The basic job requirements for a travel agent
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Every profession requires basic core skills, and the travel agency profession is no exception. The following are the basic skills every travel advisor needs to possess when entering the profession.
The basic job requirements for a travel agent are:
- Marketing and Sales — You must understand the principles and methods of marketing: reaching, promoting and persuading; as well as sales: selling and closing travel products and service offerings.
- Communication Skills — Being a travel advisor requires oral and written language skills through constant interaction with consumers; it is critical that you can receive and convey information effectively.
- Analytical Decision Making — You must have the capability to ensure that your customers understand the relative costs and the comparative benefits of various products and services you may provide.
- Complex Problem Solving — You can quickly and effectively identify problems, evaluate options and implement solutions both before and when things go wrong in order to mitigate impact to the greatest extent possible.
- Customer Service — As with any consumer-focused profession, you must have superior customer service skills providing support before, during and after the purchase while adjusting yourself to the personality of the customer.
- Geographic Skills — Extensive knowledge of cities, countries, geographic features and socio/geopolitical boundaries is critical in making key travel decisions with and for customers.
- Technology — It is essential that you understand basic computer and Internet skills plus relevant industry tools, such as a Global Distribution System (GDS) or other travel aggregator products available - which are used to reserve, record and invoice travel transactions, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools used to manage your customer base.
- Product Knowledge — You must have a solid understanding of travel supplier products, services and policies.
- Operational/Administrative — The sales process often requires follow-up with travel suppliers as well as customers and requires the collection and processing of payments; therefore, it is imperative that you have strong business operational and administrative skills, including computer and internet skills as described above, along with account management – sales and relationship management – experience.
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