Salary: £24,637 - £26,640

Contract type: Permanent

Reporting to: Head of Visitor Experience

Department: Operations

Who are we?

We are Scotland’s design museum. Designed for everyone, firing imaginations and sparking curiosity in design across Scotland and around the world. At V&A Dundee we are on a mission to inspire and empower through design.

Design shapes our world, it's part of everyday life and it's everywhere. We are a museum with energy and have a vision of the future where everyone is inspired through design and recognizes its far-reaching impact in our lives.

We are a welcoming place for people of Dundee to explore design and to use as an everyday part of their city, as well as inviting visitors from around the world. We are part of the V&A family of museums that celebrate creativity in all its forms from across centuries, for everyone.

Role profile

The Visitor Experience Officer will also play an integral part in the operational function of the museum. They will provide administrative support to Operations team and they will track and analyse visitor feedback.

They will use our CRM and ticketing system to ensure all bookings are built and invoiced appropriately, as well as using Artifax for scheduling, the central calendar through which all events and activities are coordinated across teams for the museum and public spaces.

Ability to be organised and close attention to detail are key in this role, as it is the post holder’s responsibility to ensure that groups are booked in and service expectations exceeded, whilst avoiding diary conflicts with the activities throughout the rest of the museum.

The Visitor Experience Officer will also lead a small team of Enquiries Assistants. The Visitor Experience Officer will ensure that the Enquiries Assistants are capable and proactive in answering enquiries via phone, email, and social channels.

This role will sit in the V&A Dundee Operations team but will work with all teams at V&A Dundee. The Operations Team facilitate a world-class experience for all our visitors, in a safe, secure, and accessible environment, supporting V&A Dundee’s mission to inspire people through design. The visitor experience function supports the wider organisation and generates income via its commercial enterprises, contributing to the financial sustainability of the museum.

A high degree of proactivity, adaptability and an enthusiasm for the museum and the role is essential.

Duties and Responsibilities

Bookings

• Support the Visitor Experience Manager (Tourism and Bookings) in co-ordinating, maintaining and improving upon the efficient booking of groups – liaising with other key colleagues to confirm activities such as catering add-ons, tour guides, access requirements and room bookings

• Liaise with colleagues in Heritage Portfolio, and support with bookings of Afternoon Tea and other any offers that may be available, ensuring that all details are secured and correct allergen information is collected

• To be able to produce and supply any financial records to the Finance team promptly and concisely

• To keep the central calendar, Artifax, up to date with all relevant booking information, to avoid clashing of activity and ensuring the relevant colleagues have the information necessary to deliver the booking in line with the expectations of the visitor or group

• To produce reports and interpret relevant data for management as required

• Maintain positive relationships with travel trade partners, encouraging repeat custom and delivering follow-up customer care

• Work with other teams and on-site partners to provide a seamless visitor experience, using experience and initiative to address issues and make improvements to processes when needed

• To undertake any other duties as reasonably requested

• Process internal complimentary ticket requests when needed – e.g. community groups, families programme groups, partnerships, exhibitions, etc

• Act as a key contact and coordinator for tours, exhibition tickets, event tickets, and afternoon tea reservations, for external bookings

• Under the direction of the Head of Visitor Experience, share responsibility for the venue diary (software Artifax), ensuring that all bookings (internal and commercial) are well coordinated

• Support and contribute to the weekly Operations Diary Meeting, liaising with teams to ensure full organisational awareness of museum-wide activity

• Oversee the museum’s Master Booking Sheet, keeping a thorough record of all anticipated groups visiting throughout the year

• Support in the creation of both public and private tour offers

• Manage all of the commercial aspects of V&A Dundee’s Learning Team’s tour, exhibition tickets and workshop bookings

• Respond to visitor feedback/enquiries/complaints

• Respond to visitor feedback/enquiries/complaints via email, letter, comment card and on the telephone

• Liaise with internal colleagues where necessary to assist/enable in responding to queries

