Travel 2 is to set up a team of home-based reservations staff to improve its personal service for independent agents.
From the new year, its first home-based support staff will sell the tour operator’s packages to the Indian Ocean, Far East, Middle East and Caribbean.
The company hopes to have a maximum of 10 in the team by June and will actively recruit “experienced and knowledgeable agents” from February.
The first two home-based staff, Margaret O’Connor and Gill Walker, are set to join from Kuoni in the new year. This follows Kuoni’s decision to set up a dedicated trade team at its head office, a move which has angered some independent agents who prefer book through its home‑based reservations staff.
Travel 2 managing director Andy Freeth said: “We had always planned to do this in the first quarter of next year. Two homeworkers presented themselves to us as a result of changes where they worked.
“We have had feedback from agents that building a rapport with an individual homeworker as opposed to the wider call centre is important to them.
“We want to offer that personal service and extra bit of flexibility to agents. We are not recruiting because we are under-resourced; it’s because we’ve spotted an opportunity to deliver a great service to independent agents.”
The home-based staff will initially work with agents with whom they already have established relationships. And as the team expands, the operator may allocate specific agents to certain home-based staff.
They will have their own direct‑dial phone numbers and will be salaried employees.
Freeth said the home-based staff will act as an extension to Travel 2’s 140-staff Glasgow call centre.