forms of communication with them, with the team as a whole; to regulate inter-collective and intra-collective relations, to win over. Needless to say, the manager's incompetence, haste, and irritability reduce the effectiveness of his communication with the client.

The effectiveness of communication with clients depends on the manager's knowledge of the direction he is selling. Studying all the details of the tour, the peculiarities of the host country, tourist formalities allows you to work successfully even in the event of non-standard situations. For example, a client arranges a tour with a stay in Venice from September 1 to September 3. He needs a certain hotel in the city center, overlooking St. Mark's Cathedral. The client has already stayed at this hotel and paid for a room in the amount of 140 euros per day. However, the manager knows that it is at the beginning of September that the traditional Venice Film Festival takes place and the cost of living in local hotels during this period increases 2-3 times. In order to save money, you can settle in 4 km from the city center in an equally comfortable hotel. Before coming to the travel agency, the client did not have this information, and upon receiving it through direct communication with an employee of the travel agency, he may correct his decision: either he will postpone the beginning of the tour, or will be located far from the city center.

The formation of the communicative experience of travel agency employees occurs as in the process routine work, and in the event of conflict situations. Conflicts with their constructive rather than destructive development form the communicative experience of the personnel, skills of behavior in difficult production situations. Effective resolution of a conflict affecting the sphere interpersonal relationships and problems arising in the process of work, contributes to the fostering of a respectful attitude towards the rights of other employees, the formation of skills for an objective analysis of collective and personal relations. Natural Negative consequences subjective emotional conflicts, manifested in the form of enmity, antipathy, disunity, anger, force the team to actively seek ways to prevent them. Conflict situations allow travel agency personnel to develop the ability to model their behavior, consciously manage it, anticipate the reactions of colleagues, prevent and constructively resolve conflicts, and navigate non-standard communication situations.

There are special techniques for effective communication in the travel agency's office. Schematically, they can be divided into methods of communication with well-informed and poorly informed clients, with doubting clients, as well as with clients with low motivation.

Well informed clients. Communicating with a tourist who has decided everything and knows everything in advance is quite simple, but you need to give him the opportunity to express himself, while showing maximum goodwill.

Poorly informed clients take a significant amount of time to motivate them appropriately. Very often, such clients change their mind at the stage of receiving confirmation of the tour booking. Reminds of a capricious child, they, nevertheless, should be loved by the travel agency employees as well as the rest of the less problematic tourists.

Doubting customers. Sometimes travel agency managers have to communicate with doubting customers. This category of visitors requires increased attention and the use of special communication techniques. You should be aware that visitor doubts are a natural state in the process of making a final decision.

When working with a doubting client, you must adhere to the following rules:

1) listen carefully to doubts, do not interrupt or interrupt the client;

2) not to get irritated when responding to the client's objections, not to be distracted during the conversation;

3) find out what exactly the client's doubts are;

4) build the conversation in such a way that the client, if possible, finds the answer to his question himself;

5) sometimes you need to agree with the client in order to then convincingly refute him. For example: “I agree with your concerns, but let's look at the problem through the eyes of those who have already visited this route ...”;

6) do not proceed to the next argument until the client has agreed with the previous argument;

7) summarize the results of the conversation with the client;

8) do not be upset if the client remains unconvinced. Perhaps he belongs to the category of skeptics or nerds, maybe, under the influence of circumstances beyond the manager's control, he will still use the services of a travel agency.

Poorly motivated clients usually have the means and desire to go somewhere or somewhere to relax, but do not have a firm intention of purchasing a particular tour. Therefore, they often seek help (sometimes subconsciously) from travel agency workers. For such a group of clients, methods of forming tourist preferences have been developed. Some of them are universal, others are specific to the tourism business.

Working with a poorly motivated or undecided client, the manager must clearly understand which direction (region, country, group of countries) and in what sequence he should offer. So, when choosing a European destination, it is advisable to purchase the first tour to Spain (a relatively inexpensive ticket, an extensive excursion program, beach holidays, wine tasting). Alternatively, you can consider a vacation in the Czech Republic or Montenegro. The next trip may be to Italy (more expensive than the previous one, emotionally richer, harder if it involves visiting classical cities - Rome, Florence, Venice, etc.). Finally, the client's third trip may be to Paris and the French Riviera. By giving the client a similar scheme, one can assume, if not exact adherence to the manager's advice, then at least a confidential discussion of all the details of the upcoming trip.

When proposing his options for recreation, the manager must take into account the socio-demographic characteristics of the clients, and first of all, the gender and family composition. Lonely girls and young women often intuitively, and sometimes deliberately strive to the seaside and less often to ski resorts, where the opportunity to meet foreign tourists may be presented. Obviously, spouses will prefer a stationary vacation or predominantly an excursion program, families with a child - relaxation on the beach, persons after working age - excursion or medical tours.

Thus, a good manager of a travel agency is, first of all, a good psychologist who knows how to unobtrusively and at the same time persistently lead the client towards the goal of purchasing a tour. He must immediately understand what the client is, tune in to his wave. Modern tourist significantly different from the tourists of the past. He does not need to be explained what a charter or transfer is, and he understands the categories of hotels as well as managers. However, an experienced travel agency employee will always find something to surprise any omniscient client with.

The quality of service and ways of regulating it in tourism

Deals with quality problems international organization on standardization (ISO). As defined by this organization, quality is the collection of properties and characteristics of a product or service that determine its ability to meet stated or implied requirements. Accordingly, in the tourism business, the quality of service is associated with the ability to satisfy the consumer of the tourism service. Quality problems in tourism affect the collective work of travel agency employees and the quality of tourist service on the route or the quality of the tourist product (tourist service).

There are three categories of requirements for the quality of labor and the quality of the tourist product:

1) general mandatory requirements established by laws, standards and other regulatory documents;

2) the stated established requirements of the consumer (contract, tour program);

3) usually implied (implied) requirements.

To the basic principles that determine quality collective labor in a travel agency include:

Focus on results, submission to a single quality policy of the travel agency;

Interest in results, objective quality assessment;

Leadership of the manager and involvement of all personnel;

Personalization and consistency of authority and responsibility;

Division of labor;

Process and, regular planning and control;

Influence on the causes of problems, and not on their manifestation;

Proportionality of actions, costs and benefits;

Priority of preventive actions over corrective ones;

Service quality control management;

Exchange of successful experience within the travel agency;

Well-functioning communication and coordination;

Continuity of improvement.

One of the important criteria for the quality of work of travel agency personnel is the number of customers' gratitude or complaints. The share of complaints (claims) from the total number of clients served should not exceed approximately 1%, and the ratio of the number of complaints to the number of thanks should be 5%. The excess of these coefficients indicates serious shortcomings in the work of the travel agency with clients.

Differences in the quality of a tourism product or tourism service are indicated by the tourist service classes. There are the following classes of service: luxury, first class, tourist and economy classes.

The luxury class assumes the provision of the highest quality services (five-star hotels, dining in luxury restaurants, first or business class air travel, individual transfers in prestigious cars, an individual guide, exclusive excursions and entertainment).

The first class provides a fairly high level of service (accommodation in four or five star hotels, business class air travel, meals in expensive restaurants with a varied menu, individual transfer and a guide).

Tourist class is a mass service option. Provides accommodation in two or three star hotels, air travel in economy class of regular flights or charter flights, buffet meals (usually only breakfast), transfer by bus as part of a group.

Economy Class corresponds to the cheapest service option. Accommodation in one or two-star hotels, motels, hostels, hostels, small private hotels, meals - buffet breakfast (or not provided), flight, as a rule, by charter flights; there is no transfer or public transport is used.

The considered division into classes of tourist service is rather arbitrary and does not have generally accepted criteria either in Russia or abroad.

The regulation of the quality of service in tourism or the management of the quality of service is carried out through the certification procedure for tourism services in accordance with regulatory document ISO 9000 or, as it is called, the standard. The concept of this document is based on the consideration of quality as the degree of compliance of characteristics with requirements or as the ratio of the customer's perception to his expectations.

Professional ethics of workers in the tourism business

The ethical principles of workers in the tourism business relate to interpersonal personnel, the relationship of travel agency employees with partners and clients.

There are seven basic principles of ethics business communication travel agency personnel.

