For better readability, the generic masculine is used in these articles. The designations of persons used in these articles refer to all genders unless otherwise indicated.

Post Sales Service Excellence

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Many companies, especially those with technical products, are currently experiencing strong sales growth. Where there is a lot of sales, there is also a lot of work involved in service (pre- and after-sales) - an aspect that is often neglected with... read more

07.03.2024

Sustainability in service

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In the corporate context, the topic of sustainability usually focuses on the sustainable production of products and services. However, service can also use business models and initiatives to increase the sustainability of products and services and... read more

07.03.2024

Leading virtual organisations – managing complexity through dynamic thinking and action

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An extension of the home office period currently seems likely due to the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, attempts are being made to motivate service units - at least in part - to return to the office. The challenges are... read more

07.03.2024

Modern key account management – additional challenges for the “multi-talented” key account manager

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Key account management has changed significantly in recent years. The focus of this change is an even stronger customer orientation. This is necessary in order to better understand and fulfil the increasingly complex customer needs of key accounts... read more

07.03.2024

Venturing into digital business models – what are the success factors?

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Experts have long agreed that the future belongs to digital business models. There are now also a large number of commercially successful digital business models, most of which also offer their providers and their customers additional benefits... read more

07.03.2024

Employees in sales and service units – preventing staff shortages and ensuring long-term employee retention

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Despite advancing digitalisation, such as the use of self-service and bots, the number of contacts that need to be processed manually is increasing in many sales and service units. It should be noted that the enquiries that need to be processed... read more

07.03.2024

Optimising service provider management

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Companies are increasingly using the support of one or more contact centre service providers to handle their customer/business partner contacts (please also read our articles on "Make or buy" and "Service provider selection"). When implementing... read more

07.03.2024

Spoilt for choice: Which contact centre service provider is the right one for my project?

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When deciding on an outsourcing partner, you are usually spoilt for choice. The contact centre market offers a wide range of providers who can take over your customer contacts: Whether a global player vs. a purely local player, favourable off-shore... read more

07.03.2024

ITB Berlin Convention 2024: Program overview of the theme tracks

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The time has finally arrived: On March 5th, the ITB Berlin once again opens its doors to the key players of the international travel industry. As in the previous year, they will discuss forward-looking industry topics over three days. This year's... read more

22.02.2024

Digital transformation and AI in the focus of the ITB Berlin Travel Hero video podcast

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In the latest episode of the Travel Hero Videopodcast, presented by ITB Berlin, Dr. Markus Heller, managing partner of Dr. Fried & Partner GmbH, along with his colleagues from the ITB Berlin Board of Experts, Lea Jordan and Dirk Rogl, discuss... read more

14.02.2024

Company founder Dr Helmut Fried passes away at the age of 91

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Obituary On 18 January 2024, our company founder Dr Helmut Fried passed away after a long and fulfilling life. Dr Helmut Fried founded "Marketingberatung Dr Helmut Fried" in 1968. With his vision, his flair for innovative ideas and his... read more

23.01.2024

Managing Email Overload in Customer Service

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Email enquiries in customer service have increased significantly in recent years. In addition to other contact channels such as telephone and chats, it is increasingly becoming a challenge for employees to keep track of the flood of enquiries. In... read more

12.10.2023

Intensive political week for Dr. Fried & Partner in Berlin

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In the function of the office of the National Platform for the Future of Tourism (NPZT), Dr. Fried & Partner was able to actively accompany the tourism policy process at the federal level. The week started on Monday with exciting preparatory... read more

08.09.2023

Implementing changes as part of New Work in sales and service departments

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Everybody is talking about New Work these days, but how do managers deal with it best? How can the everyday working life be organized more flexibly for employees, yet efficiently at the same time? New Work describes the transformation of paid work... read more

18.07.2023

How to manage complaint handling more cleverly

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Current crises like the Covid-19-pandemic, the war in Ukraine as well as geopolitical developments and climate change are causing a lot of companies immense problems in the production of goods and services. Thus, ever more customers are... read more

18.07.2023

Innovative and customer-centric airline feedback management

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Long queues at check-in, flight delays, cancellations, and lost baggage, interfered with the air travels of many passengers in 2022. This was accompanied by record numbers of complaints to airlines - a test of endurance for customers, employees and... read more

15.03.2023

“Mastering Transformation” for Tour Operator, Travel Sales, Carrier and Cruise – Impressions of the ITB Convention 2023

