Jamie Biesiada
It can be difficult for suppliers to reach home-based travel advisors, and it can be tough for home-based advisors to get in touch with suppliers they don't already have relationships with.
It's a common problem, and one that isn't going away, as the number of independent, often home-based agents proliferates. In fact, in a survey for Phocuswright's U.S. Travel Agency Distribution Landscape 2016-2021, 51% of respondents said they work from home, and 48% of those identified as independent contractors.
The Globus family of brands has solution that can foster better communication between home-based agents and suppliers in its new HomeBased Connect service.
Globus said it is the first to offer a service like HomeBased Connect, a reservations team and phone line (844-877-7174) just for home-based advisors for support across brands including Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways.
"The home-based agent model continues to evolve, and we were interested in delving into the unique needs of this growing segment of travel advisors," said Cory McGillivray, channel marketing manager for the Globus family of brands.
Globus developed a survey that it sent to more than 24,000 self-identified home-based advisors, he said, hoping to get insight into challenges and opportunities they face, their supplier needs and their sales processes.
"The overwhelming feedback we received was the need to create a personal connection," McGillivray said.
He described HomeBased Connect as a "bridge" between Globus' trained team and the advisors. It furthers the efforts of Globus' national sales team of two dozen business-development managers.
While McGillivray said all travel advisors are important to Globus, home-based agents are growing at a quicker clip than other distribution channels.
"HomeBased Connect gives this important group of advisors a built-in support system," he said. "We are the first supplier to come to the table and offer these advisors a dedicated service and are happy to pave the way for others to support this ever-growing channel."