Travel agencies are notoriously crowded and messy. Brochures are constantly appearing in the mail and a large amount of equipment must be available to each agent. Psychologists have carried out studies that prove that the environment has a great impact on individual performance and, therefore, on productivity. Over the course of my visits to travel agencies over many years, I have identified a few principles that can make designing a productive travel agency simpler and more straightforward.
space allocation
First of all, it is important to allocate an adequate amount of space for each staff member. Generally speaking, a suitable ratio seems to be 100 to 150 square feet per employee. You can have a 400 square foot office to yourself and a conference room that takes up another 200 square feet. Otherwise, the proportion should be maintained.
When considering your layout, group specialties together, for example, business, vacation, or group travel. A physical space must be designated for holiday sales. Similarly, it is necessary to establish a separate space for commercial sales. The specific requirements of these two areas will be discussed later.
Please note that vacation agents deal with the public and must be near the public entrance. Commercial agents do not serve the public and can be located in a back room. Ticket production and the physical ticket takedown process should be located near an exit to reduce driver traffic through the office. It is recommended to have your main computer in a separate room.
Vacation Department Design
First, you need to decide what business you are in. If you’re selling tickets point-to-point, the ideal setup is a counter for the general public to come in, get their tickets, and leave. Delays are discouraged, but can be taken care of efficiently, as airlines discovered long ago.
However, if you are in the business of providing advice to vacationers, then a space more conducive to discussion, such as small conference tables with an agent at each table, would be appropriate. A bookcase at each conference table should contain resource material. We recommend not putting any kind of reservation automation on these tables. Tables should be open, spacious and attractive. Agents must be disciplined to keep the space clear and free of clutter. The reservation system for retail agents in this type of design should be located at a computer workstation in the back of the room. The same discipline in terms of keeping the station tidy applies here.
Vacation agencies around the world are experimenting with video views of destinations. Such an installation, if you can afford it, is extremely attractive and tempting to the general public. A small room with comfortable chairs and a video screen can double as your waiting room. Again, the key is to keep the space tidy, attractive, and as spacious as possible within the constraints of your facility.
One of the main obstacles to an attractive vacation office is the proliferation of brochures lying in piles on the floor, in boxes under desks and dripping from wall shelves. If you are going to keep brochures in your office, it is extremely important to establish a formal library. Someone must be assigned the duty of maintaining this database. To some extent, there is little that can be done to make a large number of brochures attractive. Therefore, we recommend that brochures be kept in filing cabinets out of sight of the general public. These brochure files should be maintained, and outdated brochures should be removed on a regular cycle. Clearly, for these archives to work, a neat indexing system must be in place so agents know where to find a brochure about a particular destination.
An electronic message board in a vacation office adds a degree of light, color and interest to the visiting customer. A message board can display special rates, 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 a need for more coordinated activity in a commercial reservation center and therefore the supervisor must be centrally located, with clear visibility to all areas within the reservation center. Ideally, to improve visibility, this area should be raised six to eight inches off the ground on a platform. We recommend a glass enclosure built around the supervisor’s platform to provide privacy without losing visibility.
Because agents often have less work space, the commercial area needs to disconcert sound to keep the noise level below a distraction threshold. We recommend channel furniture for commercial agents that provides a 14-inch fabric panel that surrounds each workstation.
Raceway is a type of furniture developed for high-density work areas that includes a “race” or channel for all cables and wires at each work station. It works particularly well for computer workstations. It also usually comes with sound baffling “privacy panels” around each workstation.
Electronic message boards also find application in the Commercial Department, serving as vehicles to communicate important last-minute messages, such as fare changes or even airline bankruptcies or major weather emergencies. They can also be used to boost productivity by tracking how close agents are to a target sales target.
computer room
Many of the automated accounting systems available to travel agencies run on minicomputers that require a controlled environment. ADS and ABS fall into this category. These computers should be placed in a small room with a tiled floor. There should be no workstations in that room. There should be no equipment or supplies stored in that room. Ideally, there should be no printers in that room. Ticket printers produce dust. Office supplies collect dust. Dust and static electricity are the enemies of a minicomputer.
Every time someone walks past a computer, the possibility of a static discharge arises. Static discharge can cause a shock to the head, putting your computer out of action until a repair person can be dispatched. Headlocks are extremely costly in terms of downtime and potentially dangerous in terms of data loss.
Remember, your goals when planning your installation are:
• Provide enough space for your staff,
• Comply with the particular space requirements of each specialty area, and
• Create an uncluttered atmosphere that leads to greater agent efficiency and attractiveness.
A well thought out and well designed office can maximize your professional image, minimize your expenses and boost productivity.