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Top-class stage guests, exciting industry insights, diverse perspectives and interesting discussions. On 7 March 2023 the time had finally come: the most important experts from the travel industry came together at the ITB Berlin Convention 2023 on... read more

10.03.2023

Tour Operator, Travel Sales, Carrier and Cruise: Program Overview of the ITB Berlin Convention Theme Track Led by Dr. Markus Heller

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Finally, the time has come: On March 7th, the ITB Berlin Convention will open its doors again to the most important players in the international travel industry. Under the motto 'Mastering Transformation', they will discuss the future topics of the... read more

22.02.2023

„Make or Buy“? No easy decision when it comes to customer contact processing

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Despite the progress of digitalization, the number of client contacts to be processed manually by staff is on the increase in most sales and service departments. At the same time, the customers‘/sales partners‘ expectations in terms of... read more

07.09.2022

How knowledge becomes a success factor in customer service

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Customers have more and more channels and contact points at their disposal to contact a company's customer service. At the same time, service teams are increasingly working decentrally, for example at several locations or in home office, and use... read more

04.03.2022

Successful service automation means improving processes for the benefit of the customer

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The automation of simple services offers broad advantages for customers as well as businesses. For example: the processing of service processes remains scalable, is immediately available around the clock and the processing results can be evaluated... read more

04.03.2022

Home office work: How can it be structured productive and fulfilling?

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Do you also currently work in the home office? Are you only well aware of these or similar occurrences at work: Already in the morning your concentration level is at a minimum, your back hurts after sitting on dining room chairs for a long time or... read more

13.01.2022

Learnings for After Sales & Technical Support Units in Lockdown Times

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The trends towards digitalisation of services and increased service quality in the support of customers/sales partners (hereafter referred to as business partners) already existed before the crisis. In the lockdown, employers and employees face... read more

13.01.2022

Workforce Planning – Balancing Customer Service and Profitability

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Providing excellent service without losing sight of the company's profitability is a key challenge for managers of sales and service units. The success of the unit depends directly on the most accurate staffing possible because this influences not... read more

11.01.2022

Structured contact avoidance – actually the easiest way to optimise service

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Most service organisations see their "core value" in providing the best possible solution to the requests from customers and sales partners that come in every day through various contact channels. Very few service organisations analyse the reasons... read more

04.01.2022

Sales representatives in the home office: Intensify customer service and secure customer loyalty!

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Due to the repeatedly tightened hygiene measures caused by the “4th wave” of the Corona pandemic, work is again relocated to the home office as much as possible. Sales representatives can no longer visit their customers in person and are... read more

04.01.2022

Changes regarding employees and activities outside the tourism industry – blog series on the status quo of the industry development (part 5)

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What is the current status quo of the industry development? The Corona pandemic has posed major challenges on the tourism industry worldwide. Therefore, Dr. Fried & Partner and the Travel Industry Club asked at the end of 2020 how things will... read more

06.08.2021

Is your customer service ready for the cloud?

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More and more often, companies are replacing so-called on-premise systems (hereafter on-prem) with alternative cloud technologies. Cloud-based systems are also being used more and more frequently for the heart of customer service, the ACD system... read more

29.07.2021

Changes in customer approach, sales and marketing – blog series on the status quo of the industry development (part 4)

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What is the current status quo of the industry development? The Corona pandemic has posed major challenges on the tourism industry worldwide. Therefore, Dr. Fried & Partner and the Travel Industry Club asked at the end of 2020 how things will... read more

19.07.2021

Changes in pricing and conditions – blog series on the status quo of the industry development (part 3)

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What is the current status quo of the industry development? The Corona pandemic has posed major challenges on the tourism industry worldwide. Therefore, Dr. Fried & Partner and the Travel Industry Club asked at the end of 2020 how things will... read more

01.07.2021

Changes in products – blog series on the status quo of the industry development (part 2)

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What is the current status quo of the industry development? The Corona pandemic has posed major challenges on the tourism industry worldwide. Therefore, Dr. Fried & Partner and the Travel Industry Club asked at the end of 2020 how things will... read more

17.06.2021

Changes in structures and processes – blog series on the status quo of the industry development (part 1)

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Starting point: Scenario analysis at the end of 2020 The Corona pandemic has posed major challenges on the tourism industry worldwide. Therefore, Dr. Fried & Partner and the Travel Industry Club asked at the end of 2020 how things will continue... read more

02.06.2021

Designing telephone announcements professionally – The first impression of your company counts

