Cutting Through the Perplexity: Eight Critical Items for New Travel Advisor Businesses
by保罗·鲁登/
On August 20, I wrote aboutseven critical actions that new travel advisors should take适当地建立业务。其中许多要点还适用于现有的企业,这些企业可能在早期就忽略了它们。赶上永远不会太晚。
今天,我们将添加到每个新顾问业务至少应该考虑的关键项目列表中,并且在大多数情况下都应该这样做。其中一些观点已经在较早的旅行市场报告文章中进行了讨论,因此我只会在这里总结这些观点。beplay客服许多是业务计划中的重要元素,这是七个较早建议中的第一个。
1. Decide how and when you will disclose your role
This is the question whether, in any given transaction, you are acting as a principal or an agent. Unless you are creating tour packages yourself and taking “inventory risk” if the packages don’t sell, you will be and want to be an “agent at law,” because that status protects you to the greatest extent in the event a supplier fails to perform its obligations to your customers.
由于此披露可能对某些人具有负面的含义,因此使用的语言和通知的放置很重要。这是一个披露,而不是“警告”。必须以一个理性的人会看到和理解它的方式来介绍它,但不必面对客户“我不负责任!”因此,不要用精美的打印掩埋此通知。
It is reasonable to make the disclosure on preliminary documents, such as draft itineraries, as well as booking confirmations. Use plain English to state that your agency is not the provider of the services being sold; you are an agent of the supplier and not a principal. Consult your attorney about the precise language that will work in your jurisdiction, but try to avoid too much legalese.
另外,重新阅读了“Are You an Agent for a Supplier or Fiduciary for the Client?透明
2.确定您将在哪里“做生意”;文件需要注册并创建必要的托管
您将要确保您在所有“做生意”的州注册并遵守了监管要求。通常,如果您要卖给管辖区X的消费者,即使您的办公室在其他地方,也在那里“做生意”。在特定司法管辖区的广告同样将被视为“做生意”。“做生意”的概念很复杂,应与您的法律顾问讨论。
Remember that this requirement is about more than just registering with the state as a foreign entity operating there. Some states, like California and Florida, have elaborate regulations that require annual fees, use of an official identification number, escrow accounts, and more. You should not expose yourself to state enforcement by overlooking these requirements.
3. Decide what name the business will have and any variations you may want to use
Just because you have chosen a fanciful name to brand yourself does not mean someone else does not have prior rights. Many travel retailers have similar or identical business names that may or may not correspond with the technical legal name of the entity they have formed to conduct the business. You should check appropriate state resources to be sure you can use a name without infringing a prior user’s rights in the name. Usually you can register a fictitious name and you should be sure to include any “doing business as” or “dba” names that differ from the corporate or other formal name you use.
4. Decide how you will vet others in the business
If you will have someone else involved in the business — for example, a sales person, bookkeeper or manager — establish in writing a formal procedure for vetting such people. Then, follow the procedure in every case. Write the policy down as a series of steps; this will force you to think through carefully what must be done to be sure you can trust the person.
如果是一个可以访问公司银行帐户的人,alwaysrequire double signatures on checks;do notgive new employees or independent contractors access to the firm’s electronic systems until the vetting has been completed and you are completely satisfied with the results. If in doubt, don’t. And seriously consider a fidelity bond for any employee or contractor who has access to the agency’s bank accounts.
5. Create a professional-looking website with proper terms and conditions
Most people do not normally read the lengthy “terms and conditions” on websites they visit. Nevertheless, it is important to have an appropriate set somewhere with a link to them that can reasonably be found.
网站上的复杂程度是您必须做出的个人业务决定,但是很明显,呈现不佳的网站将使您付出代价。
A related point is to have a professional photograph taken for use on websites and other promotional material. Think through how you want to present yourself to the world, including suppliers as well as consumers. Rely on the old saw about first impressions lasting. Take a look at超级代理商Geoff和Sharon Millar的建议, reported in an excellent article.
6.制定政策,以控制网站上正确使用照片和其他图像以及印刷材料
I have written about this before. See “滥用摄影的版权是严重的生意“控制摄影的使用确实是严肃的业务。
我不会在这里重复这篇文章,但我会强调的是,这是那些“无借口”原则之一。您有责任确定您有权使用从Internet收集的照片和其他图像,并且防御滥用的要求可能非常昂贵。拥有数百万张图像的老练公司使用软件来扫描互联网以获取未经授权的图像清单的副本。
7.讨论错误与遗漏保险和一个兄弟ker; arrange to distribute travel insurance opportunities for all client transactions
Agencies sometimes resist consideration of insurance because it is complicated, seen as costly and, after all, what could go wrong? Regardless, evaluation of insurance needs should be a central element of any new business plan. Plenty of professional help is available from brokers and from insurance companies.
The cost of E&O insurance should be included in the initial capital requirements for the business, especially if you have employees or contractors who will work for you. Agencies that are under-insured often end up regretting the decision to forego this protection.
Some important related advice on this subject can be found at “旅行社不应“出售”旅行保险."
8.制定业务连续性计划
拒绝这个建议并不少见because there is a tendency to believe that it takes a lot of work and may never be used. If they taught us nothing else, the spate of catastrophic hurricanes over the past several years, affecting states well away from the initial landfall, should make everyone aware of how serious and unpredictable the risks can be. Once these events materialize and affect an unprepared agency, the business can easily be destroyed. And, of course, the risks come from more than just weather events, fires being among them. Much rarer are terrorism incidents, but those do occur and can close an entire section of a city for some period.
Business continuity is complicated because it requires that you think through virtually every detail of how your business functions, how your various people and tools interact, and what you can do to keep the business going when, for example, you lose physical access to the site for an extended period. Planning of this type requires deep thinking about how you can continue to operate from off-site locations. Having hard copies of all your electronic files won’t help much if they are in a box under a table that has been inundated with flood waters from a hurricane.
如果您有员工,合作伙伴或其他参与业务的人,则应参与计划过程。您可能还需要包括一些家庭成员,因为我们正在考虑的影响类型可能会影响他们或在筹码下降时寻求帮助。通过搜索互联网可以找到有关连续性计划的许多资源。One interesting checklist I found来自加拿大。
There are many others, but they likely will not be specific to travel agency businesses. Adaptation is necessary. Many continuity planners recommend testing the plan. This is a good idea, as well.