Punctuality. Systematic delays for work, untimely fulfillment of the tour booking conditions, unprepared documents for the arrival of a client are the most frequent manifestations of managers' lack of punctuality. Delays disrupt the work rhythm and indicate that the person cannot be relied on. Timely booking and paperwork is important from both an image and an economic point of view: unreasonable delays will lead to a churn of customers. The study of the organization and distribution of working time shows the need to add an additional 25% to the date that is originally planned to complete the assigned work.

Confidentiality. Travel agency secrets pricing policy, relationships with partners, office work, etc., must be kept as carefully as personal secrets. You should not retell to anyone the judgments of the director of the travel agency or colleagues at work about their official activities or personal life.

However, not all information regarding the results of the travel agency's work is classified as a trade secret. The concept of a trade secret, enshrined in the legislation, has a strictly defined framework, the boundaries of which are often unreasonably expanded.

Based on Art. 5 of the Law on Trade Secrets, its regime cannot be established by persons working in the field of tourism in relation to information:

Contained in the constituent documents and documents giving the right to exercise tourist activities;

About pollution environment, the state of fire safety, the sanitary and epidemiological situation and other factors that have a negative impact on ensuring the safe operation of the travel agency, the safety of everyone and the safety of the population as a whole;

On the number, on the composition of employees, on, on working conditions, including on labor protection, on indicators industrial injuries and occupational morbidity and the availability of free in the travel agency;

On the debt of the travel agency for payment and other social benefits;

On violations of the law Russian Federation and the facts of prosecution for these violations;

On the size and structure of the travel agency's income, on the size and composition of its property, on their expenses, on the number and remuneration of their employees;

On the list of persons entitled to act without a power of attorney on behalf of the travel agency.

Attitude towards the client. This is a very valuable quality of a travel agency manager. It includes the ability to understand the person who has come to buy a tour, to be imbued with his interests, problems, to try with him to find the best option for travel and recreation.

Courtesy, benevolence and friendliness. In any situation when communicating with employees and clients, and especially in cases where the client is dissatisfied and expresses complaints, it is necessary to behave appropriately, not to raise your voice, not to get irritated, not to show your busyness.

Attention to employees. The ability to respect the opinion of others, the desire to understand why they have this or that point of view, increase the social adaptability of the employee in the team of the travel agency. It is psychologically difficult, although necessary, to listen to criticism and advice from colleagues, a leader, and even subordinates.

External appearance. The main approach when working on appearance- fit into the work environment, and within this environment - into the contingent of workers of the appropriate level.

External attributes of a travel agency employee: clothes, shoes, hairstyle, make-up and others - must comply with generally accepted standards for the image of a business person. There is a direct link between a manager's appearance and his success. Professional clothing engenders professional behavior, so the travel agency employee must adhere to the standards of appearance adopted in the tourism industry.

Cloth. Strict business attire works for the image of a travel agency employee. In the wardrobe of the director and general managers of the travel agency (regardless of gender) there should be several types of suits. In Russian travel agencies, unlike in the United States, even on Friday, it is categorically unacceptable to appear at work in jeans or a sweater. Ideally, a woman director, regardless of the season, should be at work in flesh-colored tights. The same requirement should apply to subordinate women. However, this is a rule of etiquette in summer period observed rarely and only in those travel agencies that strive for a high level of customer service.

Clothes should not be too tight. The hairstyle is strict, elegant, with a minimum of jewelry; women have no more than two rings on each hand. Cosmetics should not be overused.

A business suit is an obligatory attribute of business life. Clothing as a component of the image performs a double function: it indicates the material status of a person and the role for which he claims. With his clothes, an employee of a travel agency consciously, and sometimes unconsciously, shows how he wants to look in the eyes of others.

The observance by the travel agency employees of the business style of dress increases the sense of responsibility, leaves an imprint on the demeanor, forming the corporate image of a respectable company. A recommended but not required option is a uniform office uniform. This can be a uniform (suit, jacket, shoes, scarves, etc.) or the same color scheme for a suit with a variety of cut, which depends on the individual style of an individual employee.

A business suit should not draw attention to the figure and emphasize its dignity, therefore, neither a skirt nor trousers should be tight-fitting. The task of a business suit is to average the gender of a person so that all attention is focused on work. Therefore for business clothes jerseys are not recommended, as well as sweaters, turtlenecks, etc.

The choice of color, texture, cut of a business suit is determined based on the principles of harmonious communication with clients, harmony with the interior of the office, as well as combination with the individual characteristics of the staff.

It is better for a travel agency manager working with visitors to choose soft light brown (beige, sandy, tan) shades of a business suit. These tones soothe clients, set them up for friendly communication. A man in a light brown suit disposes to contact. Blouses and scarves of cream and cream color go well with a light brown women's suit. If the suit is gray beige, it is better to opt for a pinkish pearl blouse.

Business suits and dresses made of ribbed, checkered, striped fabric, with a large or small color pattern are undesirable - they, as a rule, reflect all the flaws in the figure.

Shoes must be closed, better lacquered. Completely unacceptable sport shoes, suede is undesirable.

Hairstyle should be neat, as short as possible. For men, a ponytail is unacceptable, for women - a very high hairstyle. Wearing wigs and hairpieces is permissible only if you have problem hair.

Nails should be trimmed short, and must not come to work with false nails. You can only paint your nails with colorless varnish. The best and most sophisticated option is a "French manicure" with white tips, which is also quite practical.

Tattoos, piercings and earrings in men's ears are completely unacceptable. Women can wear miniature earrings or, depending on the structure of the face and auricle, larger ones, but in no case dangling.

Make-up should be kept in natural calm tones, it should be unobtrusive and rather strict. It is recommended to exclude bright trendy shades.

Decorations. Business style does not imply the demonstration of expensive jewelry to the clients of the travel agency. Small, carefully crafted ornaments are appropriate, usually from semi-precious stones or natural materials (wood, ceramics, simple metal). Number of jewelry from precious metals should be minimized.

Thus, the appearance of an employee of a travel agency consists of his clothes, shoes, hairstyles, jewelry, accessories, manicure, make-up, as well as the compatibility of all these elements with each other. However, it should be remembered that sometimes the positive effect of the client's perception of the manager's clothing, hairstyle, makeup, jewelry, accessories can be spoiled, for example, by involuntary scratching, and sometimes just by touching the scalp with the tip of a pencil.

Literacy. Internal documents or letters sent outside the travel agency must be written in good language, and all proper names must be conveyed without errors. You can not use colloquial words.

Well-established relationships between travel agency employees and partners are one of the most important factors determining the chances of success in the tourism business. American psychologist Dale Carnegie back in the 30s. XX century noticed that the success of a person in financial affairs 15% depends on his professional knowledge and 85% - on his ability to communicate with people.

In the process of communication with partners in the tourism business are used different methods influence or impact on people. Among the most common of them, the following are distinguished - persuasion, suggestion, compulsion.

Persuasion - impact through evidence, logical ordering of facts and conclusions. It implies confidence in the correctness of their position, in the truth of their knowledge, in the ethical justification of their actions. Persuasion is a non-violent, and therefore, a morally preferred method of influencing communication partners.

Suggestion, as a rule, does not require evidence and logical analysis of facts and phenomena to influence partners. Based on the belief in the financial sustainability of the travel agency. Plays a large role in suggestion, reviews of funds mass media.

Coercion is the most violent method of influencing partners. It involves the desire to force the participants in the tourist market to behave contrary to their wishes and beliefs, using the threat of punishment (more often financial) or other influence (more often legal). Coercion can be ethically justified only in exceptional cases.

The relationship of travel agency employees with clients. In the tourism business, there is the concept of a "regular customer" who applies for the purchase of tourist services more than once. Achieving this consistency is achieved quality work travel agency personnel and other participants in the tourism market.

The quality of customer service when buying a tour is determined by many factors.

Let's list the main ones:

1. Sliding work schedule of employees with the ability to receive visitors on weekends and holidays.

2. Availability of easily accessible, with parking for cars, comfortable office, high-quality and comfortable furniture, reliable office equipment, branded stationery (or, at least, original design).

3. Organization of work with the possibility of a one-time (maximum two-time) visit to the office of the travel agency by the client to complete all documents and purchase a tour.

4. The choice of an effective sales method, which should be understood as a rational technology for the implementation of a tourist product to customers.

