Recent research conducted by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) estimated that time zone differences could dramatically reduce international tourism. Read on to see how travel professionals can counteract this!

The age of globalisation has brought about incredible benefits - especially in the travel industry. Today, it is possible to comfortably run your business remotely from anywhere globally, having remote employees from international boundaries. With hiring talented local professionals, remote working also benefits hiring professionals from international boundaries as well. With remote working comes the challenge of working in different time zones.

A travel professional cannot always connect with customers - especially if there is an emergency after hours. Not addressing the queries of a travelling customer can mean loss of business and even reputation. Remote travel support is picking up momentum - but travel professionals are still figuring out how to manage workflows successfully across different time zones.

Working in a different time zone is a challenge if a travel business seeks expansion opportunities. It might be 6 PM for you, but the clock is ticking differently in other countries - even where your customers are travelling. Therefore, travel professionals will need to look for strategies to expand the business without compromising customer service. Working with a team located across the globe can bring up challenges like cultural differences and even language barriers. Bottom line - you want to be careful when deciding who you work with. You want someone who has a British touch but still has strong professional ties with your offshore team.

This month, Technomine Travel Solutions is coming up with some of the best tips for travel agencies to manage their work in different time zones. Read our blog to discover how you can overcome the time gap, help your existing team adjust to working remotely, and improve communication for better travel service.

How do time zone differences impact travellers?

Time zone differences affect tourism more than ever.

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) research estimated that a time zone difference of 8 hours reduces international tourism by 88%.

Many busy travellers need a travel professional to stay connected for better communication and even manage any last-minute changes. But, you may not always have staff on hand to address after-hours concerns. If there is no one to handle any last-minute changes because of the time-zone differences, clients are more likely to switch to travel companies offering round-the-clock support.

What if you can just find someone well-versed in virtual travel support to hire, train and manage customer service staff on your behalf - without sacrificing the quality of service or paying exorbitant fees?

Is a remote travel help desk feasible?

If your travel agency struggles with working across different time zones, you are not alone. You might wonder how a travel solutions company works across different time zones without compromising the quality of service, English speaking skills, or professional standards. Here are some of the practices we adopt at Technomine Travel Solutions that help keep our professional travel clients happy.

Look for ways to boost productivity

According to a new study, travel professionals are most productive in the mornings. Do you think this is true? Maybe this is a generalisation - but if you can have a virtual travel desk clear a backlog of work from the previous day, you may be able to get your in-house travel staff onboard more clients, address more queries and even improve customer satisfaction.

Set your expectations

Work may seem never-ending when clients worldwide are sending queries for help at all hours of the day. A remote team associated with the travel agency should be able to work independently to resolve any questions put up by the travel professionals. Every individual needs to take ownership of their working hours to avoid the potential burnout of being online 24 hours a day.

Do not forget to communicate details

As a travel professional, you know the importance of regular and open communication. When working across different time zones, it is essential to be even more communicative about needs and expectations than in a local setting. Sometimes, a travel professional might overlook essential things like booking procedures and service requirements with a busy schedule. At this point, the virtual desk is responsible for checking the requirements thoroughly and even ensuring that the demands made by the client are fulfilled. Working across time zones can be an advantage rather than a barrier to communication - you can get qualified professionals at a reasonable rate eager to offer excellent service.

Be clear about the requirements

There can be mishaps, emergencies, and delays whenever someone is travelling. You do not have to deal with all of these traveller queries alone. A remote travel desk can assign someone to coordinate and clarify the day, date and time of your requirement, so your customers don't have to wait around when they arrive at the destination.

Technomine Travel Solutions works round-the-clock, so you do not have to worry about your clients because there is someone always available to deal with any changes in the travel plan. With us, the travel professionals will be updated constantly about their clients to ensure smooth communication between all parties.

The key to time-zone etiquette

At the start of the blog, we promised you some tips for working in different time zones. If your business is ready to shift towards a virtual travel help desk, you want a remote team with a great working culture that embraces respect, empathy and inclusion.

Looking into the future of travel support, 70% of the workforce will be working remotely by 2025. Travellers are looking for travel professionals like you working round-the-clock so that if there is a last-minute change, even in the middle of the night, someone is always there to help them navigate.

You don’t have to offer 24/7/365 service by yourself. This is where Technomine Travel Solutions can help. You do not have to worry alone about your clients and their last-minute changes. The time-zone difference is an advantage for us - we have a trained, professional workforce proficient in English. Our out-of-hours services help complete the pending work on your behalf after your employees have logged off for the day, giving you a quick head start the next day.

If you are looking for tailored services that offer a quality service to your clients, then Technomine Travel Solutions is the right place. Contact us and sign up for a demo call to understand our 24*7 availability.

FAQ

1. What is the advantage of having different time zones?
   Working across different time zones means that you are not confined to a local market. A company smoothly managing work across different time zones is able to deal with both national and international clients. A wider market is covered and companies get an advantage to find more talented employees to boost their business productivity.
2. How do you work effectively across time zones?
   To work effectively across time zones, follow below tips
• Look for ways to boost your productivity
  
• Set your working expectations
  
• Do not forget to communicate the details
  
• Be clear about the requirements
3. How do you communicate across time zones?
   When communicating across time zones, focus on the following points
   
1. Be aware of time zones when working with remote teams
   
2. Use the same chat support and emails
   
3. Find a good video conferencing system
   
4. Encourage and support in-person visits
   
5. Find the right communication tool