Travel Agent Operation Plan

SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

BUSINESS PLAN “TRAVEL AGENT”

Members of Group:

1. Miss Linda Safdina ID No. 125410513014 – 2

2. Miss Linda Eka Safitri ID No. 125410513018 – 3

3. Miss Permita Nugrahesti ID No. 125410513016 – 7

4. Miss Dewi Kurniasari ID No. 125410513017 – 5

5. Mr. Ervin Dinarwa ID No. 125410513019 – 1

6. Mr. Ringga Arie S. ID No. 125410513015 – 9

RAJAMANGALA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY THANYABURI, THAILAND

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Ø ORGANIZATION CHART

Ø JOB DESCRIPTION and JOB SPECIFICATION

I. CEO / PRESIDENT

Provide leadership to position the company at the forefront of the travel agent. Develop a strategic plan to advance the company's mission and objectives and to promote revenue, profitability and growth as an organization. Overse company operations to insure production efficiency, quality, service, and cost-effective management of resources.

a. Job Description

1. Develop a strategic plan to advance the company's mission and objectives and to promote revenue, profitability, and growth as an organization.

2. Oversee company operations to insure production efficiency, quality, service, and cost-effective management of resources.

3. Plan, develop, and implement strategies for generating resources and/or revenues for the company.

4. Identify acquisition and merger opportunities and direct implementation activities.

5. Approve company operational procedures, policies, and standards.

6. Review activity reports and financial statements to determine progress and status in attaining objectives and revise objectives and plans in accordance with current conditions.

7. Evaluate performance of executives for compliance with established policies and objectives of the company and contributions in attaining objectives.

b. Job Specification

1. Experience in strategic planning and execution. Knowledge of contracting, negotiating, and change management. Skill in examining and re-engineering operations and procedures. Experience in formulating policy, and developing and implementing new strategies and procedures. Ability to develop financial plans and manage resources. Ability to analyze and interpret financial data. Knowledge of public relations principles and practices. Knowledge of communication and public relation techniques. Ability to develop and deliver presentations. Ability to identify and secure funding/revenue sources.

2. Work requires professional written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to communicate and interact with officials at all levels of government and to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community. Ability to motivate teams and simultaneously manage several projects.

3. This is normally acquired through a combination of the completion of a Masters Degree in Business Administration, Finance or Accounting and ten years of experience in a leadership role for a large division or company.

4. Work requires willingness to work a flexible schedule and travel.

II. VICE PRESIDENT SALES AND MARKETING

Provide leadership and coordination of company sales and marketing functions. Develop and implement sales and marketing strategy. Monitor and analyze sales and marketing activity against goals.

a. Job Description

1. Direct and coordinate company sales and marketing functions.

2. Develop and coordinate sales selling cycle and methodology.

3. Direct and oversee the company marketing function to identify and develop new customers for products and services.

4. Research and develop strategies and plans which identify marketing opportunities, direct marketing, and new project development.

5. Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of sales, methods, costs, and results.

6. Develop and manage sales and marketing budgets, and oversee the development and management of internal operating budgets.

7. Plan and coordinate public affairs, and communications efforts, to include public relations and community outreach.

8. Directly manage major and critical developing client accounts, and coordinate the management of all other accounts.

9. Participate in the development of new project proposals.

10. Establish and implement short- and long-range goals, objectives, policies, and operating procedures.

11. Supervise the planning and development of company marketing and communications materials.

b. Job Specification

1. Experience in strategic planning and execution. Knowledge of contracting, negotiating, and change management. Knowledge of structuring sales quota goals and revenue expectations. Experience in planning marketing strategies, advertising campaigns, and successful public relations efforts.

2. Work requires professional written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to motivate teams to produce quality materials within tight timeframes and simultaneously manage several projects. Ability to participate in and facilitate group meetings.

3. This is normally acquired through a combination of the completion of a Masters Degree in Marketing and ten years of experience in a senior-level sales and/or marketing position.