Sales methods can be classified according to the meeting place of the seller and the buyer (office of the travel agency, exhibition, fair) and the nature of the contact (personal or indirect: by mail and other means).

5. Qualification and friendliness of the staff.

6. Ability to take into account the wishes of the client when forming the tour.

7. Image components of tourist activities.

Customer service in the travel agency office should take place in the most comfortable conditions for choosing and arranging a tour, in an atmosphere of friendliness, participation and even celebration. All prerequisites for creating psychological and working comfort must be involved so that the tourist would be happy to contact this office again.

Effective travel agency customer service includes:

Establishing confidential contact with the visitor;

Motivating the client to purchase a travel service;

Travel offer that differs from similar offers in other travel agencies;

Automated documenting tour;

Detailed informing of the client about the place of stay, travel conditions, etc .;

Sale of tourist services with various payment schemes (cash, by credit card, transfer of money to the bank account of the travel agency);

Focusing the client's attention on the possibility of clarifying the conditions and details of the tour after its purchase (by phone, e-mail or 1C0, at a personal meeting in the office);

Prompt solution of problems arising in the process of purchasing a tour or on the route, when communicating with a client in the office or remotely;

Final (by phone or at the travel agency's office) communication after the end of the tour with a grateful or dissatisfied client.

Without repeating the content of the extensive literature on business ethics and etiquette, let us dwell on some important aspects of the behavior of travel agency employees, often overlooked and damaging the company's image and diminishing.

The travel agency manager may be the only person with whom a client purchasing a tour will contact. This places a great deal of responsibility on front line personnel. Regardless of the likes or dislikes felt about the behavior of the clients, their appearance manager is obliged to play a part in a well-directed play called "Tourism" day in and day out. Therefore, when teaching travel agency personnel to effectively communicate with clients, one must pay attention to such qualities as tact, friendliness, delicacy, sociability, the ability to listen carefully and promptly respond to the difficulties and problems of the tourist, so that he feels like a welcome guest.

One of the components that creates an atmosphere of comfortable communication is a friendly attitude towards guests and an indispensable, sincere smile on the faces of managers. This psychological technique, although not included in the tour price, plays an important role in creating a positive image of the travel agency. A confident, benevolent travel agency manager evokes positive emotions in the client, stimulating the desire to make a purchase.

In an effort to improve the process of communication between managers, travel agencies and clients, a manager can conduct a simple experiment by asking subordinates just one question: "How do you start working with a visitor?" You can usually hear different options responses based on employees' knowledge of etiquette, sales technology and other elements of effective interaction. Perhaps all the answers will be correct, but if none of the subordinates says: “I start work with a smile,” the team needs to reconsider the style of their communication and, above all, find an object to follow. In this situation, the power of example is of great importance. Dale Carnegie's well-known long-standing recommendation: "Smile more often" remains relevant today. It is not out of place to periodically look the client in the eyes, as if looking for confirmation of their statements in them.

External manifestations of benevolence and participation should be complemented by taking into account the psychological characteristics of certain types of clients, the selection of individual methods of working with them. This optimizes the office service process and increases the efficiency of managers.

The peculiarity of the service in a travel agency is that the client often does not come alone, so the employee of the company must be ready to communicate with several psychological types of people at once.

Of particular importance for communication is the impression created in the first minutes of the client's contact with the travel agency staff. The client's opinion about the travel agency is formed on the basis of how the secretary or manager greets him on the phone or at the entrance to the office. In the first minutes of communication, it is necessary to find out from the client his name and patronymic and in a conversation at least once to address him personally.

Use such questions or statements that will generate interest;

Asking questions, implying the possibility of affirmative answers;

Learn about customer preferences.

In the context of the conversation, it is advisable to speak respectfully about your travel agency and its employees. You can not speak disapprovingly of competitors, ironic about their actions, as well as show excessive interest and ask the client about the shortcomings of other travel agencies.

When talking with a visitor, the level of his aspirations, culture, education gradually appears. This information should be used to mentally prepare answers to questions that may be asked.

A typical and rather gross mistake is a direct question about the amount that the client has. Inexperienced managers justify themselves by the fact that receiving this information immediately establishes certain price boundaries communication and saves time. However, excessive straightforwardness leads to a negative result: the client either begins to flaunt his wealth (often overestimating it), or suspects the travel agency staff that they are trying to persuade him to purchase an excessively expensive tour. In both cases, further communication may be interrupted without leading to a purchase. Meanwhile, obtaining information about the price range of the client is not difficult. In the process of communication, he can be offered a catalog of hotels and inquire about the desired stardom, the duration of the tour, the type of transport. This information allows you to very accurately form an idea of the planned costs of the client.

The approach to the client must be individualized. Working with clients' passports, the travel agency manager can record their birthdays in the computer and, if they coincide with the travel date, take care of congratulations with the receiving company. If the birthday falls on a different time, the client can be congratulated with a postcard sent to his home address, or, in extreme cases, with a virtual postcard. It is advisable to congratulate regular customers on the New Year and other holidays (for example, professional ones).

Since the client's place of residence is not indicated in the foreign passport, and the corresponding column of the Tour-1 voucher is often not filled in, the home address can be asked from the client, telling about the traditions of congratulations practiced in the travel agency. You should ask what address you can send congratulations, so very often the registration address does not coincide with the place of residence, or clients do not want to receive personal correspondence at their place of residence.

Adequate facial expressions and moderate gestures help to communicate with visitors. These non-verbal techniques show the client the manager's confidence and self-sufficiency.

The modulation of the manager's speech in general should be consistent with the speed and sound register of the client's speech. However, if the visitor speaks very slowly or quickly, stutters, bursts, i.e. has obvious deviations from generally accepted linguistic norms, one should not adapt to it. It is also unacceptable to play along with the client by changing the stress in the words that he pronounces incorrectly.

An important quality of a manager is the ability not only to hear, but also to listen attentively to the client. Emotional deafness is unacceptable in the travel industry. If the client is angry, you need to give him the opportunity to speak up. In this case, you need to control your emotions and not become defensive. The visitor should make sure that the manager is genuinely willing to help. The phrase “What can I do for you to solve this problem?” Has a pronounced conciliatory effect.

Effective work of a travel agency manager with clients is possible with a differentiated approach that takes into account the types of tourists. Obviously, different types of tourists will use different tourist services.

In addition to psychological methods of communication, you should pay close attention to organizational aspects relationship between travel agency and customers.

Travel agency managers should work on the speed of customer service and strive to minimize the number of repeat visits (for paperwork, full payment for the tour, obtaining tickets, etc.). Visitors to travel agencies usually plan the time that they can spend on communication with travel agency personnel, and experience severe psychological discomfort in the event of significant delays in the office that are not directly related to service. Most often this is waiting for their turn to the referral manager. Therefore, if it is necessary to meet again with a client, it is advisable to appoint a convenient time for him.

But if a referral manager is busy serving a client, and at that moment another visitor comes to the travel agency's office, you can offer him the following (from the least rational method to the more preferable one):

Wait until the manager is free;

Solve a crossword puzzle, playful problems designed specifically for a specific tourist destination or highlighting the importance of a travel agency. Small gifts can be envisaged as incentives: from table calendars at the beginning of the year to souvenirs;

Explore catalogs or watch a video. To do this, it is advisable to have headphones, since the office can be noisy and the sound of the video will disturb employees. We must not forget about hygiene requirements according to which the headphones should be treated with, for example, a disinfectant aerosol before use;

Drink tea, coffee or soft drink (if there is such an opportunity and desire of the travel agency staff, and first of all, its head);

To entrust the client to a free manager who, during a forced pause, can solve non-key issues.

Sometimes situations are possible when the client who came first is suddenly distracted by a mobile phone call and communicates with the subscriber for a long time without freeing up his seat next to the manager's desk. These minutes are painful both for the second client, who usually endures this neglect of himself, and for the travel agency employee. The latter, "saving face", works with documents or studies the site of the tour operator, often imitating being busy. This is an example of misbehavior of a manager (bad manners of a tourist are obvious and therefore not discussed). It is more advisable to contact the second client and try to resolve issues with him that do not require much time. Naturally, there should not be any educational remarks or facial expressions showing discontent or impatience. The travel agency is not a clinic, not a theater, and posting an ad asking visitors to muffle mobile phones here it is undesirable. Indeed, for many clients of travel agencies, vacation (or a dream about it) begins long before the trip.

