Travel Consultant, Operations

About Kuoni Tumlare

At Kuoni Tumlare, we deliver truly inspiring and innovative solutions and experiences that create value both for our Partners and Society at large. Our wide portfolio of products and solutions is built on 100 years of destination management experience.

Our solutions include series tours, technical visits, educational tours, Japanspecialist travel consulting, as well as meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions. Our product portfolio includes MyBus excursions at destinations as well as guaranteed departure tours devised and delivered by our Seat-in-Coach specialists, Europamundo (EMV) and MyBus Landcruise.

We cater to a wide range of customer needs in close collaboration with our trusted suppliers and powered by our team of destinations experts - enabling us to make a real difference to the world.

About the Function

Focused on authenticity and experience, Japanspecialist is a one-stop-shop for Japan travel. With decades of experience designing bespoke trips to Japan, we have recently launched our online travel consultancy service with a clear mission to provide access to up-to-date information and expertise, even if the client doesn’t end up booking the trip with us.

About the Role

The purpose of the function “Travel Consultant – Operations” is to have the overall responsibility of the quotation and booking of various products and packages in the Japanspecialist portfolio.

The travel consultant – Operations works closely with the Japanspecialist Sales consultants and has no direct communication with the client. The travel consultant – Operations is responsible for quoting and securing bookings for the requested services by checking various suppliers, both through OTAs and direct channels. He/she provides a support function for the sales team and is responsible for communicating with local suppliers and tour leaders on tour when necessary. Depending on seasonality, he/she may be assigned for emergency duty services per annual EM duty schedule.

Key Responsibilities:

Operations

• Provide streamlined workflow with reply and filing from shared mailbox.
• Work closely and follow-up with sales team.
• Prepare quotations and itinerary (when needed) for new enquiries and bookings within operation standard deadlines.
• Attention to detail and strive for excellence in product quality to ensure that our customers receive the highest level of service possible.
• Co-ordinate all aspects of the client booking, including reservations, to ensure successful delivery of trip.
• Prepare travel documents for confirmed reservations, ensuring high quality, accurate information is received by our clients.
• Negotiate and communicate with suppliers.
• Research new services and suppliers to enhance JS portfolio.
• Resolution of on-tour emergencies of clients in close cooperation with sales team. Send action report to operation manager. Emergency weekend duty per annual schedule.
• Complete ad-hoc assignments per indications of Operations Manager.

Product Planning and Development

• Create new and review existing products and packages in close collaboration with the local sales and ops teams and Operations manager.
• Create and update quotation templates for new and updated products.
• Prepare itinerary templates for existing and new packages.
• Participation in travel fairs and destination workshops to extend destination knowledge.
• Participate in Fam trips to gain insight knowledge of the destination, sharing insights with team members and sales people.
• Work closely with local sales team and listen to the local specifics of the products.
• Take a proactive approach in learning and development to ensure your product knowledge is always improving.
• Share this knowledge within ops team colleagues to improve team excellence.
• Presentation and education of new products and destinations to sales team.

Outcomes and KPIs

• Support the sales team to achieve the individual monthly targets.
• Ensure the right selection of suppliers to maximize profit level.
• Ensure consistently high client satisfaction measured through sales team.
• Secure that response time is in line with internal guidelines.
• Ensure smooth resolution of emergencies while on tour.

To Succeed in the Role, You Should Have:

Knowledge/Skills

• Destination knowledge of Japan.
• Experience in quotation, booking, and itinerary building.
• Experience in negotiating and purchasing with local suppliers.
• Strong technical skills in Microsoft Office.
• Fluent in Norwegian and English. Japanese and additional languages are an advantage.
• Experience and understanding of invoicing and back-office procedures.
• Deep understanding of punctuality and reply speed.

We Are Looking for a Person With:

• Proactive and self-driven.
• Owning the responsibility and taking control.
• Team player.
• Good understanding of cultural differences between various teams, being able to work in a multi-cultural environment.
• Good overview but still focusing on the details.
• Structured and good at planning ahead.
• Flexible and open to changes.
• Practical problem solver.
• Working well under pressure.

What We Offer:

• Service leave days according to seniority.
• Different training and self-development activities.
• Career development opportunity within the Group.