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Have you ever gone through the call process of your customer service from a customer's point of view? Do you know the phone prompts and what selections you need to make to get to your destination? If not, we encourage you to give it a try. After... read more

05.05.2021

A forecast in customer support: How to tackle the Herculean task

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Delivering accurate forecasts of the workload in customer support can quickly become a Herculean task. If the actual workload is lower than expected in the forecast, the assigned employees are not being used to capacity. If the forecast is too low... read more

05.05.2021

Take the chance to declutter your „Kommunigramm”

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Do you also find yourself in the situation that over the years your organisation has accumulated a large number of telephone numbers, fax numbers and e-mail addresses that are communicated to customers/sales partners? Do you and your customers/sales... read more

08.04.2021

Take advantage of the opportunities for virtual cooperation between your service units

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Are you also confronted with the challenge of running regional/country-specific service units where the synergy effects of cooperation remain unused? Cooperation offers enormous opportunities in terms of mutual support in peak and off-peak times... read more

07.04.2021

Ministry of Economy publishes “Corona Paper” as part of the National Tourism Strategy project, led by Dr. Fried & Partner

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In April 2019, the Federal Government of Germany decided on key points for a National Tourism Strategy. Thus, a corresponding project for the development of an action plan was initiated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy under... read more

04.03.2021

The Tourism Sales Climate Index – January 2021

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New year, new optimism - already towards the end of 2020, the Tourism Sales Climate Index recorded a slight upward trend. This trend is now continuing at the beginning of 2021. After last year caused immense damage, especially in the travel sector... read more

19.01.2021

Dr. Fried & Partner donates to the Reiner Meutsch Foundation FLY & HELP

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The year 2020 is coming to an end, leaving deep traces but also a rich experience in all our lives. No one expected a pandemic that would bring the whole world to a complete standstill. Measures led to restrictions and isolation but also to... read more

21.12.2020

Scenarios 2025 – An outlook into the future of the travel industry

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The Corona pandemic has posed major challenges for the tourism industry worldwide. Now the question is: what will happen in the medium run? What does the future of the travel industry look like and what are possible scenarios for the travel... read more

18.12.2020

Alternative courses of action – the recovery planning of German tour operators in the wake of the Corona pandemic – Part II

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From the article "opportunities and learning experiences from the Crisis - Part I" - a schematic cycle model could be derived, which is intended to show German tour operators structured action alternatives for the Corona pandemic or also for other... read more

14.12.2020

Digitization of Customer Service in the Travel & Mobility Industry?

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What is the current state of the travel & mobility industry in terms of customer service digitization? How did the digitization of customer service develop in the past five years? What are future plans of the companies regarding digitization... read more

18.11.2020

The Tourism Sales Climate Index – November 2020

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While "lockdown light" and numerous risk areas are depressing the mood in travel sales in November 2020, the progress in the development of a vaccine, the persistent German desire to travel as well as the testing of new test concepts are raising... read more

18.11.2020

Vitalization, opportunities and learning experiences – this is the recovery planning of German group tour operators in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic – Part I

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What does vitalization in consequence of the coronavirus pandemic look like for German group tour operators? With the beginning of the summer holidays and due to some travel relaxation, the business of German group tour operators was able to resume... read more

05.11.2020

Dr. Fried & Partner with a central role at the 19th European Tourism Forum

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19th European Tourism Forum: “Future prospects for the tourism sector – ways to recover from the Corona crisis and to develop a robust tourism industry” Dr. Markus Heller moderated the four-hour virtual event with top-class panellists... read more

03.11.2020

Dr. Fried & Partner goes Scrum

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In order to create maximum added value to projects and to act in different roles in the best possible way, the majority of consultants at Dr. Fried & Partner have been certified as Scrum Masters (PSM) and Product Owners (PSPO) since 2019. In... read more

01.10.2020

The Tourism Sales Climate Index in July 2020

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Although the summer holidays started in almost all federal states in July and the Germans' desire to travel is slowly returning, the Tourism Sales Climate Index is still far below the previous year's level. Nevertheless, a slight upward trend can... read more

21.07.2020

Think Tank Sees Chances In Service Fees

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The value of services and consulting is increasingly valued by consumers, according to the analysis of a "think tank" by the Travel Industry Club, which is supported by the management consultancy Dr. Fried & Partner. In addition, new... read more