If desired, and with certain organizational efforts, you can create a "Tourist Club" at the travel agency and invite clients to apply for a club member card after returning. Naturally, the card should be handed out free of charge, just as membership fees should not be taken from the members of the club. On the contrary, club members can qualify for discounts when purchasing tours. To do this, they need to accumulate a certain number of points, accrued depending on the cost of the purchased tours, their multiplicity or the degree of usefulness of a member of the club for a travel agency for the anniversary of the travel agency or annually for the International Day of Tourism (September 27), you can publish your own two or more pages of newspaper, necessarily with color drawings or photographs. The newspaper space is filled on / 3 with information and entertainment materials (tourism news, tourist horoscope, crossword puzzle) and / 3 advertising tours. Such a newspaper can be handed over to visitors and targeted to distribute in mailboxes, attracting students doing practical training in a travel agency.

The reasons for the objections of the client of the travel agency

An attempt to put pressure on the client, to influence his choice causes a natural defensive reaction.

The client's objections can be:

psychological character; determined by personality traits;
logical character; the manager has provided an insufficiently convincing presentation or the travel product does not meet the client's needs.

A set of reasons that may result in the refusal of a tourist trip:

the cost of a tourist product;
health restrictions;
lack of time;
family life cycle;
fear and safety.

Remark 1

Some objections of the consumer of travel services can completely divert from the sale of the tour, therefore, the manager of the travel agency is faced with the task of effectively eliminating any objections of the client.

Ways to eliminate objections

There are many ways to resolve customer objections. One objection can be resolved in different ways.

Example 1

Most often, the "boomerang" effect is used to eliminate objections. The manager proposes a conversation to the client, based on his objection, and developing this topic.

The client is indignant about the cost of the tour, to which the manager can answer: "Precisely because the tour has such a cost, I would like to tell you what it is connected with."

To effectively eliminate objections, it is important to learn to anticipate them, which will allow you to respond to typical objections with typical phrases. Anticipating the objections of the consumer of travel services, the manager can express them first and show that these objections do not scare him. The following expressions are permissible: “I also thought so once”, “It really is so”.

To eliminate the objection, it is necessary to emphasize the positive aspects of the tourist product, while one should not be silent about the negative aspects, if they have become obvious to the client. Before you positively tune the client, you need to tune in to a positive perception yourself.

The doubting client needs additional arguments. Doubts indicate that:

The client is interested in the travel service, but hesitates, because he does not want to seem like easy prey. It is necessary to give the client an opportunity to relax and speak out.
The client is interested in the travel service, but hesitates whether what the manager suggested suits him. It is recommended to continue the presentation of the tourist product and pay more attention than this offer is beneficial.

Ways to eliminate doubts and objections:

Any doubt can be dispelled by providing arguments worthy of common sense and able to convince the client.
Convey a positive emotion to the client. At the same time, something emotional must be said, both in form and in essence. It is important to use metaphors that can allow the client to look at the tourism product from a different angle and in a new light.
When talking with a client, refer to existing standards, norms, law, instilled in the business turnover.
Replacing the client's objections with your own options that are easier to deal with.

Sales and follow-up contact

Remark 2

The main purpose of serving consumers of a tourist product in the office is to sell it. In this case, the main importance is given to the manager's ability to feel the client's readiness to purchase a tourist product.

In cases where the conversation between the manager and the client does not end with the purchase of a tourist product, it is recommended:

summarizing the client's objections, answers to them, summarizing the advantages of a tourist product, use the method of a win-win alternative, in which the choice of any of the proposed options leads to a purchase;
put forward the decisive last argument, which must ensure the final consent of the client, while taking into account the needs and tastes of the client, the features of the proposed tourist product;
sometimes make concessions to a client, offer a small discount, etc.

Introduction:

1. Occupational health and safety. Studying the house rules and responsibilities of a tourism agent.

2. Doing business and business correspondence. Use of office equipment in the work.

3. Forms of organizing tourist travel. Development of tours.

4. Providing information to clients.

5. Registration of a tourist package.

6. Reservation of services, their confirmation and registration.

7. Sale of a tourist product. Marketing and advertising

8. Dealing with customer complaints.

Conclusion.

Introduction:

Tourism is one of the leading and fastest growing sectors of the economy and for its fast pace it is recognized as the economic phenomenon of the century. Its rapid development is facilitated by the expansion of political, economic, scientific and cultural ties between states and peoples of the world. The massive development of tourism allows millions of people to broaden their horizons, to get acquainted with the sights, culture, and traditions of a particular country.

In many countries, tourism plays a significant role in the formation of the domestic product, revitalization foreign trade balance, the creation of additional jobs and the provision of employment for the population, has a huge impact on such key sectors of the economy as transport and communications, construction, production of consumer goods, i.e. acts as a kind of stabilizer of socio-economic development.

To succeed in the tourism business, you need a good knowledge of international legal norms and rules, the practice of tourism management and marketing, first of all, you need a professional organization of the production and sale of a tourism product based on the needs of the consumer of tourism services, you need a full and comprehensive awareness of the manufacturer of tourism services regarding everything , as for the client, as a consumer of these very services.

1.1 Occupational health and safety.

Based on the analysis of the environmental conditions in the room, the office is classified as a room without increased electrical hazard.

All electrical equipment operates under a voltage of 220V in the network. The electrical wiring in the room is hidden and carried out in accordance with the required standards. The office has sockets for electrical appliances and separately sockets for computers. Each computer in the workplace is grounded in accordance with the required standards. The main causes of accidents associated with electric current are: accidental touching live parts that are energized, defective protective equipment, bare wires.

The main technical methods and means of protection against electric shock are: protective grounding, neutralization, potential equalization, low voltage, electrical separation of networks, protective shutdown, insulation of live parts, compensation of earth fault currents, warning signaling, blocking, safety signs, isolating protective and safety devices. The main task aimed at ensuring healthy and safe environment labor at an enterprise is the preparation of a person for work, identifying his suitability for the chosen or recommended profession.

Labor protection is a system of legal, socio-economic, organizational and technical, sanitary-hygienic and treatment-and-prophylactic measures and means aimed at preserving human health and performance in the labor process.

1.2. Studying the house rules and responsibilities of a tourism agent.

The travel agent undertakes to carry out mediation for the sale of the Tour Operator's tourism product, according to current legislation and this agreement. Conduct advertising and other activities aimed at the development of tourism along the route of the Tour Operator. Send to the tour operator an order for booking a tourist route with the provision of all necessary and mandatory data, no later than the deadlines set by the tour operator. Provide to the tour operator in deadlines complete and reliable information, as well as documents necessary for the execution of the order: a scanned color copy of the RFP, 1 photo 3 * 4. Pay the tour operator the full cost of the order, in accordance with the invoice, in the manner and terms provided for in this agreement. Before concluding a contract for tourist services, the travel agent is obliged to provide the tourist-customer with the following information:

Basic requirements for the execution of exit / entry documents (passport, permission to exit / enter the country of temporary residence), including information on the timing of their processing;

Malaria or chicken flu risk, precautions and prevention, existing medications and vaccinations.

Prior to the commencement of the provision of travel services, the travel agent must provide the tourist with the following information:

General conditions of the standard contract for tourist services;

The cost of travel services and the procedure for payment;

Rights, obligations of tourists, rules of conduct, conditions of stay abroad;

2. Doing business and business correspondence.

Business relations are a complex, multifaceted process of developing contacts between people in the service sphere. Its members act in official statuses and are focused on achieving goals, specific tasks.

A specific feature of the named process is regulation, that is, submission to the established restrictions, which are determined by national and cultural traditions, professional ethical principles. A prerequisite in progress business relationship communication of people is, I will consider the ethics of business relations on the example of communication, relationships, because with competent communication, the ability to arrange the interlocutor to himself, the final result also depends.

Business relationships are closely related to communication, interaction production activities- This is the most widespread type of social communication.

It represents the sphere of commercial and administrative-legal, economic-legal and diplomatic relations.

Written types of business communication are numerous official documents: ( business letter, protocol, report, certificate, memorandum and explanatory letter, act, statement, agreement, charter, position instruction, decision, order, instruction, order, power of attorney).

