An international agency in a mid-sized city has six people. Priya takes bookings for Dubai and Singapore. Imran runs visa files. A ticketing clerk works the Amadeus screen. An accounts boy matches vendor bills. When Priya is on leave in April, nobody else knows which PNR is waiting on a name correction, and a family of five reaches the airport with a surname spelt differently on the ticket and the passport.
If you are setting up HR for an international travel agency, start with a small set of things done well. Here is the order I would use, within the wider travel agencies and tour operators group.
1. Separate the four desks on paper
Many small agencies let one consultant sell the package, file the visa, issue the ticket and chase the payment. It works until he is ill. Write four role cards instead.
- Sales consultant. Takes the enquiry, builds the itinerary, quotes and closes. Owns the customer relationship.
- Visa desk executive. Checks the document list per country, books the embassy or VFS slot, assembles the file, tracks the application.
- Ticketing executive. Works the GDS, applies fare rules, watches ticketing deadlines, handles reissues and refunds.
- Accounts and vendor clerk. Matches supplier invoices, forex receipts, hotel vouchers and customer payments.
Even if one person wears two hats at first, the card shows who is responsible when something slips. See how role design is handled for this business type.
2. Build accuracy checks into the desk
International work has small errors with large costs. A passport number off by one digit, a validity of under six months at departure, a forgotten transit visa, a name order that differs from the ticket. Each leads to a refusal or a denied boarding.
- 1
Use a two-person check
One person fills the passenger details. A second reads them against the passport scan before the ticket is issued.
- 2
Keep a country document sheet
One page per destination with photo size, bank statement period, insurance rule and appointment lead time. Review it every quarter.
- 3
Log ticketing deadlines
A shared sheet or screen shows each PNR with time limit, owner and status. The ticketing executive clears it at start and end of day.
- 4
Hold a pre-departure call
Someone other than the sales consultant calls the traveller three days before and reads out names, dates, baggage and visa status.
- 5
Record near misses
Every catch goes on a simple list. The monthly review looks for patterns, not blame.
One more habit helps. When a customer complaint arrives, record which desk the cause sat in. If most land on the visa desk, add a person there. If most are about price quotes, tighten the quoting template. Counting complaints by desk turns a bad week into a staffing decision.
3. Write the peak season roster early
Summer holidays, Diwali breaks and year-end are the three peaks. Enquiries swell, visa slots vanish and airlines change fares by the hour. Staff who took leave in a quiet month are in demand when the queue peaks.
In January, mark the weeks when leave will not be given, or will be given only against a stand-in. List who can help on the visa desk and ticketing desk in a pinch. Ask the best of last year's seasonal helpers whether they are free again.
Add a fifth card if you can: a duty manager who covers weekends. International customers call at odd hours. A flight cancelled on Saturday night cannot wait for Monday, and the customer remembers who answered.
4. Pay for margin and for service
A consultant who earns only on bookings pushes cheap fast closes. One who earns a flat salary does nothing extra. A blend works better: a base, a share of margin on closed trips, and a small component tied to review scores and the absence of corrections. Keep it simple enough that the consultant can compute it in a minute. Look at performance management for this business type for ideas.
Also fix the matter of travel allowances for staff who go on fam trips or attend airline trade shows. State who is chosen, who pays, how many days off the desk are allowed and what the person must bring back, such as a short note for the team on the product seen. Without a rule, trips become a quiet source of envy.
5. Keep a light training log
Fare rules, visa norms and airline policies change. A weekly twenty-minute huddle on one country, one airline rule or one recent error is enough. Note topic, date and attendees on a sheet, and send each new joiner to shadow the visa desk for a week. The learning process page offers more. To have these five set up for your agency, share your needs via requirements.
