Job Title – Guest Services Lead

Role Level – Supervisory

Team – Guest Services

Location – Westgate, Oxford

Reporting to – Soft Services Area Manager

Hours of work – 40 hours per week, five days out of seven, to include evenings and weekends as required.

Pay Rate – Competitive

Key Purpose:

A great opportunity has arisen for a Guest Services Lead at Westgate shopping centre. This is an essential role within the Guest Services team who will be required to hit the ground running, and to work alongside the senior leadership team to improve the efficiency of the department.

Working in partnership with all areas of the business to deliver a world-class guest experience and drive operational improvement to ensure first class relationships and the delivery of exceptional customer service and experience are achieved at all times.

Leading by example whilst ensuring that the centre offers our guests a superb experience consistently, whether it's for shopping, events, eating out, leisure or utilising our services.

Main duties of the role

1. Responsible for line managing the Guest Services team which provides the first point of contact for a variety of stakeholders visiting the shopping centre.
2. Lead by example, modelling exceptional guest service and always putting the guest at the heart of everything you do.
3. Ensure highest guest experience levels across all centre touch points from the guest toilets to our online guest enquiries and Westgate services whilst looking for opportunities to continuously improve these offerings.
4. Maintain up to date knowledge of events and promotions within the centre and the city to ensure regular and accurate communication of information.
5. Lead by example by seeking feedback from guests at all opportunities, driving the Share Your Thoughts guest feedback initiative and encouraging your mall team to do the same.
6. Drive exceptional guest interactions, measured via quarterly Mystery Shop visits and monthly NPS+.
7. Deliver and record engaging events in the centre which increase guest dwell time and repeat visits.
8. Deliver training to improve the skills and knowledge of our guest facing mall teams to improve the overall experience in our centre.
9. Challenge poor performance issues within the team as required and follow HR procedures when needed and monitoring the team's timekeeping and absences.
10. Build relationships with and work closely with our Brand Partners to deliver centre initiatives.
11. Handle escalated guest issues and complaints and ensuring guest satisfaction.
12. Encourage and support team members in promoting additional services or amenities to guests.
13. Responsible for organising mall assets such as the Gift Wrapping Station and Retail Kiosks.

What you need to be a successful Guest Services Lead

• Smart and well presented, with a keen eye for detail.
• A genuine people person with a flair for hosting.
• A ‘can do' attitude.
• Forward-thinking, progressive attitude.
• The ability to encourage and embrace change.
• Experience of leading teams in a guest-focused, fast-paced environment.
• Go the extra mile to support the team to deliver excellent guest experience to all customers visiting the centre.
• Ability to take ownership and be supportive to both the centre teams and senior management.
• Keen to drive success-driven results.

Key Strengths – Essential

• Excellent inter-personal skills and an ability to lead by example.
• Ability to supervise and delegate responsibilities.
• High level of enthusiasm for the role.
• Customer focused- takes a positive approach in dealing with guest issues to a positive outcome.
• Effective time management.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Encourages team members to set their own priorities. Anticipates who needs support and provide help.
• Spread enthusiasm amongst the team and acts as a role model, adopting a can-do approach and constructively challenge others who are negative in their approach.
• Clearly and confidently communicates at all levels.
• A flexible approach and a sense of teamwork.

Knowledge, Experience and qualifications (Minimum requirements for the job)

• At least 3 years' experience in a similar management or supervisory role, working for a guest focused/experience organisation.
• Experience in dealing with customer complaints and resolution thereof.
• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• 5 GCSE's or equivalent including Maths and English.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office and Excel.

Desirable

• A recognised customer service or hospitality qualification.