What are the best practices for improving tour operator service quality?

1 Understand your customers

The first step to improving your service quality is to understand your customers. Who are they, what are their needs, preferences, and motivations, and how do they evaluate your service? You can use various methods to gather customer feedback, such as surveys, reviews, interviews, or social media. You can also segment your customers based on their characteristics, such as demographics, behavior, or travel style. This will help you tailor your service to their specific requirements and expectations.

2 Design your service process

The next step is to design your service process, which is the sequence of activities and interactions that your customers go through from the moment they book your tour until they finish it. You should map out your service process and identify the key touchpoints, such as the website, the booking confirmation, the welcome message, the tour guide, the transportation, the accommodation, the activities, and the follow-up. You should also define the service standards and procedures for each touchpoint, such as the response time, the communication style, the safety measures, the quality control, and the problem resolution.

3 Train your staff

The third step is to train your staff, who are the main representatives of your service quality. You should ensure that your staff are competent, courteous, and professional, and that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their tasks and handle customer inquiries and complaints. You should also provide them with regular feedback, coaching, and recognition, and create a culture of service excellence and teamwork. You should also empower your staff to make decisions and take actions that can enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

5 Seek external recognition

The fifth step is to seek external recognition, which is a way of validating and promoting your service quality. You can apply for quality standards and accreditation schemes that are relevant to your sector and market, such as the ISO 9001, the Travelife, or the TourCert. These schemes can help you benchmark your service quality against best practices, improve your credibility and reputation, and attract more customers. You can also participate in awards and competitions that recognize excellence in service quality, such as the World Travel Awards, the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards, or the Global Youth Travel Awards.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?