Background
Global independent travel company Travel Counsellors (TC) provides travel experiences to nearly one million travellers a year. Founded in 1994, it was the first in its market to launch a remote working travel business model, empowering travel professionals to run their own franchise business with the backing of a 400-strong central support team.

The model enables the company’s business owners, called travel counsellors, to deliver highly tailored itineraries and to be available at a time to suit their corporate and leisure travel clients, including evenings and weekends. But with travel counsellors now present in seven countries, ensuring that this remote working business model embodies an accessible and tangible business culture is challenging.

"Caring is a successful business strategy"

Approach
To meet this challenge the firm uses an in-house, top-grade broadcasting studio to produce and deliver daily programmes to its community, with up to 50 shows broadcast live in key trading months. These can be watched at any time on an internal video hub. To create connections, travel counsellors can Skype or email each host live on every show. The broadcasts feature themes to support counsellors to grow their business and deliver outstanding customer experiences.

TC also promotes a culture of continual learning and development, with an in-house learning management system to provide training on all aspects of travel, as well as best practice business management, boosting mental wellbeing and promoting work life balance. To facilitate human contact it hosts regular events including an annual conference and eight roadshows. There is also TC Kids to help keep franchise owners’ children entertained during school holidays, a personal counselling service, mentoring scheme and engagement programmes for partners and spouses, who can go on to become TC ambassadors and brand advocates.