Agents have expressed dismay at Kuoni’s plan to ditch homeworker trade support in favour of a head office-based team.
From next week, all agent bookings will go through a new trade sales team – introduced to “improve service” – at the operator’s call centre at its head office in Dorking, Surrey.
The move has angered agents who have booked through Kuoni homeworkers, with whom they have built up strong relationships, allowing them to book at unusual hours and avoid call-centre waiting times.
Hazel Bryant, director of Kitts Travel in Potters Bar and Pinner, said: “We have dealt with the same person for seven years and have a fantastic rapport. There is no way we’d want to contact someone we don’t know and this would deter me from booking with Kuoni.”
Darren Vurnum, founder of Escape Worldwide in London, said: “We’ve done a lot of business with Kuoni because of the homeworkers’ flexibility and hours they work. My main concern now will be the wait times – I can’t hold for 20 minutes every time I need something.”
But Holidays Please director Charles Duncombe said: “Hopefully they will have people with the same skills in the call centre as they do working from home. We have an open mind.”
Kuoni managing director Derek Jones said the new trade team would be pulled from its most experienced call centre staff.
“To help build these relationships we will encourage trade partners to use direct-dial numbers for their personal travel experts,” he said.
Call centre opening hours will not change and are already longer than most other operators, he added. He would not comment on rumours some homeworkers had resigned as a result of the changes.