Avoya Travel

Prior to joining Avoya I had been the Manager of the Home Based Channel for a major supplier for 14 years, thus had access to all host agencies. When my career path changed I could have joined each and every one of them as they were my past accounts. I was interested in the Avoya business model mainly because of the lead program, of which no other host offers to this extent. I knew every supplier in the industry and had for years - but did not have a "book of existing clients" to start my business. With the help, assistance and patience of the Avoya support staff I have been able to build my business into producing over $1,000,000 in sales for the past three years running! I find that when a problem occurs (and yes, they do happen) I can always count on assistance from my Avoya family as well as the wonderful independent agents who are always willing to lend an ear, share a laugh, or help solve a problem. That's the most important thing when being a home based agent where you do not have interaction with clients and other staff - we at Avoya are all one big family! Thanks to the Anderson's and their amazing team for the brain power behind Avoya! I'm here to stay!

It was February, 2022, and I was frustrated with my then Host Agency (HA).

I joined that particular HA as a brand-new, hot-off-the-showroom-floor, certified Independent Travel Agent (IA). I was old to the travel business, but a new IA with my LLC. I didn’t have much money, so the $19/mo. (now$21) fee was attractive, but even MORE attractive was the 80-20 commission split, unheard of at other HA’s. This was, by far, the best draw of all! I did want a user-friendly Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, and I especially wanted customers! I didn’t realize it then, but what I really needed was a reliable support system.

My experience in choosing my first HA was in learning that specifics matter. I was general in my wants, and got exactly that. Every review in HAR has a “Program Details” section, and one of those details is ‘Lead Program’, indicating if that HA provides Leads or not. I casually dismissed the fact that my HA choice did not offer Leads, because I intended on building my business by recruiting my family and friends. It also wouldn’t hurt to post on FB that I was now a IA, then maybe pass out a few business cards. I did not need Leads because every one I knew was now miraculously ready to travel, and would immediately become my customer!

There were three. Three people. What I didn’t count on is that no one had immediate plans to travel. An 80% commission on nothing, is nothing. Avoya Leads do not pay 80% commission because they are Avoya customers, but these are actual Leads, not names off some outdated mailing list. They are vetted and real, and allow a new Avoya IA to earn income they would not have earned on their own. An IA is able to generate some income as they are building their own customer base at 80-20!

I learned that ‘advanced’ CRM, but that does NOT necessarily mean user-friendly. That system was not intuitive. There were multiple pages to navigate for simple information, and entering info was quite time-consuming. On the other hand, Avoya’s CRM is quite intuitive. It is almost as if IA’s had a hand it it’s design. One of my favorite features is the tie-in with Outlook Office 365. Every e-mail between you and PAX is auto-saved in the record. There is also a ‘Conversation’ feature that allows you to chat with your PAX. Those chats are then a matter of record. Everything is documented.

When I chose Avoya, I had no idea what an ‘available’ support system looked like. I did learn that ‘reliable’ support does not mean expeditious, nor does it necessarily mean availability when you need it. Support is needed after 5pm, and on Saturday! There were those times, during 9-5, that I would receive an answer in a reasonable amount of time, but there were way too many times I would have to wait hours, or even a couple days to receive a reply for a problem in which I needed immediate help.

Enter Avoya. In this industry, you are only as good as your access to correct information. Every IA is 100% dependent on access to the right suppliers, but we also depend heavily on a strong support system. Avoya has a very extensive, and easy to access Knowledge Base, but when additional support is needed, no support staff comes close to those at Avoya. They are always available, and they always respond. I have submitted a slew of Support Requests, and by far, the vast majority are answered within 10 minutes. This level of support is a crucial underpinning of every IA. You can be confident that Avoya support will not leave you floundering, or left in the cold. I did not know this level of support existed.

If you are searching for your first HA, or are switching to a new one, please take time to review what Avoya has to offer. A user-friendly CRM and a solid support staff are crucial ingredients for an IA at any level, and when you add in Avoya’s access to all the top travel suppliers, you have the best recipe for the success!

We have been affiliated with Avoya Travel for more than 12 years. We are extremely pleased with our association with them. We value their integrity, ingenuity and creativity. Their booking engine makes it easy to give a quality quote to our customers. In addition, it tracks payments and calendar items. Our payments from them are always on time and accurate. I would highly recommend affiliating with Avoya Travel.

I have been with Avoya for 12 years and they always continue to improve and reaearch to keep improving there is no end for them. Recently due to the Pandemic I feel Avoya went above and beyond to seek out assistance with financial and legal advice to help keep our business alive. if you run into a snag they also have a great support system. Thank You Avoya

I started in a travel-related business three years ago and immediately realized I enjoy my job, the clients, the vendors, and just about anyone that I come in contact with had the same attitude, travel is fun whether you are booking a reservation for someone else or traveling yourself. I signed up with one Host Agency and realized I was getting nothing for my money. After a lot of research, I decided I would try Avoya Travel. I can truthfully say Avoya Travel Host Agency has a wonderful program for independent agents, the support you may need to run a successful business is there if you need it from the day you sign up to the first lead that you are offered from their lead program. I'm looking forward to a long successful relationship with Avoya Travel.

“Since I began as an IA I felt that I have been given every opportunity to succeed. The number of support systems is amazing and product availability is over the top. The ongoing training options are incredible. I began my Independent Agency after retiring from my entire career in the leasing business and as a business owner. I love interacting with the travelers and Avoya provides the quality leads that make that pure pleasure.”

I started as a new to selling travel almost 5 years ago, I researched different hosts narrowed it down to a few then selected Avoya which was overall above the others and live leads sealed the deal. I had used an Avoya IA without knowing it at first so had been a live lead. I knew early on I made the right choice due to the stream lined path from education to actually working with customers. The support was a big concern when I began, it has been above and beyond what I'd hoped for. Most important reason for knowing I made the right choice is Support.

The way that Avoya had the IA's backs during the worst of the Pandemic continues on as the travel industry slowly makes its way back. I also like the way that they do all they can to make it easy for the IA's to be succesful by investing in upgrades to the technology of Agent Power, such as Smart Leads...Brilliant idea!.”

I have worked with another host agency. Trust me when I say, they are not created equal! I have found my home with Avoya Travel. Not only do we have great leads, but amazing support from fellow agents, but the company's support is second to none! I would highly encourage you to look into affiliating with Avoya! In a short 8 months of working as an independent agent with Avoya, I have done well, with over $685K in sales

The Avoya Travel Network is a wonderful host with numerous professional development opportunities. I have sold cruises for many many years working directly for a cruise line but now as an independent agency, I welcome all the support Avoya offers to new agents and how willing other IAs are to answer questions and provide guidance. It truly is community over competition. And the live leads program is second to none. I interviewed two franchises and over 20 hosts before settling on Avoya. As any business owner knows, your success is determined by your own efforts and determination but I find the shared success model at Avoya a perfect fit for my independent agency!