1. BUSINESSWEEK
GREATERMANCHESTER ISSUE 284 gmbw.co.uk £2 (where sold)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016
Flyinghigh
SalesheatupforTravelCounsellors

2. ‘Atailor-made
holidaycrafted
withcare...’Travel Counsellors, the independent provider
of bespoke leisure and corporate travel, says
technology is helping to propel the company
to the next level. Shelina Begum speaks to
chief executive Steve Byrne
‘N
OT just good, but
brilliant’ customer
service and the
adoption of the
latest technology is
helping Manchester-
based Travel
Counsellors remain at the forefront of
the industry.
Steve Byrne, who was recently
appointed to the role of CEO from
managing director, remains humble
about the success of Travel
Counsellors, the £166m turnover
business he has been heading since
2004.
He is keen to point out that the
success of the holiday company was
long established by its founder and
serial entrepreneur David Speakman,
who launched the business in Bolton in
1994.
It is one of the UK’s largest
independent travel firms, with over
1,500 home-based advisers, known as
Travel Counsellors. It also has 300 staff
at its new headquarters in Trafford
City, working across seven markets –
UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium,
South Africa, Australia and the UAE.
The company, backed by private
equity house Equistone Partners
Europe, reported revenues of £166m
for the year ending October 2015 –
that’s up 22% from £136m in the
previous year.
“Every year we have delivered record
results and this was no different and
shows the underlying strength of the
business model and the strength of the
staff that we have got,” said Byrne.
Customers taking advantage of the
latest technology to book and manage
holidays has led to the surge in sales
for Travel Counsellors.
This growth has been attributed to
the adoption of the latest technology to
enhance its services.
The business has seen a 13% increase
globally in sales made through its
in-house quote and booking
technology, which enables Travel
Counsellors to create unique itineraries
tailored to customer preferences and
interests, at competitive prices.
Most recently, the company
launched its ‘myTC’ phone app, which
provides customers with 24/7 access to
travel documents, itineraries and a
personal line to their Travel Counsellor.
“When the business was first
launched, after getting to
know their customers,
the Travel Counsellor
would then source
holidays through a range
of travel companies, so
they will go to Thomas
Cook or Kuoni for
example.
“But over the years we
have developed our own
in-house technology that now
empowers the Travel Counsellor to
create for customers their own holidays
without having to go through a third
party. We have our own booking tools
so the Travel Counsellor is empowered
to choose any hotel, any airline, car
hire, lounges, car parking and create a
tailor-made holiday for the customer.
“All of that technology is developed
and managed in the UK and is available
globally to all of the seven markets.
“It allows the Travel Counsellor to
‘We have our own booking tools so the
Travel Counsellor is empowered to
choose any hotel, any airline, car hire,
lounges, car parking and create a
tailor-made holiday for the customer.
All of that technology is developed and
managed in the UK and is available
globally to all of the seven markets.’
10 GREATER MANCHESTER BUSINESS WEEK THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

3. Chief executive of Travel
Counsellors Steve Byrne
create a bespoke package entirely for
the customer’s need.
“The beauty of it is that everything is
done in one place, it takes out the need
for intermediaries, which means we
can give a great service to the customer
and also be price competitive.”
The group has 55 people in its IT
team alone having grown from only 12
when Byrne joined the group, and
invests around £1m a year on its
technology infrastructure.
Former accountant Byrne points out
that the development of the internet
was both an opportunity and a
potential threat to the business.
“What the web enabled customers to
do, was cut out travel intermediaries
and it also enabled travel companies to
go direct to the consumer.
“So we had to look at our technology
and how it can help us work better with
customers.
“Our technology now enables the
Travel Counsellor to connect and have
a relationship with the customer with
the products that they have got. They’re
in complete control of the holiday
experience with the customer.
“Every holiday we sell is genuinely
tailor-made. We don’t sell pre-
packaged products, we don’t own
airlines, we don’t take commitments
on hotels, we don’t have stock that we
have to force on our customers, we only
sell what’s right for them.
“It’s like a bespoke tailor-made suit,
it’s a tailor-made holiday crafted with
care by a personal Travel Counsellor.”
He added: “Technology is going to
become even more important to enable
the Travel Counsellor to connect with
customers and the importance of
speaking to people in a personal and
caring way is becoming critical. If we
don’t do that, there’s a risk of becoming
unsuccessful and if we continue to do
that we can be very successful.
“People won’t put up with a poor
service so we have to be brilliant at
customer service.
“It’s about having a good relationship
with the customer and keeping in
touch with them and thinking about
their travel needs when they’re not
thinking about it and then being
proactive about it. We have the best
people in the world for that.”
Another area of the business that’s
growing is the company’s corporate
travel arm. Travel Counsellors provide
a highly professional personalised
service to company owners and
directors for their business travel needs
and are increasingly doing both
business and personal travel as more
and more people lead busier lives.
“This is an area that is very popular
and we want to grow as more and more
business travellers want us to look after
their travel needs for both business and
pleasure,” said Byrne.
The company is now looking to grow
across a number of areas.
It will recruit and attract more
franchises – up to 250 next year – and
help those franchisees grow their
business where there is a demand for
their service. He is also looking to grow
its international division and may look
at adding an office in the Far East.
“We want to help customers
wherever they are get great value for
their holidays,” says Byrne.
“For a successful business, we need
to keep the heart of it the same which is
about caring for the customer, but we
need to create a digital culture but
using digital in a way that supports the
business model, so using digital to
connect with customers in a genuinely
personal way.
“We want to do more on social media
and share stories and the testimonials
Continued overleaf
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 GREATER MANCHESTER BUSINESS WEEK 11

