and consistency,” explains Stonehouse. “Ultimately, AI allows agents to spend less time on manual processes and more time building relationships and growing their business.” But with such transformative technology


taking the industry by storm, there are plenty of reasons for agents to be mindful about AI. Agents should check that any AI tools they use handle customer data securely and are in line with current privacy regulations. There’s also a temptation to over-rely on AI, but agents shouldn’t forget to use their own judgement. Human expertise is still crucial, especially with complex or high-value travel bookings. But with AI here to stay, what does the


future hold? “AI will continue to enhance operational efficiency and transform how travel is searched, sold and experienced,” says Stonehouse. “For homeworking agents, this means more opportunity to scale their business, improve service, and compete effectively – supported by technology that continues to evolve around them.” O


REBECCA BERZINS gold status, Travel Counsellors


Q. How do you use AI in your day-to-day role?


A. I use AI – Travel Counsellors’ in-house TC Co-Pilot, and Claude [an AI assistant] – pretty much daily. It doesn’t do my job for me, but I use it to sense check my ideas, destination options or structures for multi-centre trips, then refine everything using my own expertise and our in-house booking systems.


Q. What are the pros and cons of AI? A. One thing home-based agents can


struggle with is no longer having colleagues to ask “Is this right?” or “What do you think of this?”. I use AI for that. This is almost like a second pair of eyes, without having to ask another agent. The potential pitfalls are


that it risks inaccuracy. It can be wrong, yet it sounds confident. This could be problematic, especially for those new to the industry, because they lack confidence so are more inclined to trust what AI says.


Q. What’s your one piece of advice? A. Don’t lose what makes you unique and


end up sounding like everyone else. I’ve become familiar with certain AI phrases, tones and words and if I see these cropping up in social media posts, I instantly switch off. Customers are savvy to this too!


Q. How will AI shape the role of


homeworkers in the future? A. Those who shy away from AI will get left behind. AI has the potential to take care of more routine tasks and free up our time to focus on client relationships and harness our expertise.


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