Travel agencies are a common part of many people’s vacation and adventure experiences, with agents guiding customers through travel plans at luxury getaways and once-in-a lifetime experiences with care and expertise. These agencies work with hotels, airlines, and various vendors to create comprehensive travel packages that take the organizational burden off their client’s shoulders, letting them focus on the excitement of the trip to come. From handling bookings, to assisting with itineraries, to handling any issues, conflicts, or cancellations that may arise, many people rely on the services of a travel agent when they leave home.
The trust and relationships that are built between a client and their travel agent is a powerful thing; helping people make lifelong memories and come together through travel is something that sparks passion in many agencies. It’s precisely these things that drive BWJ Travel, a family-run travel agency that was born from decades of passion, perseverance, and inherited purpose. As a host travel agency, BWJ Travel is designed to empower a network of passionate travel agents across the country, giving agents the opportunity to build meaningful careers while creating memorable experiences for clients.
BWJ Travel distinguishes itself from its peers in how it hires, trains, and builds up their agents. The company eschews traditional interview formats in favor of giving them opportunities to show their passion and skill on the job. These agents are supported by cutting-edge tools and resources, and welcomed into a community driven by authenticity and purpose. This has led to a nationwide family of consultants from a wide array of backgrounds, all brought together by a love of travel and a passion for empowering others.
Agent Development and Benefits
Given BWJ Travel’s unorthodox hiring practices, it’s no surprise that many applicants arrive at their doorstep full of passion, hunger, and ideas, but relatively unfamiliar with the industry. In order to operate in alignment with their company values, BWJ Travel has developed a robust lesson plan for all applicants in order to both provide clients with the best service possible, and give passionate agents-to-be the tools they need to prove themselves on the job. This lesson plan blends mentorship from experienced agents with general lessons on booking travel, servicing clients, tracking commissions, and much more. Additionally, BWJ Travel has basic training resources for each of their partnered suppliers, ensuring that their agents are properly introduced to them and their own unique requirements.
The responsibilities of a travel agent are complex and interconnected. In order to avoid information overload and burnout, new agents are guided through the learning process slowly, with a streamlined process that unlocks new tools and resources incrementally in accordance with their abilities. New agents must complete the initial training modules before getting access to the rest of their tools and resources, ensuring that agents are properly prepared for their duties and are empowered to perform their best.
Agent progress is tracked through BWJ Travel’s own Travel Agent Portal, where their training module progress and startup guide requirements are measured. After training is complete, agents’ performance is also tracked through this app, giving them and the team visibility into past and current booking, and commission earnings. Agents are rewarded with high tiers of commission made possible by BWJ Travel’s long partnerships with major suppliers. Other benefits include exclusive perks, bonuses, trip opportunities, and further training.
The Cutting Edge of Travel
In order to deliver the best experiences for clients, and best set up agents for success, BWJ Travel encourages and embraces the mindset of the lifelong learner. Keeping up with technological advancements, industry trends, and shifts in consumer behavior is a mandatory process for any company looking to succeed, and the volatile nature of the travel and hospitality industries make it even more so. It’s not enough to have a custom-built platform and agent portal integrated with current best-in-class travel technology-as the world evolves, BWJ Travel evolves with it.
Through daily and weekly newsletters from supplier partners, BWJ Travel is able to keep up to date on news, trends, tools, and resources. Beyond that, the company also conducts their own research based on feedback from agents and clients alike. By analyzing market trends, the company is also able to plan for changes in client behavior and desires. For example, the recent trend of people valuing experiences over material goods is a boon to the travel industry, which is especially potent in the wake of the global pandemic. As a result, BWJ Travel has been able to plan and coordinate with suppliers to best enable those kinds of experiences.
Of course, BWJ Travel isn’t the only agency that’s caught wind of these trends and changes, which means the company has to keep competitive in its industry. BWJ Travel has taken a number of initiatives to maintain its lead in the host travel industry, with specific attention given to attracting talented and passionate agents. Live booking and support calls twice weekly paired with one-on-one support with booking advisors give agents the opportunity to play out the process and train under the eyes of a mentor. Beyond that, biweekly live Q and A podcasts, 80% commissions, a robust training plan, and a highly trained agent support team are in place to empower and reward agents for their hard work.
A Proactive Culture Of Improvement
The key to BWJ Travel’s success is the way they embrace passion and constantly encourage and empower agents to learn, improve, and develop their careers. Through interconnected mentorships, open conversations and brainstorming sessions, and a robust feedback loop, BWJ Travel and its agents are constantly improving their methods and systems with innovative and creative thinking. Client and agent feedback is taken very seriously, and that feedback is often the driver that informs changes or new features the company implements.
The agency is founded upon their mission of bringing friends and family together through travel, and that mission is what drives their agents to deliver the best travel advisory services they can. Everyone working with BWJ Travel are team players that embody the passion of the role, and are intrinsically motivated by providing unforgettable experiences to their clients.
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