Visitor Services Assistant
Organisation: The National Trust for Scotland
Salary: £19,760 pro-rata, per annum
Location: 145 Buccleuch Street Glasgow G3 6QN
JOB PURPOSE
We are looking for enthusiastic, motivated and talented customer focused individuals to join our team Tenement House, Holmwood House and the Weavers Cottage.
These trio of properties are a fabulous offer for tourists and locals to discover Glasgow’s heritage. Staff should be passionate about delivering outstanding customer experiences to our visitors and guests and able to maximise opportunities to generate income. It’s important that Visitor Service Assistants (VSA’s) ensure the property and its assets are safe and secure. Furthermore, we’re looking for team workers who are also able to use their own initiative and are driven to make a difference.
This role is about creating a 5 star visitor experience and providing outstanding customer service.
You will welcome visitors to the property, promote and sell Trust Membership, sell admissions tickets, operate the retail shop and control visitor entry/flow; facilitating their access and enjoyment of the sites while furthering the aims and objectives of the National Trust for Scotland.
A Visitor Services Assistant is crucial to visitors’ “first impression” of the property and in establishing and maintaining the Trust’s reputation as a guardian of Scotland’s heritage and as the organisation that actively wants people to engage with and enjoy the properties it cares for.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
• Maximising our visitors’ enjoyment of National Trust for Scotland managed sites by maintaining excellent standards of service, optimising opportunities to generate income and ensuring that the site and its assets are safe and secure. Specifically, to ensure the smooth and safe operations in Admissions, Retail, Catering and Events activities making the property the best possible place to visit and work.
As a team member you will always provide a consistently high standard of visitor care when:
• Assisting visitors in selecting and purchasing the most appropriate ticket option
• Processing retail deliveries, ensuring that stock is displayed and that the stock is kept tidy
• Guiding visitors throughout the property and providing information on its history, its furnishings and inhabitants, stewarding the rooms when needed along with the volunteer team.
• Handling cash accurately and processing sales
• To actively drive up selling opportunities on membership through strong knowledge and an excellent customer service promoting the value of the trust membership
• Have a flexible approach to working hours and days including working weekend and Bank Holidays as appropriate.
• To work across departments when necessary supporting the wider team
• To provide consistently excellent customer service when dealing with high volumes of customers and busy periods.
• Ensuring health and welfare of property staff, volunteers and visitors by adhering to the Trust’s Health, Safety and Environment policies and guidelines. This includes working within the property’s “Safe System of Work” (the system for managing Health & Safety). Ability to work within a team or independently, with minimal supervision to a high and safe standard.
• Ability to be flexible, in particular to adapt working patterns and tasks to meet day-to-day property needs.
• Demonstrable time management skills and the ability to prioritise.
• Ability to be proactive and to take the initiative. The general ongoing operational cleaning of all areas as necessary, toilet cleaning, emptying waste bins and as appropriate vacuum cleaning, mopping, sweeping, dusting and polishing when required.
• Ensuring site is ready to open and welcome visitors by the set opening time;
• Wearing correct uniform, name badges, or PPE as required.
• Working in harmony with other departments; housekeeping, gardening, grounds maintenance and site repair employees/contractors.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE
Qualifications
Essential
No formal qualifications are required
Experience
Essential
• Ability to work within a team or independently, with minimal supervision to a high and safe standard.
• Ability to be flexible, in particular to adapt working patterns and tasks to meet day-to-day property needs.
• Ability to adjust pace to match customer flow without compromising quality of service.
• Excellent front of house persona – warm, welcoming, patient and understanding.
• Excellent selling skills
• Genuine belief in the value of good customer service.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Demonstrable time management skills and the ability to prioritise.
• Ability to be proactive and to take the initiative.
Desirable
• A passion for Scottish heritage and history
• Demonstrable experience in sales or ticket/event/admissions – ideally in a heritage/tourism context – with experience and confidence undertaking till-work and cash handling/reconciliation.
• Experience with EPOS system
• Previous front of house or guiding experience
• Additional languages
DIMENSIONS AND SCOPE OF JOB
Scale
This role is based across the 3 properties, but it will be mainly based at the Tenement House.
The role includes (daily) interaction with members of the public of all ages and abilities, cash handling duties and key holding.
People Management
You will provide support to the Visitor Services Supervisor and the Visitor Services Manager as well as working close with the other members of the Visitor Services team and the property volunteer teams.
Finance Management
Share till reconciliation duties, as appointed by Visitor Services Manager
The Purpose, Context, Key Responsibilities, and Person Specification reflect the requirements of the job at the time of issue. The Trust reserves the right to amend these with appropriate consultation and/or request the post-holder to undertake any activities that it believes to be reasonable within the broad scope of the job or his/her general abilities.
Application Deadline: Friday 22/10/2021