4. 12 GREATER MANCHESTER BUSINESS WEEK THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016
Continued from page 11
we have collected along the way.
“We will use our digital channels to
share those stories and we want to do a
lot more of that globally. We have our
own internal webcast channel TCTV
and we want to take that external.”
The business has also evolved since
moving from its location in Bolton to
more modern offices at Trafford City
last year. The £2m relocation saw Travel
Counsellors move into state-of-the-art
office space spanning three floors,
totalling 28,500 sq ft.
The new office features training
facilities for its growing number of
agents, a dedicated studio for its TCTV
webcast channel (pictured right),
meeting rooms, large open plan office
space and room to grow further.
Byrne said: “We had outgrown our
building in Bolton and wanted a
location to meet the current and
long-term needs of the business.
“The move positioned us in the heart
of a vibrant and thriving development
close to Manchester, offering further
benefits such as on-site
accommodation and well-established
transport links for our visiting agents
and suppliers.
“It was a big change, we had a lot of
people who had been with the
company for a long time and loved the
Bolton location. We worked really hard
to make sure we brought as many
people across, we only lost 3% of our
people.
“We did a lot to keep our staff even
arranging a coach to pick up those
people who didn’t drive. We increased
everyone’s remuneration to
compensate for any additional costs of
travelling. The move has widened the
talent available to the business,
particularly for IT as it’s a competitive
market.”
He adds: “Our model reflects the
quality of people that we have got.
“The values of the company will
always stay the same. That’s putting
customers first, supporting our people,
and always caring about what we do.
“But this is also a technology driven,
technology based business right here in
the north west.”
TRAVEL Counsellors has launched a
new graduate programme in
partnership with the University of
Manchester.
Designed to provide a well-rounded
insight into the workings of the
business, the two-year programme
operates on a three-month rotational
basis at its Manchester head office,
with the candidates working on
secondment across each key area
including HR, IT, marketing,
commercial, finance, operations and
sales. In addition, graduates spend
time shadowing one of the firm’s 900
UK franchisees, in order to better
understand the customer experience
that Travel Counsellors provide.
The programme presents a number
of opportunities to its graduates,
including exposure to the firm’s
international operations in Ireland,
Australia, Netherlands, South Africa
and the United Arab Emirates.
Candidates are also assigned a
personal mentor throughout the two
years, designed to support them on a
day to day basis and demonstrate key
values.
The first year’s graduate intake saw
Helena Thompson and Miguela Kerins,
both from the University of
Manchester and Bethany Harwood, a
graduate from the University of
Central Lancashire, start their roles at
Travel Counsellors in August.
The launch of the scheme follows
excellent financial results for the
Trafford City-based business, with
Travel Counsellors recently
announcing a 22% rise in turnover
year on year.
CEO Steve Byrne said:“The
recruitment and development of the
next generation is critical to the long
term future of the business, and we
are always looking to invest in the
best local talent.
“The city is among the most popular
in the UK for students, and the
University of Manchester is home to
some of the brightest minds in the
country.
“When we partnered with the
university, we wanted to create a
scheme offering our graduates the
best opportunities and benefits, and
helping us to pass on the values of
Travel Counsellors and strengthen the
business. The rotation aspect of the
programme is also extremely
important, providing our applicants a
breadth of commercial knowledge,
and enabling us to find their perfect
fit. Several of our previous graduate
appointments have gone on to form
part of our senior team, holding
positions of great responsibility
across seven countries so this is a
fantastic opportunity for the new
recruits”.
Anne Milligan, Employability
Manager at The University of
Manchester, said:“The University of
Manchester has become the most
targeted university in the country for
graduate recruiters, and we have seen
an increasing number of our students
wanting to remain in the city
following graduation. Travel
Counsellors is an exciting and growing
company, making it a very appealing
option.
“In just the first year, the scheme
has already proven extremely popular,
and we are confident that we will see
an increasing number join the firm
over the coming years as the
programme becomes more
embedded.
“With the right skills and training,
we know our students are capable of
working their way up to senior
management positions, which is an
excellent outcome for both the
university and Travel Counsellors.”
Building for
the future
TRAVEL Counsellors has announced a
number of new roles within its senior
team to support the on-going growth
of the company.
This includes the promotion of
Kirsten Hughes to managing director of
the UK business alongside her previous
role of commercial director, giving
further focus to the support of its UK
Travel Counsellors.
The team also includes directors of
operations, technology and finance at
board level, as well as the most recent
appointment ofWaseem Haq as
director of digital and innovation.
CEO Steve Byrne said:“We have
fantastic leaders in the business and
the clarity on the structure optimises
the skills in the team, ensuring each
part of the business gets the support it
needs and supports the company’s
growth for the next 3-5 years.
“Kirsten has always played an integral
role in the running of the business so it
was a natural progression for her to
step up into the role as UK MD, giving
even more focused support and
leadership to the UKTravel Counsellors,
whilst continuing to drive the
commercial strategy globally.
“This also enables my role to take on
a more global and strategic focus as we
look to take the Company to another
level globally.”
The company now has nearly 1,000
Travel Counsellors in the UK, with a
further 600 operating in Ireland,
Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa,
Australia and the UAE.
They are supported by a team of over
400 staff globally across all functions
including marketing, administration,
commercial, IT business development
and training.
The structure gives clear definition
on each senior team member’s areas of
responsibilities, and objectives of these
in line with the company’s core
strategic focus on developing the
technology and support to itsTravel
Counsellors.
Byrne adds: “Essentially we now have
a much clearer organisational structure,
defining who is responsible for what
and who owns each key driver of
growth. As we are now a large business
that is growing quickly, we needed to
do this for internal and external
stakeholders. However, the single most
important thing to our business is our
culture. It is our culture that has
sustained several years of record
earnings and growth, and it is the
innovation in our model and processes
that will ensure our long term future as
a business.”
Graduatesgainvaluableinsight