At Travel Counsellors we believe that Corporate Social Responsibility put simply
means doing the right thing – for our customers, our Travel Counsellors and our
head office staff too.
Ever since the company was founded in 1994 we have always tried to do the right
thing because we truly believe that it is the key to a successful, happy and healthy
business. Our aim is to be a proud, innovative and caring company with a family
ethos.
Right from the start we decided that our business would not be built on advertising
but on customer referrals and recommendations. Our customers book with their Travel
Counsellor because of the exceptional service they receive each and every time they
contact us, not because of our latest advertising campaign. We believed that this
was the bedrock to a long term, sustainable business and so it has proved. Indeed
we are now rated as one of the top companies in the world when it comes to customer
service.
From the outset we also decided that our agents would be home-based, equipping them
with the latest technology to allow them to work from home. We recognised then that
working from home was the key to a happier lifestyle and healthier work/ life balance.
Of course we have far more information now on the environmental benefits of remote
working and its positive effect on reducing damaging carbon dioxide emissions.
We can all make a difference and it is wonderful to think that every time a Travel
Counsellor opts to work from home it has a positive impact on the environment. It
also benefits the local community too. Our agents grow their business by networking
and participating in community events and building strong local ties. Their customers
become their friends. And as Travel Counsellors has expanded overseas, we have been
able to introduce these benefits into new markets, sometimes – as in Ireland - for
the first time.
Technology not only allows us to work from home but also brings us closer together,
fostering a real community spirit within Travel Counsellors. Web cam technology
allows our Travel Counsellors to contact head office and each other whenever they
have a question, need advice or just feel like a friendly chat. We also reach out
to local communities. A £200,000 donation from us to PLAN UK helped establish the
charity’s School Linking Programme which provides an opportunity for children to
engage and develop relationships with children in Kenya, Malawi and Sierra Leone.
Ongoing technology support to the schools means that communities outside the Travel
Counsellors family can benefit from our technical expertise.
We aim to support our Counsellors and head office staff whenever we can. We believe
in encouraging and motivating our people to keep them focused and upbeat, but also
in being there for them on the occasions when they need extra support. Not only
do our Travel Counsellors benefit from their own personal business development executive
to help them with their career; but we also provide a confidential counselling service
for personal problems. We provide specialist support for those affected by breast
cancer, health care and financial planning benefits.
It is initiatives such as these that brings us closer to achieving our company vision
of being ‘One family, working together to be the best in the world’. If you share
that vision we’d love to hear from you.