Attachment at Travel Agent_Singapore

I started work at Farmosa Holiday Tour on 12^th September at counter sales department. Since Mr. Seah had visited the company during my attachment and had consulted me how to survive in this company. I was really thankful for your visiting to this company. So far, as I shared with you, I did not feel any stress of working in here yet. Also at first, I did not feel nervous of working in this company. It was because I had an experience of attachment when I worked as an accountant in Batam Island, Indonesia. Fortunately, not only I will attach in this company but also I have 2 of my friends (HTB) and 1 of friends (HTM) working with me. Thus, I felt like pretty comfortable working in this company.

When the first week I started work, I felt kind of odd working environment… My friends and I were assigned with doing paper work and even worse that we stick the stickers on more than 20,000 brochures the whole day long. Nevertheless, on the day before NATAS FAIR 2007, we were asked to stay over time (OT) by Manager Assistant. After a while almost 8 P.M., we supposed to have a dinner break then we decided to go for it with permission from Manager Assistant. After dinner break, my friend was scolded by 1 of the staff suddenly. She fiercely scolded her that we did not do the work and went out without permission. At the same time, my friend was explaining to her that we actually have asked for permission to have a short dinner break from Manager Assistant. However, she just left without listening my friend’s reason… I did not understand why in this company has kind of this colleague.

On the second week after NATAS FAIR 2007 over, I felt kind of challenging. It was because I need to face with customers’ needs and wants. I was assigned to work at counter sales department by Manager Assistant. Since I have not familiar with tour packages, tour selling price, tour promotions and travel systems (Abacus system and Amadeus system). I was starting training with seniors by learning how to work out the tour packages’ price according to certain places. The most important things when calculating the tour price are have to know which season is, when departure date is and how many people are. Therefore, it would not calculate wrongly and how much to charge for customers in certain season. Besides worked out with tour packages price, I also realized that it was very critical when answering on phone and face to face with customers. Even though, I know how to calculate some of tour packages price but another is the skills of up selling and persuasiveness. For example, the skills know how to convince customers to book in advance or buy the tour packages. Some customers were likely to spend their time by comparing tour price among travel agencies. However, at last they did not consider taking this tour package due to certain reasons.

On the third week, I started to make tour booking by accompanying with seniors. To name a few booking of 5D4N Hong Kong Fantasy tour, Taipei, Macau, Star Cruise Virgo and other tours & ticketing. At the same time, I also have received praises from another senior. She said in amusing way to me: “So by now, you would know how powerful of being scolded by me until you can make a tour booking in the short period of time?” Because of I knew nothing at the first and second week, I almost all the time being scolded by seniors when I did something wrong. Regardless of how, I always not forget to apologize with seniors and customers of my mistake. And I was willing to improve myself by asking all the seniors to clarify the problem. Therefore, by comparing from first week till now, I have realized that I improved a lot in terms of skills such as how to up sell, offer and persuade the customers to book in advance with suitable price compare to other travel agencies.

By observing in terms of environmental friendly, this company is actually quite wasting of paper resources. Although Accountant department always encourage all staff that they have to recycle the paper resources when it is applicable. Nevertheless, they like to make a lot of tour brochures’ copy especially in the counter sales department. Even if the deadline of booking date on tour brochure is nearly expired, they will still make lots of copy for all the tour brochures. For instance, it can reuse another side of tour brochure with 1 side-printed only for note taking from customers’ enquiries and other uses.

In addition, all the staff must go for training of new system which is Athena System during this third week. For me, I quite familiar with IT so there is no problem for me to learn it. Thus, I need to improve in interpersonal skills and up selling skills in order to enhance my job performance as a good intern.

In conclusion, I was really enjoying working in this company which has training and so many colleagues work as a team. 3 managers are very productive and patient to train my friends and me during this period.