As you know, when clients sign up for your tour, they are expecting a life-changing travel experience. There is no room for mediocre when you are organizing someone's bucket list trip. That's why you need to know how to manage travel groups in such a way that your clients walk away buzzing.
As it's a group tour, there's more than one person you need to earn approval from. The stakes don't only lie on you either, as your suppliers will also be under pressure to deliver up a quality experience to everyone. The good news is that a bit of preparation can see to it that things run smoothly.
Let’s take a look at how to ensure your group tour goes off without a hitch. There’s no need to put your travel company’s reputation at stake.
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With a number of people going on tour, there is more information to collect and organize. You need everyone’s personal details and deposits before you can go ahead with making any sort of travel arrangements.
In this case, it works in your favor to use a tool or platform that can make sense of the incoming information. For example, with WeTravel, you can create a booking page and generate a link to send directly to people interested in signing up for your tour.
Once they open it, they will be asked to register their details and make their deposit payment. You can also customize the information that you ask from them.
After they hit submit, you will see their information on your platform dashboard; neatly organized according to each participant and trip.
Using a platform like this gives you an edge in that you don’t have to wade through information manually. It also gives your clients a seamless registration process that will add to their satisfaction.
While there’s no hour quite as productive as the 11th, the reality is that you need plenty of time to plan a group trip. Leaving things last minute may mean that you miss out on securing specific accommodation you had in mind, or unable to secure enough spaces for a morning outing that you wanted to send the group on.
This can lead to you feeling frustrated, which takes away from the enjoyable side of being a travel organizer.
Planning in advance gives you a way to manage travel groups with a clearer mind. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, you can focus on adding to your clients’ experience. As you already have their information on hand from registration, figure out how to add a personal touch to the travel experience everyone is about to embark on.
Really, it’s all in the details - passing on dietary information to the accommodation hosts so they don’t have to be told by the client, or arranging a surprise celebration for a guest whose birthday it is, are the types of things that make all the difference to the tour experience.
There may be times when your travel group is one large group and not any number of people coming together to go on your tour.
For example, as a Sports Tour Organizer, you might be making travel plans for the team. In this case, they will probably be on the lookout for group discounts or benefits – anything that can sweeten the deal somewhat.
We just mentioned discounts, but large groups are often also on the lookout for an action-packed day. If they have gone to the trouble of organizing to go on a tour together, they probably want to make the most of their time as a group. You, therefore, need to plan their activities accordingly.
They are also often interested in getting assistance with logistics. It's infinitely more complex arranging for a group to get around, but as a group tour organizer, you deal with this all the time. Be sure to let them know that you can help them with their logistical planning. They will no doubt be grateful for the service.
It is often tempting to take the bulk of organizing on yourself. That way, you know what still has to be done and what has already been actioned without asking anyone.
However, if you stretch yourself too thin, it is going to show. You don’t want your clients to be left wondering whether or not they are in the right hands due to slow communication or receiving the wrong emails.
Before it gets to that point, rope in someone else to help you manage travel groups. Even if there are more than two of you, with the right platform to manage your bookings, you can work collaboratively and enhance efficiency when it comes to organizing. With the right support, the organizational process can run like clockwork, making for a seamless and professional experience for your clients.
Your suppliers will likely be involved in delivering part of the travel experience to the group. If there are any hiccups, all eyes will come to rest on you as the organizer, unfortunately.
With this in mind, it helps you to have a great relationship with the people who host and serve your clients. Their job well done is your own.
Part of building this ever-important relationship is paying your partners on time and via the channel they prefer. In case you hadn't heard, WeTravel has just launched two new solutions for paying your suppliers instantly – either with the WeTravel card or WeTravel supplier transfers. You can find out more in the links.
The reason why it's so important to manage travel groups with that extra bit of care is because it can lead to the spread of good news. Happy clients may become repeat clients. They will also speak to their friends and family who may, in turn, sign up for a tour too. On the whole, it’s a proven approach to getting customers for your travel business.