Home-based travel advisors have amazing opportunities to work from home, travel the world and to be their own boss. But they also face unique challenges such as feeling isolated, having to be a jack-of-all-trades and staying on top of industry news. The most successful home-based travel advisors are able to stay ahead of the competition by showing value in their service, leveraging today’s technology to their advantage, and staying ahead of industry trends with strategic partnerships.

During the past few years, the image of home-based travel advisors has become more positive, which is due in part to a shift in the way consumers think about travel. Today’s travelers have high expectations and values the recommendations, customized itineraries and stress-free service that travel advisors provide. When a travel advisor offers superior service to his or her clients, peer recommendations can drive even more clients.

The cruise industry has responded to the growth of the home-based agent market with dedicated business development managers focused on these agents. This is an important shift showing the impact and financial prowess of home-based advisors. Just a few years ago, home-based advisors weren’t taken as seriously but, in today’s fast-paced world, they are leveraging the flexibility to work from anywhere while accessing key information in the palm of their hand.

Home-based travel advisors have seen a surge in technological advancements, helping them earn even more credibility in the marketplace. Smart travel advisors are using the right technology tools to help them to work more efficiently and ultimately offer great service for their clients.

Travel companies are increasingly using mobile channels to satisfy customers’ needs before, during and after their trips, and travel advisors should be able to run their business using a tablet or smartphone from anywhere in the world. Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, was one of the first companies to roll out a mobile-friendly website platform to all of its franchisee sites, which creates an enhanced customer experience and adds value for advisors.

From the consumer perspective, travelers are using their mobile devices to purchase vacations, research travel plans and interact with their travel advisors. This is important for savvy travel advisors, because mobile accessibility is on the rise and agents without mobile-friendly websites will not be as competitive in the marketplace. Overall, travel advisors should be able to make the consumer experience seamless from desktop to tablet to smartphone while also being able to service their clients from those devices.

Technology can be intimidating, but travel advisors should make sure their technology works for them. For example, having an e-mail opt-in featured on a website can grow a client list, providing monthly e-newsletters automatically set to go out can drive incoming calls and accessing client information on the go can make an advisor look like a hero. There are so many ways travel advisors can have technology work for them to increase efficiency, reduce workload and stay top of mind with clients.

Not only are mobile-friendly websites critical for success, so are mobile apps that are customizable and have the technology to save information, such as customer buying habits, and offer push notifications once a traveler has downloaded the technology to their mobile device. From the travel advisor perspective, they could have a custom app built for them or they can partner with the right company that offers a white-labeled, consumer-facing app to promote their business and help clients manage travel details.

To keep a competitive edge, travel advisors should find the right partners that have the tools and make the technological investments to allow them to more easily communicate with customers. Cruise Planners’ top producers follow industry news and stay informed with Agent@Home, which continues to be the go-to resource for all home-based travel advisors.

No matter how long a home-based travel advisor has been in the industry, constantly staying in contact with consumers is the best way to stay top of mind when travelers are deciding when to go on vacation. With so much information online, consumers are looking for expert advice and personalized service to help break through the clutter. When it’s too much for one travel advisor to do it alone, savvy travel advisors create strategic partnerships with a host agency or franchise company that offers cutting-edge technology, award-winning marketing and a full slate of training and development opportunities.