The move was invisible to clients. “From the day I made the decision to move home, I was able to set up shop in my home office and shutter my retail location with clients barely noticing. The Web-based booking system seamlessly mirrored the systems and the connectivity that I had in my brick-and-mortar location helped me to continue serving my customers and be more accessible and efficient than ever before.”

Kahn says the key for him was making sure that he purchased a system that allowed him to maintain his entire customer booking history and data, while keeping access to all the travel products and suppliers he had previously. And he couldn’t just have efficiency for efficiency’s sake. He needed a system that allowed him to do business beyond the 9 to 5 normal business hours and that wouldn’t bog him down in high monthly overhead costs.

“Being based from home makes me accessible all hours of the day and night,” said Kahn. “But, I am now able to seize those incremental revenue dollars for flight reservation changes the night before a client’s trip or a last minute car rental reservation. Before, when I left for the day and shut off my terminal at my storefront, the revenue faucet turned off until the next morning. Now, being on a Web-based booking system enables me to serve my clients 24/7 when they need me and at a price that will not negate the cost savings I experienced from moving my business home.”

While the anytime access for clients is a benefit to Kahn, he says there are drawbacks to the accessibility that technology enables for all home-based business owners and workers. You must clearly communicate to customers or clients when you will be reachable during the evening and on weekends and stick to that schedule. “Don’t start the habit of answering some clients’ calls or emails and screening others when it’s convenient for you. It could come back to haunt you if you don’t have a uniform policy established and clients get frustrated not being able to get a hold of you at certain hours.”

Kahn also offers advice that all home-based workers should heed. He says that you must make sure that you set up a home office environment that is all business so you can focus on being as productive and successful as possible.

“Turn off the TV and radio distractions and create an environment that is professional – even if you never see a client there. Clients can tell even over the phone if you have your feet up on the desk and are watching TV while trying to serve them. Professionalism can’t be sacrificed just because you are working out of your home.”

Although the specific functionality of technology for home-based travel agents is specific to their industry, Web-based software platforms are being used in a variety of industries for salespeople, customer service reps and telemarketers to help them do their jobs as if they were sitting in a cube in an office park. Similar to the movement of travel agencies heading home to maximize profitability and decrease overhead, other types of businesses are realizing the monetary benefits of smaller brick-and-mortar presences and leveraging the cost-saving benefits of having employees telecommute permanently.

The advent of new software platforms and high-speed voice and data connectivity in most homes is making the allure of home-based business a reality for many. The next time you call your friendly travel agent to book your next business trip, he or she may be just like you – sitting in their home office in front of the computer conducting business as usual!

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