17.07.2020

Quo vadis travel distribution – fvw online discussion

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On behalf of QTA, Dr. Fried & Partner conducted an online survey on the topic of reorientation of travel sales with almost 6,000 QTA travel agencies. To present the partial results for the first time, fvw invited QTA's management team, including... read more

01.07.2020

The Tourism Sales Climate Index in June 2020

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Despite further easing of the corona measures throughout Germany and the lifting of travel warnings and border closures for European countries, which have been foreseeable for some time, the mood in travel sales remains clouded. Although the Tourism... read more

17.06.2020

The Tourism Sales Climate Index in May 2020

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Despite initial easing of the corona measures, the current mood in travel distribution remains highly negative. As in the last two months, the Sales Climate Index is still at an all-time low. Dr. Fried & Partner has been recording the mood at... read more

19.05.2020

QTA Initiative – The big online discussion about commissions

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During the major online discussion on commissions on May 14, 2020, Dr. Markus Heller, Managing Partner of Dr. Fried & Partner, had the opportunity to discuss the model of collective agreements for stationary travel agency sales proposed by QTA... read more

15.05.2020

Vouchers as a second currency – Dr. Markus Heller in an interview with fvw

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The situation of tourism is disastrous, especially that of travel agencies. They have sold and are now rebooking or processing cancellations - and largely without commission. But management consultant Dr. Markus Heller, managing partner of Dr. Fried... read more

12.05.2020

Seriousness and competence for the travel industry

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The current situation poses unprecedented challenges, especially for the travel industry. Tour operators and distribution companies not only have to cope with revenue losses of up to 100%, but also have to make repayments that affect all links of... read more

24.04.2020

Intensify customer support out of the home office and thus ensure long-term customer loyalty!

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Due to the exit restrictions your sales representatives were deprived of the possibility to visit customers personally. In the following you will find food for thought on what conditions you can meet for the time in your home office and how your... read more

01.04.2020

The Tourism Sales Climate Index in February 2020

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Since 2005, Dr. Fried & Partner has been collecting the monthly tourism sales climate index for you, which serves as an early indicator for the future development of sales of travel services. After the travel agencies had already started the... read more

18.02.2020

The tourism industry celebrates Globus Night 2020

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touristik aktuell - the weekly newspaper for tourism professionals - presented the Globus Award to selected travel agencies and tourism service providers for the 11th time. The 2019 award winners were chosen on 30 January 2020 at the Globus Night... read more

04.02.2020

The package tour – model with a future?

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At the TIC networking event "Package tour - model with a future", Dr. Markus Heller, Managing Partner of Dr. Fried & Partner, had the opportunity to discuss the future of package tours with industry experts Ralph Schiller (Group Managing... read more

30.01.2020

What is in store for the travel industry in 2020

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A turbulent year lies behind the travel industry - and also ahead of it in 2020, believes tourism expert and management consultant Markus Heller. In the tour operator market, the cards are being reshuffled, digitalisation and discounts are causing... read more

14.01.2020

Dr. Fried & Partner donates to the Reiner Meutsch Foundation FLY & HELP

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The year 2019 is slowly coming to an end and the contemplative Christmas days are just around the corner. Christmas stands for being together with family, contemplation, gratitude and charity. After a successful year 2019, Dr. Fried & Partner... read more

23.12.2019

Tourist Travel Agency 2025 – Dr. Markus Heller at the DRV Annual Conference 2019

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On 11 December 2019, the second day of this year's DRV Annual Conference on the MS Artania in the Port of Hamburg, parallel specialist forums were held on topics such as climate protection and travel, tourism policy, technologies of the future and... read more

18.12.2019

The Future of Package Tours – Dr. Markus Heller at the DRV Annual Conference

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Between the Elbe Philharmonic Hall and the fish market, the DRV Annual Meeting this year took place in a very special setting in the port of Hamburg. Here the MS Artania from the charter of the Bonn tour operator Phoenix Reisen was moored and served... read more

13.12.2019

“Mobility today and tomorrow – How railways, car manufacturers and others are redefining sustainability for themselves”

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The Travel Industry Club invited to a networking event with keynote speech and subsequent panel discussion on this topic on 12 November 2019 at the Platzl Hotel in Munich. After a personal welcome by Vice President Tobias Klöpf, the evening... read more

27.11.2019

Dialogue, transparency, sustainability: National Tourism Strategy enters second phase

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Under the leadership of Thomas Bareiß, the Federal Government Commissioner for Tourism, the Tourism Advisory Board at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi) has started the second phase of the development of a national tourism strategy... read more

