Preferred F


or suppliers, getting onto a homeworking agency’s preferred partner list means they stay


front of mind when agents are selling holidays to clients. InteleTravel’s UK director Tricia Handley-


Hughes says 70 suppliers have agreed terms with the agency so far, while Travel Village Group says its Holiday Village homeworkers do “particularly well” with its mainstream list of operators, such as Jet2holidays, Gold Medal, easyJet holidays, Classic Collection and MSC Cruises. The relationships that suppliers have with


homeworking agencies are slightly different to those they have with high street agents. And suppliers are increasingly aware that they must be more flexible if they want to work closely with homeworking agents.


MUTUAL BENEFITS With many homeworkers working outside traditional hours, relationships are tailored to their needs. Royal Caribbean’s head of sales Torey Kings-Hodkin says: “We recognise that homeworkers are often working flexible hours around family commitments.” Ruth Venn, P&O Cruises director of sales,


echoes Kings-Hodkin’s sentiments, saying: “We know the way people work has changed. With more people working from home or in a hybrid capacity, personalised, flexible training and virtual tools are an increasingly important part of how we deliver what our agents need to succeed.” Preferred supplier lists, drawn up by


homeworking firms, obviously help define the type 14 27 OCTOBER 2022


“Homeworkers are such an important part of the industry. We want to keep them updated with information about our products and provide support”


partners


Suppliers are increasingly keen to reach homeworking agents. Harry Kemble reports on how these relationships work


of relationship they have with individual operators. Travel Counsellors managing


director Kirsten Hughes calls supplier relationships “personal”. “The relationships that we have with our partners are unique, given our collaborative approach,” she says, adding that these relationships are fruitful for “all parties”. Paul Harrison, co-founder


of Not Just Travel, notes that the suppliers included in his company’s Key Trade Partner


programme can provide “a much wider range of training, focus and marketing support” to agents.


COMMUNICATION IS KEY Clearly, once a supplier partners with a homeworking company, they can then communicate with its agents. However, as Jet2holidays’ head of trade Alan Cross points out, each homeworking agency has its own needs when it comes to messaging and how often they issue communications. “Some [homeworking firms] are very keen


for us to approach their members, while some are not as keen to engage in relationship building,” he explains. Meetings with agencies are held to “determine what best suits the homeworking business”. “From experience, we find that open and


transparent communication is the best approach for all parties,” Cross adds.


travelweekly.co.uk


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