- Schedule the tour via phone or e-mail (make sure the date is available first)
- If scheduled way in advance call to make sure tour is still on before sending confirmation
- Send confirmation packet at least 1 week prior to tour date
- Post tour on Web site at least 1 week prior as well
- Date returned SP cards, rubber band and give to Mona in transfer suite
Friday, November 14, 2008
Evolution of a Group Tour
Here are some essential steps in the group tour process:
Thursday, November 13, 2008
SP List (Cont.)
Click on the SP List in the previous post to download a copy of the list from Fall 08. Basically, it's organized by each week in a semester according to the GREEN calendar that will be provided by the admissions office.
Group tours are available on Mon.-Fri. and go out only between 10AM and 3PM. We do not offer Sat. group tours unless the group is determined to be a VIP by Peggy or someone else in the admissions office. If the GREEN calendar indicates there is an event (eg. VMD, Open House, ATP), then we do not offer tours on that day and please discourage groups from coming to those events. In the SP list event days are marked in BLUE.
You'll want to include this information in the spreadsheet when a group calls in: date, time, length of tour, group name, size, contact person, phone, #of someone with the group (usually a cell), mailing address, e-mail address, date scheduled and the name of whomever is entering the info (YOU most of the time).
Optional are any notes that would be important to the guides giving the tour or yourself for later use. For example, if the group wants to eat lunch at the Union, put in the notes that the tour will end at the Union and then you can put it on the Web site so that the guides know later.
More spreadsheet details: We try to not see more than 100 people per week, but there is a bit of wiggle room. Also, think about 1 guide per 20 people.
Availability for each week is indicated by the color of the week on the list. GREEN= a lot of room, ORANGE= some room, RED= no more room. It is sometimes helpful to write in the bar for each week how many more people there are room for so you can easily reference it when you are on the phone with a group.
In the status column it is helpful to put a check when the tour is complete. When you are sure that a group has confirmed they want the tour for sure put a Y in the CNFRM column. When you post a tour on the Web site for Imagers to sign up then put a Y in the WEBSITE? column. It's good to post the tours at least a week before they go out, but sooner is better.
Last details: Place tours for the next semester at the bottom of the spreadsheet under where it says LOOKING AHEAD. And finally, once you mail confirmations to a group, make the text under date, time and length green. This helps a bunch later.
P.S. This is just the system that I have come up with. Feel free to change details to suit your needs but you get the idea.
Group tours are available on Mon.-Fri. and go out only between 10AM and 3PM. We do not offer Sat. group tours unless the group is determined to be a VIP by Peggy or someone else in the admissions office. If the GREEN calendar indicates there is an event (eg. VMD, Open House, ATP), then we do not offer tours on that day and please discourage groups from coming to those events. In the SP list event days are marked in BLUE.
You'll want to include this information in the spreadsheet when a group calls in: date, time, length of tour, group name, size, contact person, phone, #of someone with the group (usually a cell), mailing address, e-mail address, date scheduled and the name of whomever is entering the info (YOU most of the time).
Optional are any notes that would be important to the guides giving the tour or yourself for later use. For example, if the group wants to eat lunch at the Union, put in the notes that the tour will end at the Union and then you can put it on the Web site so that the guides know later.
More spreadsheet details: We try to not see more than 100 people per week, but there is a bit of wiggle room. Also, think about 1 guide per 20 people.
Availability for each week is indicated by the color of the week on the list. GREEN= a lot of room, ORANGE= some room, RED= no more room. It is sometimes helpful to write in the bar for each week how many more people there are room for so you can easily reference it when you are on the phone with a group.
In the status column it is helpful to put a check when the tour is complete. When you are sure that a group has confirmed they want the tour for sure put a Y in the CNFRM column. When you post a tour on the Web site for Imagers to sign up then put a Y in the WEBSITE? column. It's good to post the tours at least a week before they go out, but sooner is better.
Last details: Place tours for the next semester at the bottom of the spreadsheet under where it says LOOKING AHEAD. And finally, once you mail confirmations to a group, make the text under date, time and length green. This helps a bunch later.
P.S. This is just the system that I have come up with. Feel free to change details to suit your needs but you get the idea.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The SPreadsheet
First things first, always remember that the SP spreadsheet is your friend. What is entered on the spreadsheet will be used to book and confirm tours, update the Web site and keep a running tab on how SPs are going throughout the semester. More info about the spreadsheet later...
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