Foremost Travel & Tours in Chicago has launched a new
business, Agency Backup, enabling other agencies to utilize Foremost’s expertise in areas ranging from
leisure and corporate bookings to marketing and accounting.
Agencies can outsource key business functions to Agency
Backup, which is staffed by Foremost’s 16-person team, according to Foremost
president Lynn Farrell. They pay a monthly fee of $100, which goes to
technology setup costs, plus a set fee based on services: $20 for a standard
call with an advisor, $30 for an extended call of 30 minutes or more, and $45
per hour for accounting, marketing or web services.
There is no contract,
so a client can cancel their membership at any time.
“We’re trying to be as flexible as possible,” Farrell said.
Farrell said she has
had informal arrangements with other agencies in the past, filling in with help
when they needed extra agents or services, but it occurred to her that many
might need an additional helping hand during the coronavirus crisis.
The Agency Backup team is experienced in leisure and
corporate bookings, accounting services, marketing and social media, and
servers and websites.