1) Material - the exchange of objects and products of activity.

2) Cognitive - knowledge sharing.

3) Motivational - the exchange of motives, goals, interests, motives, needs.

4) Activity - exchange of actions, operations, skills, skills.

2.2. Use of office equipment in the work.

Travel agency "Sonata" is equipped with all the equipment necessary for work.

There is a telephone in the office of the director, accountant, managers, telephone - fax, mini automatic telephone exchange on the table. There is a copier, a printer, a scanner, a video projector, without which currently no company can work and personal computers for all the personnel of the company.

The accountant has a separate office, also equipped with everything necessary for work, a parallel connection is established.

An Internet connection has been established, it helps a lot in work, the company prefers to send booking requests by e-mail, not by fax, because it is much more convenient and faster.

For a comfortable state of health, all offices are equipped with air conditioning, there is a cozy room for staff to relax.

The travel company is fully equipped with everything you need, which allows you to work quickly and more efficiently.

3. Forms of organizing tourist travel. Development of tours.

The subjects of tourist activity, who receive and serve domestic tourists in Ukraine, must adhere to certain requirements.

Subjects of tourist activity should organize group and individual tours in Ukraine for domestic tourists on the basis of agreements (contracts) with domestic partners providing accommodation, food, transport, recreation and health services, entertainment, excursion services. Domestic tourists, depending on the terms of the contract, are provided with travel documents: to the first service point, from the last to the place of residence by the subjects of tourist activity, or independently.

Subjects of tourist activity during the organization of the provision of tourist services to domestic tourists in Ukraine must draw up the following tourist documents:

A tourist's application for booking a tourist service;

Booking sheet;

Confirmation of the accommodation facility for booking a tourist service;

Agreement between the subject of tourism activity and the tourist with information on accommodation, meals, a list of basic and additional services (when accommodated in sanatorium and recreational accommodation facilities - a list of medical and recreational services) and excursion services;

Insurance policy; tourist voucher(voucher);

Document (receipt spine or cashier's check), confirming the entry by the tourist into the cashier of the subject of tourist activity of the cost of tourist services specified in the agreement between the tourist and the subject of tourist activity.

The subject of tourist activity, when providing tourist services, must draw up a tourist voucher (voucher) certified by a signature and seal.

Tourist travel of pupils and students is actively developing in Ukraine. Tourist travel with pupils and students includes sports hiking trips, expeditions, excursions, which are carried out along pre-developed routes at specific dates. Depending on the technical complexity, the number of natural difficulties, length, duration, the hikes are divided into four categories of difficulty and not categorical, which include hikes for 1 - 3 days and I, II and III degrees of difficulty. Hikes and expeditions, depending on the territory, are divided into local and long-distance.

Administration educational institutions and other educational institutions that conduct tourist trips with schoolchildren and student youth, carry out the release of tourist groups on tourist trips on their own, without the consent of the authorities government controlled education. The document for conducting hikes of I-IV categories of difficulty and non-categorical hikes, which include elements of hikes of II-VI categories of difficulty, is a route book, and for non-categorical hikes - a route sheet.

Thus, a tourist trip (trip) is carried out individually or as part of a group of tourists. A trip is recognized as a group trip if the number of its participants is at least 10 tourists. Travels are carried out on the basis of agreements, tourist vouchers, vouchers, itinerary books, and other documents that determine the status of tourists.

The package of tourist services may include transport service, reservation of places for accommodation and accommodation, meals, excursion service, organization of cultural and sports programs. When carrying out a group trip, the subject of tourist activity is obliged to provide the group of tourists with a qualified leader, and, if necessary, with the consent of the group, with a guide.

Tour development includes the following stages: selection of route points, hierarchization of these points, selection of start and end points of the route, after which the route scheme is developed and optimized. The development of the route scheme and its software are inextricably linked parallel processes. The calculation of the cost of the tour is based on the organizational and technical measures taken to find partners and the agreements concluded with them.

Stages I. Selecting points of the route. The selection criterion is the attractiveness of the displayed objects to meet the purpose of the trip, to provide a variety of programs for staying in a given settlement, its transport accessibility and the provision of hospitality services.

Stage II. Route points are hierarchized according to the above criteria, with the main focus on the hospitality class and transport accessibility of selected route points. The purpose of this stage is to highlight the differentiation of route points for the purpose of travel with the allocation of points of deployment with a long software and excursion points.

Stages III. The choice of the starting and ending points of the route is carried out according to the indicator transport accessibility, that is, connectivity with the place of permanent residence of potential tourists (area of operation of the tour operator), interchangeability of modes of transport, type of vehicles.

Stage IV. DEVELOPMENT OF THE ROUTE SCHEME. The route scheme depends on the chosen shape. The route is the direction of movement of the tourist. According to the scheme, routes can be linear, circular, radial and combined, (Fig. 5. The choice of points along the route is consistent with the program in accordance with the type of tourism, duration and class of service.

The choice of the route scheme depends on the transport system: the configuration of the transport network, its density and technical condition, the level of development of certain types of transport, the level of development of transport infrastructure, ensuring the reliability and safety of transport.

The most common case in the development of a scheme is the option when it is desirable to provide the maximum possible information content of the trip for a certain time, while minimizing the time spent on moving between the main points of the route, i.e. to cover more objects of display to meet the cognitive purpose. This variant is called the "traveling salesman problem".

Mariupol is a city in the Donetsk region, located on the coast of the Azov Sea. The city is home to about half a million inhabitants. The city is an important center of engineering and metallurgy in Ukraine, as well as a major port city.

Administratively, the city is divided into Zhovtnevy, Illichivsky, Ordzhonikidze and Primorsky districts.

Mariupol is located at the mouth of the Kalmius and Kalchik rivers. The area of the city is 166 square kilometers. The city is inhabited by representatives of such nationalities as Ukrainians, Russians, Greeks, Belarusians, Armenians, Jews and others. The population is mostly Russian-speaking.

The close location of the sea creates a temperate continental climate in the city. Summers are longer here and winters are mild.

Mariupol is an industrialized city with 56 industrial enterprises, heavy industry prevails. Among the largest enterprises in the city are the Mariupol Iron and Steel Works named after Ilyich, Azovstal, Azovmash concern, Mariupol sea trade port, Azovelectrostal, Thermal plant, shipyard, Electrobytpribor plant, Mariupol experimental plant, Oktyabr plant, an enterprise for the production of windows and plastic "Marvey" and the plant "Magma".

There are several research institutes in the city. The culture of the city is represented by theaters, cinemas, Palaces of culture, libraries, of which there are 35 units in the city, and exhibition halls with museums.

If you go on vacation to Ukraine, the city of Mariupol certainly deserves the attention of any tourist. As A. France said: "Traveling teaches more than anything else. Sometimes one day spent in other places gives more than ten years of life at home."

Indeed, a vacation in Mariupol will bring many wonderful discoveries. The customs and foundations of local residents, the peculiarities of religion and culture, historical monuments - all this attracts like a magnet. A passion for adventure is inherent in many people, so few people will refuse to travel abroad. If, going on vacation, Ukraine became your destination, then the city of Mariupol is a great place to have a nice rest... Visit the attractions of this beautiful resort, taste the local cuisine, stroll around the shops and local shops, meet the residents - you will undoubtedly remember this city for a long time. And the photos taken on vacation in Mariupol will return you to Ukraine again and again.

