It has been a year since I signed up with OA. Now is a great time to share my experience with you if you looking for a new host ( like I was) or are a new agent looking to join the tourism trade.
OA is a GREAT host. No doubt. Before joining them, I simply picked up the phone and called them to speak with the owner. I had zero expectation of this actually happening but was pleasantly surprised when Chad Burt came on the line and spent a good half an hour speaking with me and answering all my questions. I signed up the same day. It didn't take me much time to understand their systems and if I had a question, the OA staff was very quick with their email replies. Best way to communicate with them. They have brilliant internal systems set up for just this purpose. Agency staff and higher-ups are almost always available for insight and help as and when needed. They are highly professional ( yet super funny on socials). I had a chance to meet most of the staff at one of their TA conferences and the vibe is that of one big family. For new agents, they have mentors for initial support. Though I have industry experience, I still set up a call with a mentor just to test the new waters. It was a lovely call.
They have great contracts with vendors, resorts, and consolidators across the world. Their payment system is top-notch with very little room for confusion. Payments have been on time on expected dates. The split is also one of the best ( that I know of) ( Ex host had a terrible split and I wish I had known of OA before).
All in all, I highly recommend Outside Agents. It has been a great year with them.
Happy Travel!
I have been with OA since 2019. By far the best choice I made when establishing my business. Tye support system and training is second to none. I get timely responses to all my inquiries and am so grateful for the in person training sessions they offer. The decision to join OA was a life changing decision for me. So grateful I did it!
I have been with OA since 2017. I really wasn't focused in the beginning. But the more and more I read complete the trainings the better I got. I do work a full-time job. Eventually i would love to make this my full-time job. I believe OA has all the tools need to make this happen. I could not have made a better host choice. I also refer anyone that ask! This is the best place to be.
I can't say enough positive things about Outside Agents! Their agent support and training is top-notch - - there is no better training available from any other host agency. The staff at OA are all very accessible and they truly care about their agents. Even the owners are available to chat or answer questions on a regular basis! What other host agency offers such accessibility to the top tier staff? I have learned so much from OA and continue to learn on a weekly basis - - their live webinars, monthly challenges, and a myriad of training topics in their Learning Management System make it easy to stay on top of current travel trends. You can't go wrong by joining the OA family!
I did a lot of research before starting my agency and Outside Agents always came in the top of my own due diligence. I've now been with them just over 7 years and they are as wonderful - if not more - than I hoped. There are so many quality training opportunities, they have fantastic relationships with top suppliers, and they truly seem to care about the agents (even though there are a lot of us!) The support team is always very prompt and helpful when I have a question. They are quick to recognize and appreciate agents for their hard work. I've always felt supported, valued, and welcomed here. I can't imagine going anywhere else!
I have been with Outside Agents for about three months and I can't say enough about the support staff and training that is provided. I have scheduled sessions with all of the mentors which you receive part of your onboarding and they answered all my questions and received great feedback. Recommend!
I transferred into Outside Agents 6 months ago from another host agency, after being left feeling alone, unheard, and taken advantage of financially. When I began my host agency search I was very lucky to come across OA so quickly. Not only are they even more affordable than most other host agencies for what they offer, their network, training, support, and systems are all TOP NOTCH. They made the switch over seamless and super easy, answering any question I had along the way. They have mentor meetings available for however long you need, a group of agencies willing to help and support one another, QUALITY and ORGANIZED training content, an amazing CRM free to use, and much more. I could go on and on about the amazing company Outside Agents is but like I did, I highly recommend seeing for yourself and trying it out. You will not be disappointed.
I have been with Outside Agents for a little over a year. They do have TONS of videos for training as well as their consortia, Travel Leaders Network. I am giving OA 4 stars because I feel there is still room for improvement. The times that I have asked a question or asked for help on issues, I've gotten very confusing answers. It's like they are replying with a script instead of taking the time to actually look into the issue. The 2-3 times I called into a mentor, he was actually taking a walk and away from his computer so that really was not helpful at all. We ended up talking about the weather and how nice it was on his walk instead of addressing my needs. Fast forward to now, I am still glad I went with Outside Agents. I did a lot of research on several host agencies before going with OA. There is a world of support, mostly from other travel agents and TONS of videos. It is a lot of work keeping up with all the "setting up your business" stuff but if you take your time and do one step at a time, you will see that they have an amazing system in place!
I did a lot of research before choosing a host agency. Outside Agents kept being recommended. I am so happy that I chose Outside Agents. Right away, they had a Zoom call for new agents. They have a lot of training. They also have a wonderful mentoring program. I just had a call with a mentor. He was so helpful. He then told me that I could call or email anytime that I have a question.
When I was researching host agencies, OA came up continuously as the top of the field. I have not been disappointed. The training is top notch, responsiveness to questions or mentoring requests are out of this world, and the resources available to us are infinite! I thank you OA for making a dream of travel and a travel career a reality!
Great training, great resources, does not over charge, a great many vendors to work with. Glad I am hooked up with them! I have done both online and in-person trainings with them and was super impressed! Being part of TLN is also a bonus as it opens up more training and incentive options that I would not have had with other hosts.