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INDUSTRY
I'm five months into my journey with Outside Agents. I chose them because they were the best value as far as I could tell, and the woman who inspired me to pursue this career recommended them after doing her research after having started with another company that was an MLM that she doesn't want to be affiliated with. I'm taking her to lunch tomorrow in appreciation for the recommendation, I feel like OA was a good fit for me. So far they've been pretty hands off with me, but that's kind of what I wanted while I got the business parts completed ... setting up the business, figuring out how to organize things, getting the inital training done and getting familiar with everything, getting my website set up, the whole nine yards, dang no wonder I'm tired, lol. I kid. Not really but OA made it so much better than it could have been. They will not hold your hand, don't expect that, I didn't even want that and suspect you don't either. But as you have questions, they will answer the ones related to their business. If it's related to YOUR business, that's all you. You are assigned a mentor after your initial training and because I'm still pretty early, I'm trying to get a feel for how that works. It's pretty incredible what a great system they have set up, for so many agents from so many backgrounds with such different levels of knowlege and experience. And they make it work. Oh, you need to know, they have a great system for handling pretty much any question you have that you can't find yourself. MOST of it is already documented and it's pretty easy to find your way around after you get the hang of it. But when you can't find the answer or you need something, you just submit an SOS ticket. Their SOS team is on top of it, they're quick with a response! I'm coming from a corporate background and am super impressed with their SOS team in comparison to the responses I've seen in the corporate world. I'm super early in and will come back and update later on. My advice so far would be to bet on OA and go for it!
I have been with Outside Agents for over 10 years (an agent for 25 years) and I would not be anywhere else. The assistance and training is top notch as well as being an independent business owner has never been easier. I really appreciate the owners and the other agents truly are like family. I love my host agency and would recommend it to anyone!
I have been with OA for 8 years. I was with another host agency previously. OA is by far superior! This host agency has so much training and you can go at your own pace. They also have physical trainings in their office in Jacksonville where you can really dive deep into the travel industry, meet with preferred suppliers and bdm's, and create a path to success. I was a little bit apprehensive at first, but I am extremely happy that I chose OA. Also they are very supportive, they always respond quickly to any type of issues that I have and the agency itself holds a lot of cloud with suppliers. I highly recommend OA as a host agency!
Top notch organization. They make you feel like family. The training and support is amazing. It's good to know that there are people that care covering your back.
Considering how Outsideagents has grown, the individual attention is prompt and spot on. Cutting edge technology, including AI,
You don't know what you don't know,
But Outsideagents does!
I've been with OA for about 6 months now and have really learned a lot. I've been getting as much training as possible and decided to make my specialty NCL cruises and faith-based travel. In this short time, I have already scheduled an NCL Haven cruise and I have a group trip to the Holy-Land in September of 2024. When ever I have a question the FB group or SoS is always happy to help, and I appreciate that. Being new to this I didn't know what to expect, but I am beyond pleased. Thank you for helping me grow in a passion that I enjoy! Top-notch company for sure!
Outside Agents has been a great host agency to start my career in the travel industry. They provide an endless amount of training, an amazing network of supportive and experienced agents, and many great suppliers to work with. Outside Agents is very attentive to it's agents and shows that they want us all to succeed. They are always prompt in responding to inquiries and paying commissions.
I have been with OA since January 2013. The co-owners Chad and Steve will take your call at any time and even give you their personal cell number. The commission with the suppliers are great and your commission split with them is between 80-95% depending on your sales. Love how they don't have any start up costs and a very low monthly cost that gives you so much such as website, CRM, online training, mentorship, marketing, email marketing, AI, E & O insurance and much more. I have had to call OA for help with a supplier and they stepped right in and was able to help me. Glad to know they have our back when it is needed. I highly recommend them to others looking for a host.
Good commission split. Lots of training available. The "support" is a farce and the lack of professionalism from the team running the place is ridiculous. I left the host specifically due to the lack of professionalism. It became too much to just "ignore". Also, they were never supportive of data provided by HAR or even ASTA when it came to charging fees. They claim they were ok with it but constantly talking bad about the practice in their FB group. This was a drama-filled host like I didn't expect at all. I left for another host and have been SO MUCH happier!
Hi, We're terribly sorry to see you go.
I wish I had the opportunity to address your concerns regarding our executive leadership. Since this review is anonymous, I am unable to address any of your specific concerns beyond charging fees.
We support charging service fees but aren't fond of plan-to-go fees because the later isn't connected to a booking and are disputed 60% of the time. As an IC, it's best that fees are charged for value received, not to be received. I'm happy to discuss this with anyone.
At the end of the day, we value each and everyone of our agent partners and each has the personal cell phone numbers of the owners, Chad and Steve. If there's ever a situation we can help with, just let us know.
Thanks,
Chad
I can not say enough great things about Outside Agents. The support they give the Travel Advisors, from the training they provide to the support we need, I can always count on them to have my back. The fact that the owners will pick up the phone to call me says a lot.
They always make sure we have the tools we need to make us successful. Providing us with opportunities to better know our suppliers and BDMs, FAM trips to better understand a destination and products we sell, in person and on demand training.
Outside Agents has an attitude of service and giving back. These shows in my fellow OA Travel Advisors. The other Travel Advisors are always willing to share and help other agents when needed.
Joining OA in 2015 is one of the BEST Career choices I have ever made! They are more than a Host Agency, they are FAMILY! I am very thankful for them!
I have been with Outside Agents since 2017, and signing up with them was the luckiest stroke of luck I've ever had in my life. There are lots of agencies to choose from, and it was overwhelming researching them all, but I ultimately went with OA, due to their very low cost of entry of $21/month, and I have been given the entire world in return...literally!? From building my business to traveling the world, they've been a truly amazing support system, and they sincerely care about their agents. I solely use their provided CRM system and website in my business, and their huge list of suppliers and BDMs are immediately responsive to OA agents. Their library of online trainings is thoughtful, thorough, and high production, and their Seminars and Sea and on-site trainings in Jacksonville are the highlights of my year. You get to make friends and build a support system of other agents, as well as meet and get to know the actual owners and staff, and see the incredible passion and care they put into supporting their agents and their business. Also, their Facebook group is worth the $21/mo alone!? So much good travel, business, and destination information and incredible support from fellow OA agents. I’ve been able to grow my business slowly and thoughtfully over the past 6 years, and am now doing this full-time, and am in the highest commission bracket. Your success is their success! This is a company that feels like family, and I adore this host agency! I cannot recommend them enough. You have nothing to lose except business and dreams. Make it happen with OA!!
I decided on a post-retirement career of travel advisor in September 2021. I looked at Host Agency Reviews and decided to go with Outside Agents. I am extremely happy with my choice. I've been to the in person training sessions three times in Jacksonville, FL and it is awesome. There is also a lot of online training available as well. I was assigned a mentor and took off. I love the commission split, the low monthly fee, no fee to get started, the website and blog, the CRM, the preferred suppliers and BDMs, their Facebook pages, and on and on. I am on target to get to $500,000 in sales this year!