4. Providing information to clients.

One often hears the opinion that "the ability to sell is from birth." To some extent, this statement is true. A person "born a seller" can sell anything, including a "pig in a poke". He is sociable, emotional, listens to the interlocutor well, enters a conversation on time, unobtrusively emphasizes the beneficial aspects of the product. And so the client, from an indifferent observer, turns into a happy owner of the product. One gets the impression that the seller didn’t do anything special, and the buyer wanted to buy the product himself. At the same time, if we take a closer look, we will see that every phrase, every gesture is an effective technique that allows the client to "lead" to the conclusion of the deal. Each client has individual psychological characteristics. Buyers perceive the product through the prism of personal characteristics. It happens that they do not pay enough attention to the product, incorrectly assess its advantages, do not see the benefits contained in it. And then they pass by, and we are left without the profit we expected. In order to trade successfully, it is necessary to learn various methods, techniques and techniques that help reorient the "wrong" customers into customers eager to purchase the long-awaited product and pay for the seller's services. How can psychological techniques help us in working with clients? The fact is that only 20% of buyers know exactly what they need to buy (what product, for what price, for what purpose, etc.), the remaining 80% are in less definite states: "I want something, but I don't know exactly what. " It depends on how effectively the manager will communicate with such a client whether the client will move from the category of "potential" buyers to "real" ones. A manager focused on the interests of the buyer finds an approach to any client, makes arguments convincing for each specific person, and advertises the product perfectly. It "warms up" the desire of the buyer to purchase the product, smoothly leads to the decision to purchase. Communication with a competent salesperson always leaves the client with a sense of a pleasant, casual conversation, a feeling that he was treated with attention and understanding (even if he did not buy anything). Such experiences force the buyer to use the service of this particular company (even if not this time, but later). This approach allows you to keep regular customers for as long as possible and attract new ones, and "old" customers in this case, play the role of reliable and free advertising.

Addressing, tourist agency"Sonata", the client is first of all explained what services he purchases and how to use them, as well as the guarantees and obligations of the agency and their rights. In the structure of tourist services of this travel agency, there are basic and additional, the main ones include:

Transportation services

Accommodation

Food for tourists

TO additional services relate:

Services for organizing excursions

Travel insurance services

Services of guides, guide-interpreters

Services for the transportation of a tourist from his place of stay in the country (place of his temporary stay) to the place of accommodation and back (transfer), as well as any other transportation within the country (place of temporary stay);

Rental services

Currency exchange

Telephone

mail
- the right to use the beach.

When a client contacts the "Sonata" travel agency, he is offered to look through the "Information sheet for the tour".

Which contains the following information:

Section 1. Description of the route by day.

Section 2. Description of the conditions of the tour.

Accommodation conditions at each point (type of building, equipment, characteristics of the room stock, sanitary and hygienic equipment);
- information about the placement of parents with children;

Characteristics of vehicles;

The list of services received for an additional fee.

Section 3. Information about host countries.

This section contains the following information:

Features of entry and exit to the country. Visas. Sanitary rules (insurance, vaccinations).

Customs regulations;

The specifics of behavior in each country, special restrictions due to the prevailing religion;

Local traditions and customs (rules of decency, clothing, tips, etc.);

Shopping, leisure, entertainment, nightlife;

Money, exchange;

Post, telegraph, telephone;

Attractions, incl. along the route;

Other required information.

Section 4. Safety rules.

This section contains the following information:

A list of travel companies - tour co-executors and data on the certification of their services according to local requirements;

State characteristic public order in the country and recommendations in this regard;

Rules of conduct on the water;

Sanitation and hygiene rules;

How to use insurance in case of emergency;

Dangerous animals, reptiles and plants;

How and where to store things, money and valuables;

Instruction on liability for damage caused. At the request of the client, a video demonstration of the route or hotel is possible.

5. Registration of a tourist package.

Tour package includes mandatory basic elements: tourist center, transport, accommodation services, transfer.

A tourist center is a tourist destination, including his recreational opportunities: natural, cultural, historical, ecological, ethnic, socio-demographic, infrastructural. The tourist center is one of the mandatory elements of the tourist package, since it is impossible to organize a trip without an object of interest. The tourist center is an integral symbol of interest, combining all the motives of the individual regarding recreational resources.

Each tourist, coming to the tourist office, chooses his object, regardless of the scale of the territory. For one it is a country, for another - a region, for a third - a specific settlement. Regardless of the individual interest of the consumer, the tour operator is obliged to reduce it to a single option - a tourist center. The tour operator is obliged to take the tourist to a specific place of rest, because that is where transport will be ordered, that is where the hotel will be ordered, etc.

Transport is a means of transportation by which a tourist can get to the tourist center. An airplane, train, tourist bus, car, etc. are used as a means of transportation. Transportation costs make up a large part of the costs that determine the cost of a tour package. The more comfortable and high-speed mode of transport is used, the higher the cost of travel.

Accommodation services are the services of a specific hotel that is offered to the tourist for accommodation during the trip. The order of accommodation in hotels differs according to the type of hospitality services offered to the tourist.

These can be hotels, motels, villas, apartments, boats, campings, etc. Catering services are not included as a separate element in the tourist package, since in tourism they are part of the accommodation services. In tourism, the following combinations of accommodation and food are accepted:

BB - accommodation + breakfast;

HB - half board: accommodation + breakfast + dinner;

FP - full board: accommodation + breakfast + lunch + dinner.

Buying a combination of BB or HB, the tourist gets the freedom of choice, since in this case he can simulate the program of his stay in the tourist center himself, choosing a restaurant at his own discretion, or he can go on an excursion, which usually includes lunch.

Transfer - delivery of a tourist from the place of arrival located in the host country (airport, harbor, railway station) to the place of accommodation (hotel), where he will live, and back. Transfers are carried out using buses, sometimes taxis or limousines, if this type of transfer is included in the tour package or requested by the tourist.

The package implies the obligation of tourist services and this distinguishes it from a tourist product. By purchasing a package that includes mandatory basic elements, a tourist not only receives significant discounts from the tour operator (since he purchased a serial tourist product of a tourist enterprise), but can always ask the tour operator to expand it by including other services, or he can do it on his own - directly at the tourist center.

After the conclusion of the Schengen Convention (1995), the issues of unification of requirements for a tourist product have become especially relevant. A tour purchased in one place is consumed in another, and only full coordination of the position of the tour operator, travel agent and tourist is able to ensure mutual fulfillment of obligations. According to the International Convention on Tourism Contracts (Brussels, 1970), such agreement is carried out on a contractual basis in the form of a voucher, which is signed by all parties to the agreement: tour operator, travel agent and tourist. A special European Union directive on package tours of June 15, 1990 sets out the mandatory requirements for the content of the voucher. He must have complete information about the tour:

¨ country, city (tourist center) where the tourist is going;

¨ means of transport used to transport a tourist;

¨ conditions for accommodation of tourists, including the location of the hotel, its category, level of comfort, a list of mandatory services included in the tour price;

¨ start and end dates of the tour;

¨ program of stay, broken down by day, indicating included excursions and socio-cultural activities;

¨ passport and visa formalities;

¨ medical insurance;

¨ the minimum number of participants in the tour;

¨ maximum possible terms for cancellation of the tour (in the EU - no later than 20 days before its start);

¨ complex tour price;

¨ compensation for failure to comply with the terms, program and conditions of the tourist's stay;

¨ name and details of the tour operator and travel agent.

According to this contract, the tour operator is responsible for:

¨ compliance with the program of stay;

¨ arbitrary change of the tour price;

¨ reliability of information about the tourist product.

In case of violation of one of these points, the tour operator is obliged to compensate the tourist not only material, but also moral damage.

6. Reservation of services, their confirmation and registration.

Reservation is a preliminary order for the upcoming tourist service, preliminary fixation of booking objects: seats (tickets, vouchers), equipment, equipment, etc. for the customer.

Reservations are made by various information systems that reserve, i.e. create stocks of reservation objects, and then from the created reserve assign them to the consumer.

The interaction of the tour operator with booking information systems creates the opportunity to:

· To integrate into the world tourist market;

· Operatively manage your activities;

· Expand the sales market for tourism products;

· To plan marketing activities;

· Pre-form lists of consumers and provide loading in advance;

· Analyze the demand for tourism products and more.

Currently, reservations can be made in three ways: by fax, by e-mail or using the online booking system. When booking by fax or e-mail, you must fill out the application form proposed by the tour operator (Appendix 5) and send it to the available address.

When booking online, all the necessary data is entered directly into the online booking system, which simplifies the work and saves time for managers of both travel agencies and tour operators. In a matter of seconds, the system provides the most accurate information about the schedule of international flights, tariffs, availability of rooms in hotels, their location, types of services, car rental points, cultural programs in the host country, etc.

7.1. Sale of a tourist product.

The main differences between advertising and sales promotion are in their methods of appeal and the value they add to a product or service. While advertising is about creating an image, and it takes time, channel management is about incentives that lead to immediate action, preferably a sale. On the other hand, they perform common tasks, which are to increase the number of consumers and more use of the tour product by consumers.

