A key issue is how and when to convert these systems to the euro and how to treat historic data for year on year comparisons. The euro has a major affect on all software related rather than hardware related solutions. Customer market perception demands that the tourism industry lives up to its standard of service by offering dual prices for most services rendered. This has a major impact on the way the industry presents its product portfolio to the market. Not only in terms of price issues but also in the human element.
Staff needs to be involved in order to promote, implement and foster market acceptance of the euro.
The technical challenge In difference to the traditional method of exchanging foreign currencies, the euro has its own character and personality in the way that it has to be calculated. During the transition period all software modules using currency related fields in their database, need to use the specific conversion rules to calculate the precise value in euro and local currency, and the use of the official conversion rate with six significant digits. For operational reasons, all software modules need to be equipped with prices in both national currency and euro denominations, as well as being visible on the same screen. This needs to be achieved automatically and without user intervention at any time. Be it a property management or a point of sale system, accounting or payroll, the technical tools and the education level of employees are the key to successfully conquering the changeover to the euro.