Sekha Walsh was working seven days a week and into the wee hours. He was burning out, and the consequences were costly. That’s when he knew he needed help.
Sekha, like most agents, didn’t become a travel agent because he had a huge passion for a good GDS. He’s a people person and thrives when helping his customers build and achieve their travel dreams. That’s not to say he doesn’t love the intricacies of working the systems, but when faced with a huge jump in enquiries, he simply didn’t have the time. Enter Jam, his virtual assistant.
As the world reopened and the wave of travel enquiries grew, we started hearing that more and more agents had turned to virtual assistants to streamline operations and enhance customer experiences. So we asked agents who use them how it all works and if they’re worth it. Here’s what we found out.
What is a virtual assistant?
Remember Microsoft’s Office Assistant? That little anthropomorphised paperclip that would pop up with unsolicited advice? That’s not it. We’re not talking about AI or automated systems (though that is a very important story too). We’re talking about human virtual assistants. Real people who work with you. They just don’t happen to sit next to you while they’re doing it.
A virtual assistant (or VA) can handle repetitive tasks. You can have them take care of the business admin stuff or get them to plan itineraries and look after booking confirmations. They can do the mundane so that you can focus on what you do best.
They’re not new
While many of us are just hearing about the use of virtual assistants now, iTravel Travel Manager Roslyn Ranse has had a team of them for a while.
Roslyn is also a Travel Consultant, Business Strategist, and the force behind Travel Agent Achievers. And she didn’t come into travel in the traditional way. Her background is in sales, marketing and business strategy. So her approach to running her business is a little different.
“One of the best pieces of advice that I got was to know my numbers. And I know my numbers inside and out. Because I want to know what’s working and what’s not working in my business.”
None of this means Roslyn doesn’t have the same passion and drive to get the best experience for her clients as other agents. She just knows that she can best do that when her business is running at its peak.
And part of that involved hiring virtual assistants.
“My first and foremost assistant Mayette has been with me now for five and a half years,” Roslyn tells Karryon.
“She worked with me through the pandemic. And she’s awesome.”
“She doesn’t want to be the face of the business. She’s quite happy to sit in Galileo and do all the technical stuff. And she’s got the training for that. She worked for Hawaiian Airlines for four years prior to working with me. She knows the systems inside and out. She knows difficult clients. She knows what to ask for.”
Roslyn says she’s like family.
She also has other members of her team supporting the business with social media and newsletters, and marketing activities. “Things that I love to do, but I don’t have time to do.”
Sekha’s story: how he found his own virtual assistants
Sekha Walsh, a fellow iTravel agent, heard about Roslyn’s success with virtual assistants and reached out.
“I joined her Travel Agent Achiever program, and not only have I got two virtual assistants now, but my travel business has gone to the next level!”
But how did he find his first virtual assistant?
“I went through recruitment agencies and also Facebook’s VA group. I did a lot of interviews and assessments to test the candidates to see if they had the skillsets. Eventually, I hired my first VA Jam, who actually had worked with Ros’ VA in the past.”
According to Sekha, having his now two assistants gives him “more time to hunt down more business, speak to more clients and not have to worry about doing the research and put the quotes together myself”.
“All I have to do is brief the team, check their work and once all good, then send it to clients.
“The biggest challenges I have faced are training and patience. Training takes a lot of time, but once you spend that time with them properly, then they will understand what needs to be done.”
So would he recommend the experience?
“Definitely, definitely, definitely! 1000%. Having an offshore team means you are cutting down big costs for staff. It was scary for me at first as I didn’t know whether paying someone to help out the business would generate more money or not, but it was totally worth it.
“If you want to take your business to the next level, you need someone to help you out so that you have more time to do bigger things!”
Travel Agent Achiever’s offers a free suggested outsourcing list for virtual assistants. To find out more, head to the website, www.travelagentachievers.com.
