Travel agencies are notoriously crowded and cluttered. Brochures constantly appear in the mail, and a great deal of equipment needs to be available to each agent. Psychologists have conducted studies which prove that environment has a major impact on individual performance-and, therefore, productivity. In the course of visiting travel agencies over many years, I have identified some principles that can make designing a productive travel agency simpler and more straightforward.
Allocating Space
First and foremost, it is important to allocate an adequate amount of space for each staff member. Generally speaking, an appropriate ratio seems to be 100 - 150 square feet per employee. You may have a 400 square foot office for yourself, and a conference room that takes up another 200 square feet. Otherwise, the ratio should hold.
When considering your layout, group specialties together - commercial, vacation or group travel, for example. The physical space must be designated for the sale of vacation. also needs a separate room to set up business. The specific requirements of these two areas will be discussed later.
Note that agents leave dealing with the public and must be comfortable, public access. Representatives not to bear with the public, and can be placed in a back room. production of tickets, the physical process of demolition tickets should be located near an exit to reducetraffic from delivery people through the office. It is advisable to have your main computer in a separate room.
Vacation Department Design
First, you need to decide what business you are in. If you are selling point-to-point tickets, the ideal configuration is a counter top for the general public to approach, receive their tickets and leave. They are discouraged from lingering, but are able to be served efficiently -as the airlines discovered a long time ago.
If however, you're in the business of providing counsel to vacationers, then a space more conducive to discussion would be appropriate, such as small conference tables with an agent at each table. A bookshelf at each conference table should contain resource material. We would recommend against putting any kind of reservation automation on these tables. The tables should be open, spacious and attractive. The agents need to be disciplined to keep the space uncluttered and free of piles of paper. The reservation system for the retail agents in this type of layout should be situated in a computer workstation at the back of the room. The same discipline in terms of keeping the station orderly applies here.
Vacation agencies all over the world are experimenting with video displays of destinations. Such a facility, if you can afford one, is extremely attractive and enticing to the general public. A small room with comfortable chairs and video display can double as your waiting room. Once again, the key is to maintain order in the room, nice and spacious and within the boundaries of your organization can be made.
One of the biggest obstacles to a holiday office interesting is the distribution of brochures, which lie in heaps on the floor, in boxes under their desks and drips from the racks on the wall. If you plan booklets should be kept in your office, it is extremely important to create a formal library. Does anyone have the task assigned to the maintenance of this bank areDate. To some extent, there is little you can do to make large number of interesting brochures. It is therefore recommended that the books are kept in filing cabinets from the standpoint of the public. These files must be kept of leaflets, brochures removed obsolete in a regular cycle. Of course, to make these files must have a correct index is available, so that agents know where to find a brochure about a specific target.
Aelectronic message board in a vacation office adds a degree of light, color and interest to the visiting client. A message board can display special fares, packages and destinations.
Commercial Department Design
Commercial travel agents essentially function as order takers. Their space requirements are considerably less than those of a vacation agent. There is need for more coordinated activity in a commercial reservation center and therefore, the supervisor needs to be located centrally, with clear visibility to all areas within the reservation center. Ideally, to enhance visibility, this area should be raised off the floor six to eight inches on a platform. We recommend a glass enclosure built around the supervisor's platform to give privacy, without losing visibility.
Because the agents frequently have less working space, the commercial area needs sound baffling to keep the noise level below a distraction threshold. We recommend raceway furniture for commercial agents which provides a 14-inch fabric panel surrounding each work station.
Raceway is a kind of furniture developed for high density work areas which includes a "race" or channel for all the cables and wires for each work station. It works particularly well for computer work stations. It also usually comes with sound baffle "privacy panels" surroundings each work station.
Electronic message boards also have application in the Commercial Department, serving as vehicles to communicate important messages last minute, such as changes in prices, airline bankruptcies, or even a major emergency or time. You can be objective, used sales packaging to boost productivity, such as monitoring agents aim to close one.
Computer room
Many of the automated payroll systems available to travel agencies to work with mini-computers that need a controlled environment. ADS and ABS has fallen into this category. These computers must be placed in asmall room with a tiled floor. There should be no jobs in this room. There should be no or supplies are stored in this room. Ideally, any printer in this room. Ticket printers produce dust. Office Supplies collect dust. The dust and static electricity are the enemies of a mini-computer.
Every time someone goes from a computer that creates the possibility of a discharge. Electrostatic discharge can cause a head crash, put the computer out of service up to arepair person can be dispatched. Head crashes are extremely costly in terms of down time, and potentially dangerous in terms of data loss.
Remember, your goals in planning your facility are to:
• Provide sufficient space for your staff,
• Meet the space particular requirements of each specialty area, and
• Create an uncluttered atmosphere conducive to greater agent efficiency and attractiveness.
A well-thought-out, well-designed office can maximize your professional image, minimize your expenses and stimulate productivity.
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