Managing Your Travel Business: Four First Steps BEFORE a Travel Crisis Hits
by John Hawks

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What immediate steps should you take in these crisis situations?

Step # 1: Know which clients are on the road at any given time.

Sounds simple, right? It's surprising how many professional travel agents cannot sit down at their computers today and print a list of who's traveling where from their client database. ClientEase, TRAMS, and other travel agent database programs will give you the tools to search for clients currently traveling.

Along with those clients' names, you also need a system in place so that you can quickly pull their itineraries and their emergency contact information. In other words, you should plan BEFORE a crisis hits to make it easy to locate where your clients are and how to get in touch with their loved ones (and, in the case of business travelers, their employers) when trouble strikes.

Step # 2: Keep a handy file of supplier contact numbers and addresses.

Sure, CNN is a great way to watch endless reruns of helicopter footage showing smoke rising from the cruise ship -- but, in most cases, only the cruise line itself will be able to give you reliable updates on the ship's condition and on possible injuries to passengers. Keep a list of the travel agent phone numbers and other emergency contact numbers for every supplier that you book regularly.

Step # 3: Know the fine print in your travel insurer's basic policies.

When you have frantic family members calling you in a panic to find their loved ones you've booked on a trip, that's the worst time to begin thumbing through the terms and conditions of your travel insurance policy! Set aside a full hour this month to pull out the brochure for your preferred travel insurer, get a cup of coffee, and read all of the fine print describing the insurer's coverages and exceptions. Highlight anything you don't understand, and then give the insurer a call for a plain-English explanation. (Some agents actually make up a "cheat sheet" describing their policy's rules for easy reference later.)

Step # 4: Be ready to communicate quickly with your clients' friends and family members -- even if you don't know anything.

The worst strategy for you in a travel crisis is disappearing. Travelers who book through travel Web sites or with suppliers directly learn quickly that it's difficult to get a straight answer when things go awry. Even if you don't know the answers immediately, you should make yourself available as the resource for your clients' loved ones and offer updated information as you collect it. You'd be amazed how much goodwill you'll generate by simply reassuring them and giving them confidence that you're in their corner when a travel crisis occurs.