South Australian tourism operators can stand out with user-friendly website, staff training The Barossa Valley is a firm favourite for holiday-makers. CREATING a user-friendly website and properly training staff are among the steps SA tourism operators need to take to stand out in a tough market. Rudy Pieck, a partner at audit, tax and advisory firm BDO, said while tourist numbers were steady in SA, now was the time for small to medium tourism enterprises to enhance their businesses. Having a user-friendly web presence that was compatible with mobile devices was critical, he said. "More and more people have mobile devices and are using them on the road to decide where they are going to go next," Mr Pieck said. You have got to make sure your website renders properly on those devices. Ideally, customers also want to be able to book then and there - people don't want to have to ring up. SME operators should also ensure they engage with travel review website TripAdvisor, as increasing numbers of tourists posted comments about their experiences. "Good operators actively engage with TripAdvisor, whether the comments are good or bad, and they respond to every comment," Mr Pieck said. You will see owners and managers who don't respond and they are just opening themselves up to fail. Staff training was also critical for tourism operators, he said. "It's amazing how often the staff who work in these businesses don't appreciate that if they don't deal with the public in a friendly manner it is going to leave a bad impression," he said. You have to train staff and remind them to go out of their way to make the experience positive for people. He recommended tourism operators network with others in the industry and take the time to travel. "It's amazing what you learn at conferences and talking to other people," he said. It is easy for operators to get bogged down and have difficulty getting away from they business. Mr Pieck said many tourism operators faced burning out because they were tied to their businesses. "You need to think about getting your business to a point where it can rely on your not being there," he said. The only solution you have got is to have someone to run things when you are not there. He also suggested offering customers a range of products, at a variety of price points, to meet the varied expectations and budgets of travellers.