By ELLEN READ
Corporate New Zealand is beginning to sit up and take notice of the small business sector.
The latest to focus on the needs of small-business owners is the House of Travel franchise group, following banks, telecommunications and software companies that have specialist small-business divisions.
After talking to customers about their
needs, it has designed a new way for businesses to book and arrange travel and is offering the service in 25 of its 83 outlets.
Corporate director of travel Scott McRae said the idea came up after statistics showed 95 per cent of the country's businesses had fewer than 20 employees.
He said the corporate travel market was worth $1 billion annually in this country and, while small companies did not spend as much as larger ones, they were significant.
"Two things [small businesses] want to save are time and money and this [new service] helps them do that," McRae said.
Called "corporate searchflight", the service allows travel agents to search all airlines and find the lowest fares with just one entry, to recognise and remember company preferences and email details to customers.
It also leaves an electronic audit trail.
Katrina Cole, owner/operator of the Katrina Cole House of Travel East Tamaki, said the success of the scheme relies on adding value that the internet cannot do.
Peter Wallington, who owns the Penrose and Onehunga outlets, said small-business owners could save a lot by searching for flights, booking in advance or changing travel times.
House of Travel