Sales support is about offering an additional motive to buy. Its main advantage lies in the variety and flexibility of methods. Most often, various discounts are used to promote tour companies. "Sonata" offers the following system of discounts:

Holiday discounts

Family discounts

Group

Baby

Special (for those who own a discount coupon or for clients who bring a new client to the company)

Various printed products used by travel agencies to stimulate sales directly in the office. At a time when a client hesitates in choosing a travel agent, vacation spot, hotel or mode of transport, a colorful brochure that outlines all the advantages of this vacation spot, hotel, etc. will help push him to buy. Various calendars, stands, brochures, magazines and catalogs of our own publication not only attract the client with their appearance, but also offer more detailed information about the route. Their production is relatively inexpensive - it depends on the amount of information printed, the cost of paper, the cost print media, salaries of designers.

I would like to highlight a separate page for the sales channel management

interactive promotion. In addition to the Internet, it includes telemarketing programs, paging messages, prepaid calling cards.

However, cybermarketing is still in the experimental stage, far from accurate estimates. Still, the main effect of the presence of an Internet page has on the formation of the image of the travel company in the eyes potential consumers... And this refers rather to the area PR .

Good public relations is the greatest advantage an organization can have. A positive and well-informed public is one of the decisive factors in the survival of the firm.

PR is the use of information to influence public opinion. PR differs from advertising in how the media are used and with what degree of credibility they are perceived. Of course, PR and advertising should complement each other within a single strategy.

The arsenal of tools for public relations is wide and varied. Which of them can be offered to travel companies for use?

First, a press release. For each media, the press release is written separately and does not contain a direct call to purchase the services of a particular tour company. Usually this is an article in a newspaper devoted to the topic of tourism or a specific country, where the name of the tour company and an offer to buy a trip to this country are mentioned in passing. The method of a press conference is very close to the one described above; it is hardly applicable in the field of tourism, especially for small tour companies. It requires serious financial costs, certain skills in conducting such events and experience in working with reporters.

Much more common in the tourist environment is the method of public relations using video films. As a rule, this is a series of television programs dedicated to travel and tourism, in which the name and telephone number of the company offering tours to any discussed country is indicated. An example would be TV programs.

Postcards have become a relatively new type of PR. The travel company congratulates its regular customers on any holiday. It’s a cheap tool that comes in handy both for maintaining good customer relationships and for self-promotion.

The marketing activities of the firm play an important role in
management survey of the enterprise. After choosing the main strategic directions of the enterprise, it is necessary to concretize them through planning a marketing program.
Any travel company should constantly monitor everyone,
to react to every change in the market: lagging behind the more successful and discerning ones threatens to distrust the consumer in the company, which can lead not only to the loss of one of the clients, but also to a fall in the overall image of the company, i.e. to the loss of a significant part of potential and regular customers.

So, marketing ensures not only the effective satisfaction of market needs, but also the success of the enterprise in the competition. Having originated in the industrial sphere, marketing for a long time did not find appropriate application in the field of tourism. However, the increase in competition, the commercialization of tourism activities led to the need for the earliest possible introduction of the basic elements of marketing in the practice of a tourism enterprise. At the same time, tourism has certain features related to the nature of the services provided, forms of sales, and so on. In order to really use marketing as a reliable tool for achieving success in the market, specialists of tourism enterprises need to master its methodology and the ability to apply it depending on a specific situation. Employees of the travel agency "Sonata" are trying to apply marketing in their activities, studying supply and demand for specific tourist services making up prices for new project advertising their services and so on.

And here marketing acts as a compass that allows the company to conduct its activities towards the intended goal in a safer way, but as mentioned earlier, they lack a specialized marketing department, for the best promotion of the company and conquering new frontiers, in my opinion, the creation of such a structure as a separate independently functioning body will not only help to conquer new frontiers, but also occupy a leading position in this market sector for a very long time.

Advertising is now firmly entrenched in our lives. Statements about her are very contradictory. She annoys many, appearing in the middle of a favorite TV or radio program, striking the eye everywhere - on the street, in transport, in various institutions. Hearing something forestry about advertising is a rarity, even from those who work in it. Basically, negative responses refer not even to the very existence of advertising, but to the “dominance” of our life by this advertisement. But no matter how we relate to this phenomenon, without it our society can no longer exist.

1. Informative advertising... The purpose of this type of advertising is to tell the market about a new product or about new possible applications of an existing product. In addition, information about price changes, new services provided, dispelling consumer doubts and fears, shaping the company's image. This type of advertising is mainly prevalent when introducing a product to the market, when it is necessary to create its primary image. The peculiarity of informative advertising is that the image of the company / product as such does not yet exist. This is the most difficult stage, here creativity plays a decisive role. The subsequent effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the image directly depends on how the informative advertisement will look like: whether the colors, fonts, visual and sound images are chosen correctly. If, due to any mistakes in informative advertising, the image of the organization is misunderstood, then it will be very difficult to change this impression.

2. Persuasive advertising... Forms preference for the brand, strives to switch from competitors' brands to their own. Changes the consumer's perception of the properties of the product, seeks to induce him to make a purchase without delay. Inspirational advertising becomes especially important during the growth phase, when the challenge is to generate selective demand. It seeks to validate the advantages of one brand by comparing it specifically with other brands in a given commercial class. At this stage, the firm's image still needs to be adjusted. Such advertising is used very often in our time, since the quality of similar goods from different companies practically does not differ and is quite high, then the competition in the market

3. Reminiscent ads... Reminds consumers that the product may be useful to them in the near future, informs about where it can be purchased, keeps the product in mind during the off-season. Such advertising is sometimes called image advertising. This type of advertising is extremely important at the stage of maturity so that the consumer does not forget about the product. The company's image has already been formed and is not being corrected. The image advertisement contains a minimum of information. Most often, it is sold through outdoor advertising. At this stage, it is very important to choose the right visual or auditory images that would clearly

would be associated by consumers with this brand and would support the established image.

Ads may or may not change over time. It depends on the market situation as a whole and on the situation inside the travel agency. Travel agency "Sonata" is active in advertising work.

Advertisements are published in various print media. Advertising on the radio, creeping line on television, advertising banners are given. All information about the company and the offered tours can be found on the Internet on your own website.

Various advertising business cards, they lie on the table of every manager and, as a rule, all clients, leaving, take such a business card and not in one copy, then pass them on to their friends, which also has a good effect on work.

8. Dealing with customer complaints.

The activities of a travel agency are associated with a certain number of risks of a legal and economic nature, which is due to the complex nature of the tourist product. The result can be a conflict situation presented in the form of complaints. Skillful handling of them can represent a significant benefit in the work of a travel agency.

The purpose of this work is to take into account the establishment of the essence and principles of treatment, more precisely, in the management of complaints, therefore, we accept the proposal.

The primary task of a travel agency in the presence of complaints is not to avoid solving them, but to skillfully handle them. First of all, it is envisaged to eliminate shortcomings in the service provided and restore the client's legal claims. At the same time, information about weaknesses services and possible ways to improve it. It should be noted that the travel organization is constantly focusing on constructive work on complaints in order to attract additional customers. Until recently, insufficient attention was paid to handling complaints in the management process of a travel agency, since the main task was to minimize costs. At the same time, the efficiency was determined by the percentage of fulfilled claims presented by the consumer. But gradually it began to come to the realization that complaints are valuable, relevant and free ideas for improving the quality of the services provided. The value of complaints is that they:

Provide a chance to eliminate errors and identify potential for quality improvement;

Provide information about the needs of the client;

Make sure the service promise is true.

Complaints, quickly and accurately handled, make the consumer a regular customer of the organization, as he sees that his opinion is perceived and the organization takes care of him. It goes without saying that prompt resolution of complaints is inextricably linked with claims to improve the quality of the services provided.

The overarching goal is to make dissatisfied customers partners in finding a solution to the problem by successfully handling complaints, and ultimately regular customers... Avoiding customer churn, reducing negative word of mouth, gaining insight into product weaknesses and protecting against inappropriate claims.

The apology and responsibility of the management and the organization as a whole for the problem that has arisen come to the fore. The wrong step is to search for an explanation, because the consumer does not care who was wrong and why. The client wants to hear that the firm is very sorry about what happened and will resolve the problem as soon as possible.

