Home sweet home?
There’s a lot to think about if you’re considering a move into a home-based role, writes Katie McGonagle
H
omeworking is nothing new: long before Covid-19, enterprising agents could be
found booking complex multi-centre journeys from their spare room or juggling phone enquiries while waiting at the school gates. But with the pandemic prompting the
rest of the working world to realise you don’t need to be in an office to do your job, home-based roles have increased in popularity, offering many advantages for agents and customers alike.
So what do you need to keep in mind if
you’re thinking of making the move into travel homeworking or switching from one model to another? Being your own boss sounds like the dream, but what are some of the pitfalls you need to avoid?
PEOPLE POWER
Flexibility is a key benefit of homeworking, and now more than ever, you’ll find home-based agents fitting travel sales around second careers or expanding from a solo enterprise to a small family-run
“A lot of our business is via word of mouth”
LEANNE MOORE The Holiday Lady, Inspire “I worked as a travel agent in call centres until I started my own business in 2015. My sister, Lisa Reed, joined two years later, then we took on my eldest son, James, and another agent, Jade. I have four children, so I started with families from school and football teams; a lot of our business is via word of
mouth. We live in the northeast so our main customer base is in Newcastle, with deals from Newcastle airport. We started off with 600 followers on Facebook; eight years later we have 34,000 and we turned over £1.3 million last year. I changed homeworking companies in 2023 and one question I asked was: ‘Can you dynamically package?’ The freedom and flexibility for my customers were massive attractions. I also liked that there were no credit card fees, the business development managers are amazing and Inspire has so many suppliers. We are so passionate about our business and I think this comes across to customers.”
business, without incurring the overheads of a high-street shop. Linda Pyle, director of Brilliant Travel,
part of the Barrhead Travel Group, says: “We’ve seen an increasing trend in enquiries to join us as a home-based agent following Covid, as people want to work from home. The demographic of the home-based agent has changed from the at-home mum or dad. We are now seeing people with dual roles running successful home- based businesses, along with some who have retired, but want to stay in business, with less stress and greater flexibility.” However, it’s not just agents’ expectations
that are driving the shift. Instead of the traditional face-to-face drop-in, some clients prefer to contact agents online, via social media or through email and phone interactions – and they don’t always want to wait until the next day’s office hours for a response. Colin Martin-Weekes, franchise
general manager at GoCruise & Travel says: “Customers want more of a personal connection with who is arranging their travel plans. Giving them options to contact outside of normal working hours certainly is advantageous to customers.”
LEARNING THE ROPES
The factors at play in choosing a homeworking agency will vary depending
6 JULY 2024
travelweekly.co.uk
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