"If you can keep your head when all about you,
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you..."
Thank you to Student & Youth Travel Association for spearheading this content. We believe one of the most important things you can do today to help our industry is to contact your elected officials. STYA put together a great resource on how to do it.
It's so easy to fire off a quick email and move on, however, we'd highly suggest re-reading emails. It's so important your mind is clear and your thoughts are precise when you're communicating the situation with clients.
Although you are working hard and getting your tasks completed on time, it's important to also prioritize mental health and team morale. Check in with your coworkers, and staff. Take small breaks if necessary between big projects or tough calls to get your focus back on track.
You and your team have probably already fielded hundred of concerned calls from participants, and parents. Some tips to remember moving forward with your work week are:
There is a limited period of time that disputes can be responded to (usually 7–21 days)—the amount of time available is provided within the dispute information. After that time has passed, no further responses or evidence can be submitted. Once you have submitted a response, it generally takes the card issuer 60–75 days to reach a final decision.
If you receive a dispute, you may want to first get in touch with the customer and discuss it before you respond. It’s possible that they simply did not recognize or remember the transaction. If an email address was provided to Stripe when creating the payment, click “Email customer” to create a new email that contains information about the dispute.
The evidence you submit should be appropriate to the reason for the dispute. Web-logs, email communications, proof of prior refunds or replacement shipments, etc., can all be helpful.
Provide only the facts surrounding the original purchase, using a neutral and professional tone. For example:
“Jenny Rosen purchased X from our company on [date] using their Visa credit card. The customer agreed to our terms of service and authorized this transaction. We shipped the product on [date] to the address provided by the customer, and it was delivered on [date].”
Fraudulent disputes account for over half of all disputes. Proving the legitimate cardholder was aware of and authorized the transaction being disputed is vitally important in such cases. Any data that shows proof of this is a standard part of a compelling response, such as:
For disputes that are the result of a misunderstanding, your customer can tell their card issuer that they no longer dispute the transaction. It’s still important that you submit evidence to show that the payment was valid, however, and to ensure that the card issuer knows you are not accepting the dispute.In cases where you agree that the customer should keep the disputed funds, you should accept the dispute rather than ask the cardholder to withdraw the dispute for a regular refund. Remember, the card networks do not consider how many disputes you win or lose, only how many you receive.
Clear and frequent contact with your customers can help prevent many of the reasons for disputes. By responding to issues and processing refunds, your customers are far less likely to take the time to dispute a payment. Make your customer service contact information prominent and keep customers updated throughout their order process and provide updates to delivery information.
You should include a clear description of your refund and cancellation policies in your terms of service. You can require your users to agree to your terms of service in order to increase the likelihood that card issuers respect your policies in the event of a dispute.
As a Tour Operator navigating through the covid-19 waters, you might find yourself in a predicament of refunding customers payments regardless of purchasing Trip Cancellation Protection. If you do, it's recommended you get your customers to sign a letter acknowledging their refund.
Download "Sample Refund Letter"Highlighted above was detailed chargeback information, tips and some "what to expects" from this process. If a letter to your customer need to be sent in a more pressing demeanor, take a look at our sample letter.
Download "Sample Chargeback Letter"If a trip can still happen outside of your company, yet using the same itinerary, it's recommended to get a letter signed for your records.
Download "Acknowledgement & Waiver Letter"We are always looking for more resoures, email camille@groupcollect.com with any suggestions.
The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides small businesses with working capital loans of up to $2 million that can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing.
BankRate.com has an informative article on dealing with credit card companies and payment during this crisis.
We are always looking for more resoures, email camille@groupcollect.com with any suggestions.
Stick to regular office hours: without clear transition, it’s easy for work/homelife to bleed into one another. Mandating structure will assist.
Don’t let housework distract you: have a quiet, comfortable space for working- let the house stay dirty until work is done, or clean up around the house while on a break.
Honor communication boundaries: don’t answer work calls after you have hung your hat up for the day, keep these boundaries firm, so you can give your brain a rest. This helps you perform better each passing day while working remotely.
You will need a set of practices transitioning from the end of your workday to the beginning of your evening. Commuting allows this to happen naturally, but working from home doesn’t. Structure your work, unwind in a healthy way.
Keep your office workspace at home set up: the more time you spend setting up and breaking down, it’s less time you can spend working on your normal work tasks.
Reward yourself with breaks: every 60-90 mins, allow yourself to take a lap around your block or home, and reset your focus after finishing a large task. Breaking up your day with small breaks allows you stay on task.
Stack your questions and needs together for others on your team: when working at home, you’ll need clarification, and questions answered like a normal work day. Keep a list of those questions at hand and space out calls so as to not distract others working at home and get them answered at a time when you are meeting with a coworker, or boss all at once.
Set expectations about your availability with others you share a space with: cohabitation and working from home needs to also have a structure. Talk through timelines with your partner/ family members to outline free times, and work times.
Inter-office communication is a tough transition...being right next to a coworker and shifting to being miles apart takes time to get used to. We suggest a simple online chatroom for your office. Below are some of favorite chatrooms.
A virtual phone system will allow you to route calls to specific departments without installing in-office hardware. Many of these apps have recording features which might be helpful during legal disputes. Below are some of our favorite phone systems.
Working at home is tough at first, so many distractions, Facebook, news, twitter, YouTube all begging for attention. Here are apps we love which help productivity.
Previously in your office you could say "Hey Sally, let me show you this on my screen." Well if you're remote that's impossible unless you setup screen sharing and a video chat software product. Below are some of our favorite apps.
If you're not processing your payroll online than you're really missing out. Here are some of our favorite web-based payroll products.
We are always looking for more resoures, email camille@groupcollect.com with any suggestions.