4. Work requires willingness to work a flexible schedule.

III. TRAVEL AGENT MANAGER

a. Job Description

Travel agent managers work in retail travel outlets which promote and sell holidays and travel related products. Travel agencies range from small independent businesses to large chains. Some specialise in business travel while others have detailed knowledge of specific locations or travel products. Responsibilities for managers very depending on the size of the organisation and the customer base but will usually include sales development, staff and financial management, and daily operational management. Travel agent managers must be able to offer specialist, professional and competitive travel products to meet the demands of the travel market, which includes online bookings and tailor – made trips.

All managers are responsible for developing strategies to hit or exceed sales targets, regardless of the size of the outlet or products offered. Depending on the size of the company and the specific managerial role, tasks could include:

• promoting and marketing the business, sometimes to new or niche markets;
• managing budgets and maintaining statistical/financial records;
• selling travel products and tour packages;
• sourcing products and destinations to meet consumer demands for bespoke travel and sustainable tourism;
• taking part in familiarisation visits to new destinations in order to gain information on issues and amenities of interest to consumers;
• liaising with travel partners, including airlines and hotels, to manage bookings and schedules, often one year in advance;
• dealing with customer enquiries and aiming to meet their expectations;
• overseeing the smooth, efficient running of the business.

b. Job Specification

Travel Agent manager require a master's degree in business administration or other. The Travel Institute offers experienced agents courses that lead to the Certified Travel Associate (CTA) and Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) designations. The Institute also offers marketing and sales skills development programs and destination specialist programs. To be a successful travel agent manager one must be well-organized, accurate, detail-oriented, professional and courteous. Good writing and interpersonal skills as well as sales ability are also necessary, A minimum of five years of experience in personnel management, including hiring, supervision, evaluation and benefits administration, college graduate or equivalent experience, proven skills in business and financial management, demonstrated ability to work in a proactively diverse and inclusive organization, demonstrated ability to manage and supervise a staff team, proven ability to cope with conflict, stress and crisis situations, demonstrated ability to share skills and knowledge with others.

IV. CONSULTANT MANAGER

a. Job description

Consultant managers either work individually or as part of management consultancies. Companies hire them to streamline their management processes resulting in greater efficiency, lower costs and greater profits. Consultant managers work to solve management problems occurring in companies. They do this by analyzing a company's data such as expenses, profit margins and employment. They then use certain methodologies to solve these problems and report their findings to the client. Depending on the consultant, they can either stay on to implement their findings or leave it to the company to do themselves.

They are primarily concerned with the strategy, structure, management and operations of an organisation. Consultants can assist by identifying options with recommendations, providing additional resources and/or the implementation of solutions. Consultants operate across a wide variety of services such as business strategy, marketing, financial and management controls, human resources, information technology, e-business and operations, and supply-chain management.

In addition to the above, tasks for more experienced and senior consultants involve:

· identifying issues and forming hypotheses;

· formulating and implementing recommendations/solutions;

· ensuring the client receives the assistance needed to implement the recommendations/solutions;

· managing projects and programmes;

· leading and managing those within the team, including analysts;

· larger leadership role in the management of client relationships.

b. Job Specification

Many consultant managers require a master's degree in business administration if they want to work for the top management consultancies. It is possible to enter the profession as an analyst with a bachelor's degree and then progress to consultant after several years. Work requires professional written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to communicate and interact with officials at all levels of government and to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community. Ability to motivate teams and simultaneously manage several projects.

V. TOUR MANAGER

a. Job description

Tour managers organise and accompany groups of holiday makers on package tours to a wide variety and overseas locations. They are responsible for ensuring travel arrangements for holiday makers run as smoothly and enjoyably as possible from beginning to end, as well as providing them with practical support throughout the trip. In some companies, before tours are publicised and booked, tour managers are involved with planning tour schedules. Most tour managers work on a self – employed basis for tour operators, ranging from international companies to small, special interest operators. This is a demanding, but varied and rewarding role.

