Do you have a question?

Here are some the most frequently asked questions by our current customers. Don’t see your question here? Then just get in touch and we’ll answer you right away.

What kinds of online technology help to you provide?

• • websites (creation and maintenance)
  • blogs and social media
  • online customer experience
  • search engine placement
  • online marketing and promotional campaigns

In terms of topics, or “stuff”, we cover things like:

Those may sound like broad categories, but each one of you is different. Since we focus our services on small business in travel and tourism, though, we’re able to provide a breadth of services to that hopefully caters to all your online needs!

How will we work together?

There are a few ways you can tap into the knowledge and resources of Travel Online Partners, each suited to different types of needs.

Listen in on the Community Conversation. Maybe you’re not sure what type of help you need or maybe you’re just not ready to work with us yet. That’s ok, but we have a whole community discussion ongoing about the impacts of online technology in travel and tourism. So be sure to have a quick a peek at our online articles and the monthly newsletter for free, timely advice. You might just find something you didn’t know you were looking for!

Take Action with a Do-It-Yourself Guide. If you prefer a DIY approach to things and just want our tips and tricks to tackle in your on space and time, that’s cool. We’ve developed a series of DIY guides that take you through the nuts and bolts of web. Do-it-yourself doesn’t mean less value — we’ve packed them full of suggestions, ideas, and worksheets that help you bring it all together.

Work One-on-One to Make Your Small Business Soar. Need hands on advice and help to get things moving? That’s where our one-on-one services come in. We have quite a few packages – have a look, as there might be a package that’s a perfect fit for the type of expertise and assistance you need.

Not sure where to start?  Then take our free, no obligation TOP Business  Self Assessment.

I’m based in Australia/Hong Kong/Los Angeles/Elsewhere.  Will it be difficult for us to keep in touch?

Our clients are around the world, from here in the UK to South Africa! Our primary means of communication is email, with scheduled conference calls for us to chat together when it suits. This allows us to have a round-the-clock dialogue without worrying about someone staying up all night to answer the phone.

Why email? Well, this helps us stay in touch regardless of timezones, especially since being in the travel industry means being on the road a lot. But writing stuff down is really important. When you put things into writing, you are forced to think about the detail. And what you write tells us a lot about what’s going on and puts things into perspective.

Richard Wiseman in his book about productivity, called 59 Seconds, says about written interaction:

From a psychological perspective, talking and writing are very different. Talking can often be somewhat unstructured, disorganized, even chaotic. In contrast, writing encourages the creation of a story line and structure that help people make sense of what has happened and work towards a solution. In short, talking can add to a sense of confusion while writing provides a more systematic, and solution-based, approach.

If you’re not comfortable partnering primarily on email and using scheduled calls for catching up where appropriate, then we’re probably not the perfect partner for you.

I’m not in the UK.  How can I pay for your products and services?

We primarily use Paypal as a payment processing service.  Don’t worry if you don’t have a paypal account – with Paypal you can pay with several major credit cards, payment is immediate, and your financial details aren’t stored in any 3^rd party system.  It’s used by thousands and thousands of businesses every day.

If you’re offering any sales of products or services on your own website, we’d encourage you to check it out as the fees are far lower than with traditional banks.

Again, you do not have to have an account with Paypal to purchase any TOP products and services.  However, if you’d like an account, you can quickly and easily open one up over at the Paypal website (link opens in a new window).

What’s a good one-on-one package to choose if I’m just starting out and not really sure what I need?

If you’re struggling to choose, then you should take our free TOP Business Self Assessment.  By answering the questions, you’ll give us an idea of where you are on your small business journey.  We’ll then suggest a few things and ways that you can best use the TOP resources available to you.

I’m budget conscious at the moment but really need some inspiration and creative vision for my online “stuff.” What do you suggest?

The online articles and newsletter are free, so be sure start with those. To take things into high gear on a shoestring, check out the Do-It-Yourself Guides. With supplemental audio guides, worksheets, and concrete examples you can apply to your own business, they’re great value for money. Most of them also offer a guided tour, an optional add-on which gives you access to our a subset of our consulting services at an excellent rate.

Do you charge in Dollars, Euros, Pounds…?

Because we’re based in the United Kingdom, our products and services are priced in British Pounds. (Sorry – our accountant says so!) We’ll work with you in your home currency so you understand the costs, but just be mindful that the numbers are coming from British Pounds.

What is your confidentiality policy?

We maintain strict confidentiality given that many of our clients share with us key information about their business model. If you’ve got specific paperwork you’d like us to fill in or if you prefer that we not work with other customers too similar to you, just give us the head’s up and we’re happy to have an open discussion about it. We’re here to help, not to make things more difficult and totally appreciate the hard work you’re putting into your business. We would never jeopardise your business ideas and goals by exposing them to others.

I don’t seem to find the product or service for me.  What should I do?

Well, first of all, don’t fret!  Just get in touch and we’ll find the thing that will make your business shine.  You never know – it might be a problem other businesses here in the TOP community are facing.  Don’t be shy – really, we’d love to hear from you.