A) For foreign Companies in Italy

LegalCO provides advice and assistance in entry-market operations for tour operators, travel agencies, hotels, cruises and passengers carriers  foreign Companies  involging professionals  in marketing and programming for effective management of foreign representation and commercial positioning.

B) Handling of complaints-claims to tourism businesses: tour operators, travel agencies, hotels, cruises-passengers carriers;  quality  development

LegalCO outlined a service of legal advice and assistance in outsourcing, oriented to alternative dispute resolution aimed to maintain relations with customers community.  It operates externally, however in close contact with the Client Company,  to address and resolve, with pre-defined procedures, problems that may affect customers.

The Office found that corporate Policy of customer orientation is desirable prerequisite for a positive management of litigation in and out of court.

It is crucial to take action on conflict prevention by intervening both in the drafting of contracts (e.g., paying particular attention to the evolution of legislation on on-line sales, on-site support, customer information), both with targeted front-line staff training and setting up  of procedures and quality standards as a fair practice.

 E.U. law and the case-law of the EU Court of Justice indicate that  claims management gives  the opportunity of adopting good practices that lead, with greater probability, to shared solutions and mutual satisfaction.

This allows the Company to maintain constructive relations with (temporary) unsatisfied customers, with  likely increase in the percentage of pre-trial closed complaints. Benefit is tangible  to reputation,  customer loyalty rate, and not least,  lower costs of legal fees.

Professional handling of complaints leads to a good-practice follow-up; in addition to standards for response times and compensations referred to Reg. EU 1177/2010 and Reg. EC 261/2004 (see  transportation section) we can consider the UNI ISO 10002-2006, whose implementation, per se, promotes the achievement of alternative dispute resolution procedures to trial (settlement, conciliation, mediation, arbitration).

The purpose is to intervene in the dispute – making and to avoid that  a service mis-performance develops into complaint or claim that, if not properly managed, leads to trial.

Complaints and litigation cases data base is a “basic” element for starting-up  quality-service  projects.

C) Legal oriented responses to reviews on social networks; quality and reputation development projects.

Tourism industry operators  in this long crisis situation had the opportunity to check the reviews on social networks (tripadvisor, booking.com, trivago, etc.) and find how crucial they are to reputation of T.O., travel agencies, hotels, resorts, cruise and passenger carriers.

The reputation, subsequently,  is a basic element in the decision of choice and then purchase by the customer-tourist, with evident impact on sales.

The services offered organize a legal guidance response based on a strict organizational procedure (internal verification of details and circumstances) for maximum effectiveness of response statement containing clarification and rectification.

A monthly report gives account of assistance and scores  awarded by the leading social-networking portals with the Client Company.

The database of reviews and responses may be the element for a quality service -development project and for a reputation  improvement-plan   on the web and other media.

____________________

Office Organization

The Office is a team- work of Lawyers specialists in the fields of tourism, transport and consumer law for effective management of pre-judicial phase, e.g. with mediation, and, if necessary, the judicial phase.

The Office also may provide a wider service with experienced staff (at tour operators, cruises, and air carriers). Comprehensive expertise and a flexible team are the keys for an optimal management of the activities relating to after-sales service Company performance, with support of quantitative and/or qualitative internal analysis also  related at collective complaints.