By Peggy Cope, CTC

Joystar Gets Hap*E

Taking a page from the Patridge Family, host agency Joystar is urging agents to "Get Hap*E!" The Host Agency Program (the "h-a-p" in Hap*E) is an Enterprise solution (the "*E") created for ex-agency owners and managers and enterprising travel agents.

Hap*E is a private-label solution. Says Joystar CEO William Alverson: "There are agency owners who have been building their own name, brand identity and reputation for years, and we know that it is important to them to keep it."

Joystar, he says, designed Hap*E for agents that didn't want to see the Joystar brand and logo all over their collateral and sites. Joystar's logo is replaced with the host agency's logo in all materials.

An "Agents Only" site and marketing site let members promote and sign up new sub-agents. Included in Hap*E is a 180-page Host Agency Plan Builder. "It is a step-by-step guide of the 'best practices' and 'next practices' of owning and operating a home-based, host agency," says Alverson.

The site provides contract templates, compensation plans, welcome letters, a document library, knowledge center and an entire agency back office. Agents can manage their business, track agent production, set commission levels and initiate marketing programs. Joystar will track commissions and can even issue commission checks.

The fees for Hap*E begin at $299 per month. Included is the master host agency Web site as well as the ability to manage up to 10 sub-agents. Every agent gets access to Joystar's tools, booking engines and marketing programs. The monthly fees go up in $100-per-month increments, with each new level offering the ability to manage 10 more agents. Alverson gives this example: "Imagine working with 20 of your agents, and paying them on your own terms from the 100 percent commission you receive from Joystar, for only $399 per month." Joystar also provides all Hap*E members with leads for sub-agents and potential clients.

"I can't tell you how excited I am to offer this enterprise solution to the home-based travel agent community," Alverson concludes. "Hap*E puts agents back in charge of their own destiny."

TravelAgent Electronic Edition
March 28, 2005
Volume 7, Number 4