Typical activities include:

• development of domestic and international packages by visiting destinations and suggesting interesting travel routes or places of interest;
• designing flexible tour packages to meet the needs of different clients;
• exploring and identifying new business opportunities in a competitive and rapidly changing industry;
• accompanying groups travelling by coach, although on specialist tours travel may be by mini-bus, car, boat, train or plane;
• welcoming groups of holiday makers at their starting point and announcing details of travel arrangements and stop-over points;
• checking tickets and other relevant documents, seat allocations and any special requirements;
• helping with passport and immigration issues;
• commentating during the journey on places of interest along the route;
• communicating a range of information on itineraries, destinations and culture;
• informing passengers of arrival and departure times at each destination on the itinerary (including ensuring that all members of the group are back on the coach before departing from each stop);
• making sure all travel arrangements run according to plan and that accommodation, meals and service are satisfactory;
• organising entry to attractions and transport, such as car hire;
• responding to questions and offering help with any problems that arise - ranging from simple matters, such as directing a member of the group to the nearest chemist, to more serious issues, such as tracing lost baggage, etc;
• making contact in advance with places to stay or visit to check details and arrangements;
• liaising with hotels, coach companies, restaurants and other clients;
• advising about facilities, such as sights, restaurants and shops, at each destination;
• occasionally making accommodation bookings on proposed dates;
• organising and attending tourism events, conferences, workshops, seminars and exhibitions.

b. Job Specification

To be a good tour manager, you have to be able to calmly and coolly juggle the demands of a large group of people, as well as being able to fulfill requests that may sometimes seem unreasonable. How difficult the job is really depends on the group of people you are out on the road with. If everyone has a good working relationship, the job will be much easier than if you have to manage a group of people who have a lot of personal drama or who don't take their jobs seriously.

As a tour manager, you also have to be able to stay out of some of excesses that can happen on tour. You are ultimately the one responsible for seeing that the tour moves from show to show without a problem, so you can't engage in all of the partying. Of course you can have a good time, but you have to be the one to get everyone up in the morning. Although everyone is on tour to work, the tour manager is the one person who can never really take a night off. If you are organized and think you can handle the demands of the road, however, working as a tour manager can be a fun and rewarding job.

Ø LOCATION PLAN

Making these determinations can be as simple or as complex as you make it. There are, for dinstance, sophisticated location analysis tools available that include traffic pattern information, demographic and lifestyle data, and competitive analyses. We intend to locate within the head office in Jakarta, capital city of Indonesia. But we have branch office in Bangkok, since this is close to the city center with a high density of both residential and business premises. The pavement is wide, so people can stand and look in the window without being in the way of other pedestrians.

Ø OPERATION PLAN

1. Hours of Operation

The telephone lines will be staffed 24 hours a day by live operators. During the period from 9 am to 6 pm, this will be done mostly by our staff. However, overload calls during the day and after – hours calls will go to our live telemarketing bureau. People consider vacation decisions at home in the evenings after discussion with friends and partners. We want to be available as their first point of contact with an informed, friendly service. We believe that since our clients will mostly be busy professional people, off-peak-hours access to our services is also a key way in which we can differentiate ourselves from other travel agencies.

2. Equipment

We will be renting an integrated telephone/database system from the outset. This will allow up to ten sales staff to answer calls and have full on – screen data on clients and products. As service is one of our key components, it is essential that we have full access to all relevant data speedily and efficiently.

3. Staffing

From the outset all staff will have job descriptions, a career and training history file, and a record of employee reviews. New staff will take the travel agency Psychometric Aptitude Test and then spend time with each member of the Northwind Traders team. All staff will undergo full product training and will spend at least four weeks a year on- site at key travel destinations. Our dress code will require us to look as though we are on our way to one of our adventure vacations. We plan to start with a staff of three full-time employees, including the founder, and one part – time.