Clicking on the large Module Navigation button labeled “Settings” at the top right of the screen allows access to various settings for the TourTools system. All can access User Settings; Business and System Settings are available to Owners and Managers only; Developer Settings are only accessible to the TourTools Support Team.
The BUSINESS SETTINGS are meant for the Owner and Mangers. This is where TourTools defaults and system-wide settings and values can be set and managed. This is also where the Division and Staff databases are maintained.
Company / Division
Many TourTools clients have multiple divisions or brands under which they sell tours. This is where those details are managed. The logos and company information specified here will pipe out to reports and documents generated for Tours and Bookings associated with a specific division. Check the box labeled “Auto Set Division 1” if you only have 1 division. If you have more than 1 division, remember to set the appropriate division on each Tour you create. As long as the division is properly set in the Tour record, it will automatically be set for all Packages and Bookings associated with that Tour.
For those who need to set more than 1 division for certain Tours, you can do so. But, in this case, the Package and each Booking will have to be set manually as they are created to indicate which division it should be associated with.
Click here for details on Assigning Divisions to a Tour.
Staff Members
This is where all of your staff data is managed. When you hire a new person, be sure to add them here (or remove them when they leave). This is an important step in the new user/workstation setup process. TourTools will not function properly for a new staff member if they are not represented here.
System Modules
For those who have used previous versions of TourTools, you will recognize these system modules – they use to be called Support Files. These modules provide access to many areas of the system and allow managers to set up defaults and manage system-wide data.
Airport & Air Carrier Codes
These come pre-loaded with your TourTools v5 system. You can add/remove and modify values as needed. These are used in the Tours and Bookings modules for managing flight itineraries.
Currency
Create a new currency record by clicking on the “+ New” button and identify the currency with the universally accepted three-character code. Note there is a field where you can load the URL of your favorite currency exchange website, which can be accessed by clicking on the “Open” button.
Complete the record by filling in the first field, highlighted in this example at the top, in yellow. This amount represents what one US Dollar will purchase in the foreign currency. Once that field is loaded, the corresponding yellow-highlighted field below will auto-fill with the “inverse” value of the currency, or, what one currency unit will cost in US Dollars. Take that number — rounded if you wish — and load it in the field highlighted here in blue at the top of the screen. That is the exchange rate that will be in effect were you to make a payment from Ops. The inverse of that amount will auto-load to the blue highlighted field below.
The last — and most important — field to complete is the one highlighted in red, labeled “Costing.” As you build a Package using services from the Vendor in question, this amount is what will be used to convert/calculate the cost. Since many tours are costed a year or more in advance of their actual operation, you will probably want to allow some “wiggle room” to allow for fluctuation in the exchange rate. In this scenario, the exchange rate could change by more than five cents in the Vendor’s favor before the costing of the trip would be negatively affected. Conversely, if the exchange rate improves by the time we have to pay the Vendor, the profit margin on the Package increases.
When all of your input is complete, use the “Post Update Note” field to load some reference of who last updated the rate — perhaps their initials — and on what date.
More specifics on currency exchanges as they relate to costing tours and making payments are covered in the Package and Ops chapters.
*The importance of properly identifying the currency in which the supplier will be paid cannot be overstated. If it is mis-identified and the currency mis-valued, there will be cascading effects that could negatively impact your pricing and profitability.
If an incorrect currency is associated with a Vendor record at this level and goes undetected to the point that Operations records have been created, there is no “fix” other than to strip the incorrect Price/Inventory record from each affected Package, and then delete the Contracted Service record from the Vendor record. Only then can you reassign the currency associated with the Vendor and start building your Contracted Service records, Packages, etc., all over again (all of this will be explained further as we move along).*
Marketing Data
This module is used to identify your marketing campaigns and then associate various Clients and Bookings with them. It allows a high level of analysis on how your marketing dollars are spent and which campaigns are most effective.
Zip Codes
You will most likely never need to access this database of zip codes. It is used to identify and auto-fill the cities and states as you enter the zip codes for Clients and Vendors.
Terms & Conditions
This is where the default text for your Terms & Conditions are set. These can be pulled into Packages on the Terms & Conditions tab. We suggest that you add as much verbiage here (for as many scenarios as possible) and then delete out what doesn’t apply as the text is pulled into a package.
Value Lists
This allows Owners and Managers access to update value lists that populate in various parts of the system.
Tour Defaults & Rules
This is where you will set the default values for primary fields that will be added to every new Tour record. These values are entered as soon as you set a departure date for the Tour.
eBlast Templates
Manage your Client and Vendor eBlast templates on this tab. These can be used in recurring email campaigns. Your eBlast templates can include multiple attachments.
DB Announcements
There are 2 areas of the Dashboard set aside for announcements. Enter details on this tab and choose whether to highlight the information or not. All logged in users will see these announcements in real-time.
Guides
If you have regular guides that you use on your Tours, you can manage them here – much like an external staff database. Guides can be assigned to specific Tours and reports can be run to determine usage and availability.
Insurance Tables
If you are selling insurance within TourTools, manage the data tables on this tab. Contact the TourTools team if this is something you are interested in exploring.
TourTools Event Log
This event log will allow you to audit critical activity in your system and identify the user that performed the action and the date it occurred.
TourTools Online
This tab allows you to manage certain settings and default text for TourTools Online, if you have it as an add-on to your back office system.
If you have any questions that are not answered here Contact TourTools Support for assistance.
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