Instant Holidays’ parent company Future Travel is looking to recruit 80 travel agents as personal travel advisors within the next 12 months.
While Instant operates by directing clients who want to buy a holiday advertised on Teletext pages to its homeworkers via an automatic telephone system, personal travel advisors are expected to generate business through their own database of loyal customers.
As a result they are entitled to a bigger slice of commission, earning 45% on every sale instead of 30%. Fifteen homeworkers have already converted to personal travel advisors but Future’s managing director David Elstob expects most new advisors to be recruited externally.
The scheme is similar to one operated by northern travel agent David Speakman who pioneered the concept of homeworking when he set up Travel Counsellors. Personal travel advisors means, as the title suggests, a personalised service. They will even visit clients at home.
“I could walk into an agency and get a junior who doesn’t have any specialist knowledge. Part of our success is that we really get to know our clients,” said Elstob.
The fact that Future Travel, owned jointly by Elstob, technology supplier Tarsc and United Norwest Co-op, achieved a turnover of ú50m last year is testament to the growing popularity of home shopping, according to Elstob.
“Initially people were cautious about the concept. They weren’t sure if we were a bit of a cowboy outfit. But now there is much greater respectability about homeworking and much more interest in it,” he said.
Instant already has 256 people working from home taking calls generated from Teletext advertising. Elstob expects this to rise to 400 by the end of 1999. He plans to spend ú2m on advertising this year, doubling that of 1998.
A customer care line with eight full-time staff will also be introduced. “It takes pressure off homeworkers having dedicated customer service,” he says.