28.10.2019

Then discounts make sense for companies – series on discounts part 3

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While the first two episodes on discounts focused on the reasons for asking for discounts and avoiding them, this part is about discounts that help to increase profits. Dr. Markus Heller, managing partner of Dr. Fried & Partner, a consultancy... read more

24.10.2019

How to avoid Travel Discounts – series on discounts part 2

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A decisive factor in avoiding discounts is the early discussion of the topic, whether as a salesperson on the hotel or airline side or as a travel agent in a travel agency. Management consultant Dr. Markus Heller of Dr. Fried & Partner provides... read more

23.10.2019

Management Consulting Dr. Fried & Partner at the Munich Marathon 2019

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"He who has stamina is almost there." - Ernst R. Hauschka Not only excellent in consulting The team of management consulting Dr. Fried und Partner started this year with two relays at the Generali Munich Marathon on October 13. For the first... read more

23.10.2019

Why Customers desire Travel Discounts – series on discounts part 1

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How do the insolvencies of Air Berlin, Thomas Cook or Tour Vital correlate with discounts? Well, they clearly show us the low-margin environment in which we operate and how close many companies in the tourism industry are to the brink of collapse... read more

22.10.2019

Everything new is made by… September!

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Dr. Fried & Partner is a well-known name for industry experts and has stood for reliability, individual advice and partnership at eye level since its founding in 1968. After more than 50 years in fresh orange, Dr. Fried & Partner now shines... read more

19.09.2019

Tourism Sales Climate Index September 2019

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Even though travel agencies continue to perceive the 2019 booking year as weaker than the previous year, the slight upward trend in sentiment is continuing. Positive trends continue to emerge for September. On the one hand, the current booking... read more

17.09.2019

Tourism Sales Climate Index August 2019

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After cautious optimism among travel agencies last month, the tourism sales climate index of Dr. Fried & Partner also shows a positive trend in August. Both in their assessment of the current situation and with regard to expectations in terms of... read more

20.08.2019

Tourism Sales Climate Index – July 2019

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Finally! – This has probably been the thought of more than one travel agent in July. In the travel agencies, cautious optimism is shown with regard to the current booking situation. However, the expectations towards the coming months remain... read more

16.07.2019

Structural Changes in the German Travel Market – Part 5: Data

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Against the background of the advanced interaction with data of the Big Five (Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple), there is an urgent need for action in the travel industry as well as other industries. Thesis: In the future, data will... read more

15.07.2019

Tourism Sales Climate Index – June 2019

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The entire industry is hoping for a last-minute year. So far, 2019 has not been able to keep up with the very positive estimates from the previous year, but at least with regard to the current situation, some travel agencies appear to become more... read more

18.06.2019

The Tourism Sales Climate Index – May 2019

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The mood among travel agencies remains depressed in May 2019 as well - the tourism sales climate index of Dr. Fried & Partner continues to fall this month. Cautious optimism can only be seen in the assessment of the future earnings situation in... read more

21.05.2019

Structural Changes in the German Travel Market – Part 2: Airline

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The changes in the airline market are derived, on the one hand, from the general trend towards more individualized and data-driven sales and, on the other hand, from the separation of rigid production models. Thesis 1: Distribution models of legacy... read more

02.01.2019

Structural Changes in the German Travel Market – Part 2: Airline

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The changes in the airline market are derived, on the one hand, from the general trend towards more individualized and data-driven sales and, on the other hand, from the separation of rigid production models. Thesis 1: Distribution models of legacy... read more

14.12.2018

Who Wins? Who Loses? In-depth Analysis of the Structural Change in the German Travel Market

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Far-reaching structural changes will pose major challenges for the German travel market throughout the upcoming years. The whitepaper “Who Wins? Who Loses? In-depth Analysis of the Structural Changes in the German Travel Market." ,is the sound... read more

14.09.2018

Dr. Fried & Partner at the TIC Networking Event “Higher, faster, further, smarter. All good Things come in… Data! “

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Following the invitation of Selligent, on June 11, 2018, around 50 executives and tourism decision-makers met at the Munich cooking school by star chef Andi Schweiger. The networking event hosted by the Travel Industry Club (TIC) discussed the... read more

13.06.2018

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Structural Changes

Gender reference

For better readability, the generic masculine is used in these articles. The designations of persons used in these articles refer to all genders unless otherwise indicated.