• Manage the Comments, Information, Tickets, Tourism, and Access email inboxes and ensure a 100% response rate

• Manage the Tickets/Afternoon Teas/Visitor Enquiries, Group Bookings, and Membership Purchase/Renewal phonelines and ensure 100% response rate

• Manage V&A Dundee’s Contact Tracker, ensuring that it is updated and monitored correctly

• Maintain a record of enquiries and responses as requested/directed

• Maintain and update the visitor comments log, updating daily and keeping thorough records of all customer interactions

• Support the Visitor Experience Manager (Recruitment and Planning) in analysing monthly all visitor feedback to establish the satisfaction indicator via the Visitor Feedback Report

• Respond to TripAdvisor and other online review platforms in line with museum policy

• Create a monthly report for V&A Dundee’s Holistic Visitor Experience Group and present it to the working group, highlighting achievements, patterns in visitor satisfaction, and points of improvement

• Actively seek customer feedback and communicate any information directly to relevant departments

• Provide exceptional customer service at all times, offering solutions or acts of goodwill to rectify situations when necessary

• Observe and study practices being used by other museums/galleries/tourist attractions to understand how V&A Dundee can strengthen its visitor experience

• Regularly review, and update where required, V&A Dundee’s visitor journey, ensuring that all pre-arrival and post-visit experiences are optimised

Administrative support

• To attend the Building Committee Meetings alongside the Director of Operations and Head of Building Operations, collating minutes and reports for distribution

• To support the Events Coordinator with the events and bookings procedures, having good working knowledge of the in-house calendar software and supporting all teams with booking requests

• To carry out other ad hoc duties, instructions or reasonable requests required by the business by the Management Team within the Visitor Operations Department or by the Director of V&A Dundee

• Reflect all school group visits that take place under the Learning Team into CRM ticketing system (Spektrix) where appropriate, which ensures accurate and responsible visitation tracking for the museum

• Processing all Learning Team invoices for workshops or guided visits that require payment

• Assist Learning Team in the invoicing process with Dundee Science Centre regarding school travel fund agreement

People Management

• Line manage a small team of Enquiries Assistants, coach and mentor a team Enquiries Assistants, ensuring that they have adequate training and development opportunities so that they can confidently take questions via phone, email, and social channels

• Organise and distribute work tasks on shift for the Enquiries Assistants, creating schedules to ensure all areas are appropriately prioritised

• Support Enquiries Assistants in their development through daily support and 1-on-1 training, ensuring that an exceptional visitor experience is understood and prioritised

• Create, manage, and update a series of handbook/guidance resources for Enquiries Assistants, providing detailed step-by-step duties and processes

• Manage a rota for Enquiries Assistants, ensuring that V&A Dundee’s contact team is staffed and resourced appropriately

Person specification

Essential

• Previous experience in a box office or bookings/reception role in an attraction or venue

• Proven experience of using booking/diary systems

• Confident in their excellent communication skills – in writing, on the phone and in person. An excellent phone manner is essential in this role

• The ability to act with tact and diplomacy with individuals from a variety of situations and backgrounds

• The ability to think quickly and use initiative to diffuse and resolve potentially challenging interactions

• Ability to work to tight deadlines and under pressure, acting appropriately to adapt in dynamic circumstances

• Excellent interpersonal skills and a willingness to assist others

• A structured and organised approach to varying workloads

• Experience of using Microsoft Office suite, including Word and Excel

• Previous experience in a customer facing or administrative role

• Ability to work under pressure, prioritizing workload whilst maintaining efficient, 5-star service always

• Ability to communicate effectively across different teams/stakeholders

• Experience in dealing with customer comments and complaints

• Ability to act with tact and diplomacy with individuals from a variety of situations and backgrounds

• Trustworthy and discreet, with good understanding of GDPR regulations

• Experience of leading a small team
  

Desirable

• Experience of working with travel trade and groups market

• Experience using Spektrix EPOS ticketing system

• Experience of using Artifax calendar system

• Previous work experience in a museum or gallery