Technology 101: Simple solutions to everyday problems

Transcription

1 Technology 101: Simple solutions to everyday problems presented by TourConnect

2 Quick Agenda TourConnect Overview Building Technology into your Team Create a culture of innovation Define the challenge and business objectives Identify easy to implement solutions Implement / measure / learn Stay connected App/Solution Examples and Suggestions

3 What is TourConnect? The Global Network for Travel Trade The online, B2B network consists of travel suppliers, tour operators, agents, and tourism boards from over 100 countries. Tools to Make Your Job Easier TourConnect provides easy-to-use tools to connect with existing partners, find new partners, exchange rates, and more on one platform.

4 Who is in the network? NOTE: There are over 2,750 organizations in the TourConnect network, and list is growing each day! Accommodation Suppliers Hotels Hotel Chains Hostels Hostel Groups Apartments Resorts Lodges Bed & Breakfasts Non-Accommodation Suppliers Day Tours/Excursions Attractions Restaurants/Bars Multi-Day Tours Cruise Lines Rail & Coach Operators Transfers Agents / Buyers Inbound/Incoming/Receptive Tour Operators Destination Management Companies (DMC) Outbound/Outgoing Wholesalers Online Travel Agencies (OTA) Retail Travel Agencies Destination Marketing Organizations Destination Marketing Organizations (DMO) National Tourism Boards City & Regional Tourism Boards Convention & Visitors Bureaus (CVB)

5 What are the tools? B2B Connections Always have up-to-date contact and product info PartnerFinder Find new partners to help you sell more Reputation Management Have confidence in meeting great partners 3 rd Party Applications Get easy access to other valuable industry tools Rate Manager Save time sending, receiving, and loading annual rates News Feed Make product announcements and keep your partners informed Marketing Materials Store and share images, videos, brochures, and more Industry Forum Ask questions and share info with other industry insiders

6 Creating a Culture of Innovation Start with the job description Set expectations during recruiting Interview for candidates that seek to improve daily Always speak in why s Task-oriented roles don t encourage people to think in terms of what you re trying to achieve If you tell someone why, rather than how, they can focus on the end result Rejoice in the hits AND misses Celebrate the process of how someone successfully implemented a new tool Making a mistake while trying to make the company better is a good mistake to make Remove the fear of making a mistake

7 Defining the Challenge and Business Objectives Identify challenges and areas of potential improvement Use your overall corporate goals and team goals Be observant and aware of the day to day activities that you and your team participate in Qualify the challenges you identify Use metrics to quantify the size and scope of the challenge you are focusing on Drill down to find the root cause, so the solutions aren t just addressing the symptoms Clearly define the business objectives of any project Before you start anything, clearly articulate the goal of the project Identify any stakeholders impacted Communicate, communicate, communicate

8 Identify Easy to Implement Solutions Identify all potential solutions Start with a big net and narrow from there Don t overlook a better manual process Eliminate the hurdles to trying a new solution Cost look for free trials or intro pricing Time / Complexity use a pilot to test on a small scale Bureaucracy empower all staff to try new solutions Choose the solution with the best fit Best ability to either achieve business objectives or confirm those objectives Easiest to implement to achieve business objectives or get you closer to a final solution

9 Implementing / Measuring / Learning Identify Key Metrics This process starts with your evaluation of your business objectives Assign Metrics to One Champion Giving ownership ensures that someone cares about the results Set Clear Targets Without targets, there is no way to measure progress Discuss Metrics Regularly The entire exercise is wasted if you aren t placing importance on it Have the Champion Interpret the Results Numbers don t always tell the whole picture, incorporate anecdotes to help interpret the results

10 Staying Connected Read Articles Travel Trade Media Technology Media General Business Media Attend Events Showcase Digital Travel Technology PhocusWright Network Colleagues Friends Observe Be observant every day Don t be afraid to ask how something is done

11 Communication Tools What s App Viber Skype Hey Tell Google Voice Calliflower Flynumber Yammer Many more

12 Document Sharing Tools Dropbox Box.net Google Drive CamScanner Evernote Many more

13 Collaboration Tools HipChat Slack Asana Trello Confluence Basecamp Zoho Gantter Many more

14 CRM Tools Salesforce HubSpot Zoho CRM Highrise Solve360 Capsule Insightly SugarCRM Many more

15 Campaign Tools MailChimp Constant Contact MyEmma Campaign Monitor Campaigner Vertical Response

16 Accounting/Invoicing Xero Freshbooks Quickbooks Online MYOB Online Outright Kashoo Spurwing Many more

17 Website Development Wordpress Yola Jimdo Wix Square Space Designly

18 Other Technologies Tour/Activity Booking Systems Hotel Property Management/Reservations Systems Revenue Management Systems Tour Operator/Agent Booking Systems Channel Managers Itinerary Generation Systems Guest/Traveler Communications Management Guest/Traveler Feedback/Review Management Many other areas you can look at in your organization...

19 How can we help? Please contact me at any time! Michael Herrmann President & Founder, TourConnect Mobile: You can download the presentation here: App examples and suggestions are on the slides that follow.