The client's satisfaction with the solution to the problem drops after the first week of problem solving. Therefore, it is recommended to present a solution to the problem within the first 3 days (as a last resort, provide information on the intermediate results of the work done).

Perhaps we are talking about the last chance to retain the client. No fear of consumer emotions. Emotions subside if the consumer notices that they are being taken seriously. It is necessary to maintain the conversation started by the client. He values his point of view very highly. Think positively and articulate the answer. The consumer must be sure that his complaint matters to the firm. The client needs to be convinced that the problem can be solved, and the complaint is subject to satisfaction. Actively ask the client for their opinion. The client should be able to voice their complaints. You can use opinion questionnaires, services hotline, telephone polls. Through the use of similar means, the number of dissatisfied people can be reduced.

Letters addressed to the firm are considered directly by the management of the firm. This technique shows the client how seriously their complaint is taken. The management, in turn, can thus follow the progress of the processing and the solution of the problem. Every consumer who addresses a member of the board of a travel agency<Соната>receives a reply signed by the addressee.

A special role is assigned to the stimulation of complaints. As part of its active work, the organization is committed to ensuring that, whenever possible, all customers with complaints file a complaint. As already noted, some of the disappointed customers do not complain, since they decided to change the service in the future, and some of the consumers refuse complaints, realizing that associated costs do not correlate with the future compensation (also moral) expected. Some of the clients, who initially decided on a complaint, do not carry out this, since over time the dissatisfaction loses its relevance. Encouraging the "silent clients" guarantees the firm to fix bugs and improve in the future, and for the clients - the opportunity to more easily and calmly point out the problems that have arisen. Based on this, we can conclude that the stimulation of complaints, despite some negative component on the part of the organization, is the most important process and stage in the structure of the company's management.

An important criterion for stimulating complaints is the availability of customers to express their complaints. The following tools are used to intensify complaints (for example, intensify customer feedback):

Free telephone services;

Comment cards and a complaints box;

Introduction of video equipment, which is provided for the expression of complaints;

Indication, for example, in prospectuses, of a specific person in charge;

General consumer surveys;

Compliance with guarantees;

Communication with consumers (for example, a cocktail reception with the management of the hotel during your stay in it);

Telephone campaigns, in which satisfaction with the services provided is surveyed a short time after the trip;

Communication with clients during their meeting after the trip;

Consumer conferences, etc.

An important component in receiving complaints from customers. Complaints are accepted orally or writing... Already when receiving complaints, it should be avoided that consumer dissatisfaction does not increase due to the employee's incorrect reaction. The organization must provide for the responsibility of each employee. Complaints are unpleasant for employees and often just try to get rid of unhappy customers as soon as possible. Of particular importance is the training of the contacting personnel to correctly respond to the situation, to delve into the situation of the consumer and not express dissatisfaction with the need to fulfill the client's legitimate claims. Employees in direct contact with customers can offer direct solutions to problems if they have the appropriate competence. It is advisable for the company's management to personally demonstrate to staff how to respond to certain frequently encountered complaints.

It is necessary to develop a system for the business and courteous reception of complaints. Many of them serve rather for self-complacency of the consumer and are not associated with further claims. Often, when speaking verbally, it is enough to listen carefully and express sympathy, then give an explanation, and when written, an appropriate answer. At the first stage of filing a complaint, managing the client's emotions plays a decisive role, which will allow you to quickly grasp the essence of the information. `The consumer complains only when there is enough internal energy in the form of emotions that allows him to take on temporary and financial sacrifices. One of necessary conditions- break down the emotional barrier. Travel agency<Соната>suggests the following pattern of behavior when receiving an emotional complaint:

Calmly, seriously and attentively listen to the complainant;

Ask to repeat the complaint again and confirm it;

Apologize;

Take the client's or guest's feelings (frustration, frustration, anger) seriously and show it;

Explain that the organization can and wants to take action to correct the problem;

Thank the client for pointing out the problem.

At the reception stage, it is important that all essential information is assimilated reliably and quickly.

A separate issue is the handling of complaints. The fewer instances and the faster a decision is made, the less consumer dissatisfaction. It is important that decision-making should not take weeks or months, but should be strictly defined by time, preferably no more than 5 days. If the complaint is being processed longer than it should be or it was promised, then the consumer should be informed of the intermediate result of the processing. Complaints are processed centrally (at the firm's office) and decentralized (at the place of residence). In any case, written complaints are processed centrally.<Соната>has highlighted the following tools for handling written or telephone complaints:

Calling a complaining customer;

Written apology;

Compensation for a poor-quality service, which can be considered as a decrease in the cost of the service itself. You can offer clients a similar service, or a small present (free accommodation for a certain period, free visits to museums, parks, etc.);

In the event that a consumer refuses a similar service and sues the firm, the organization recognizes the legal charge without predicting negative prospects.

It is not the process of handling the complaint itself that is important, but its result. The consumer must be compensated. At the same time, unfounded complaints should also be taken into account. Many organizations are willing to pay compensation only after thorough due diligence. This is not rational because it is expensive, and most complaints are ultimately valid. It is more economical to compensate for small claims in the form of small gifts. When resolving a conflict, it is necessary to define and clarify the competences of the parties.

The last step in dealing with complaints is their assessment. Complaints are assessed to use the information they contain and take appropriate action to improve the quality of services.

Quantification examines the cause and frequency of individual customer complaints in order to identify and correct deficiencies. In this case, individual complaints should first be grouped into a category of similar problems.

The client's consent with the decision to satisfy his complaint is the basis for further work with this client. Satisfying customer complaints is not only the fastest and most joyful for customers, but also the most profitable solution. If it is impossible to eliminate the deficiency, it is necessary to reduce the consequences of a poor-quality service (for example, escorting passengers due to a train being late until the next one without additional payments on their part).

To achieve customer satisfaction, there is a functioning complaints statistics system and the implementation of the information obtained in the firm's practice. An important factor in the work of complaints is constant customer support: you can offer, for example, a reservation in the same hotel and the same room with a guarantee that this time the stay will not be overshadowed by negative moments. If the company wants the client to remain faithful to it, despite the complaint, then a simple rule should be remembered: the client only becomes a truly regular consumer if the result of consideration of his first complaint is positive.

A striking example of handling customer complaints is a travel agency<Соната>, which is guided by the principle "There is nothing worse than losing at least one client". In 1996, the firm introduced an assistance program in its work, the principle of which is to eliminate deficiencies on the spot. `The support of the guest through the guide gives great chances of a quick and correct solution of problems. Since in the case of complaints in tourism, emotional losses exceed economic ones, the client, along with the return of guarantees, receives material services (for example, a basket of fruits in the room, a tour of the place of stay and sightseeing of all sights, moving to a room more high category) as a compensation. As a rule, the monitoring function leads to long-term elimination of deficiencies or to the correction of the description of services in the catalogs. The most difficult to resolve is the case when on return or during the tour, not one client complains, but the majority. However, such a case should not be considered an insoluble problem. Success in business lies in the sequence of actions.

Conclusion :

Analysis of the activities of the travel agency "Sonata" showed that the company is quite successful in the tourism market, realizes tours both in the country and abroad. The company receives the main profit from the sale of individual tours (78%), the second in terms of profit is the sale of air and railway tickets, which accounts for 13% of the total amount received from the sale of services, the third place is taken by the sale of corporate tours, which accounts for 11% from funds received from the sale of services.

the target segment "Sonata" was determined, which meets the following characteristics:

· Age - from 20 to 50 years old;

· Income level - average and above average;

· Education - usually higher, but does not matter;

· Marital status - usually a family of two to four people;

· Work, profession - most often - private entrepreneurs;

· Geography - foreign tourism and tourism in Ukraine;

Lifestyle - energetic, active person, busy entrepreneurial activity or an employed person susceptible to novelties;

The motive of the trip: a desire to relax with family, a desire to relax abroad, a desire to receive treatment abroad, a desire to visit an exotic country, a desire to visit famous places in Ukraine, a desire to participate in river and sea cruises. Today the Sonata travel agency implements a very narrow list of tours based on the cultural and historical potential of the Donetsk region, and all of them are associated with historical places known to the whole world. There are no tours related to the history of the region, its cultural traditions, ethnography.