Cruise Guest Advisor

Job Introduction

Cruise Guest Advisor

Salary £23,400 per annum

Permanent

FT – 37.5 hours per week

Hybrid – 2 days a week in Ashford, Kent  

You may have seen our TV advert?

Heard of Saga as a great Kent based employer?

The Saga Cruise team are growing again and ready to expand our team of skilled Guest Advisors who are key to assisting our customers when planning and booking luxury travel packages with Saga Cruise across our Ocean and Rivers itineraries.

If you have a passion for customer service and love talking about travel while advising our guests on best options and new experiences, then this role is for you.

Your first couple of weeks in your new job, will be all about learning our booking systems, getting to know and understand our customers and ultimately becoming an expert on all our cruise packages we offer, plus so much more!

From day one as a Cruise Guest Advisor, you can work on a Hybrid basis. With each week attending the office on a Monday and then a Friday.

If you are ready to get onboard and venture into the exciting cruise world, then read more about what a typical day will feel and look like in this role.

*The hours for this role cover the opening hours of 9am-6pm Monday to Friday and the requirement to work 1 Saturday in 3 with the hours of 9am-5pm. The hours for this role are 37.5 per week.

**This is a hybrid role and requires 2 days in Ashford, TN23 1FB. The days required in office are ideally Monday and Friday to promote a collaborative and team building environment**

Role Responsibility

We take our guests all over the world ensuring they have exceptional experiences. The starting point of their journey begins with you and our team of Guest Advisors.

In this team you will be taking mostly in-bound calls; bookings, promotions, general enquiries that could lead to future bookings, amendments, and service calls relating to all things Cruise!

Your main responsibilities will be:

Managing the calls into the contact centre from our guests in a timely and professional manner

Ensuring a tailored and personable approach for every call. Offering assistance, advice, guidance and always working with patience 

Fully managing the nature of the call, ensuring all actions are made such as general guest service or advice, sales calls, handling complaints and providing timely updates to the guests such as itinerary changes

Providing recommendations and engaging in upselling opportunities where possible

Fully prioritising a guest-first approach with the tenacity to keep learning on the job

Handling both sales and service calls and adhering to guest service best practice 

Responsible for sending out follow-up emails, observing a high attention to detail with focus on spelling and grammar

Having a driven mentality to exceed the expectations of the guest

Having patience to deal with guest requests in a calm and helpful manner

The Ideal Candidate

We are keen to interview applicants who have already worked in a customer focussed role where they have guided and advised customers with booking travel or recommending products. We are open to consider applications from candidates with no travel background, but it is essential to demonstrate your passion for overseas travel or Cruise.

You will also need to demonstrate the following skills and experience;

Have previously worked in a call centre / contact centre environment and be comfortable talking to customers over the phone, demonstrating excellent communication skills

Keen and able to learn all about our products and relay this to our customers so they are fully aware of our full programme itinerary offering

Can spot buying signals and the opportunity to upsell

Enjoys working in a fast-paced environment 

Can demonstrate a can-do approach and be flexible when required

(Occasionally you could be needed to make urgent contact to our guests outside of normal working hours to discuss changes to their bookings from circumstances outside of Saga’s control.)

Shows a passion for guest service and a natural enthusiasm for progression opportunities 

Has excellent attention to detail and can demonstrate strong written and verbal skills

Comfortable with working from home Tuesday to Thursday

Package Description

Everyday our colleagues deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. We believe exceptional work deserves even more exceptional rewards, that's why we have put together an amazing benefits package for all colleagues. 

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Commission and performance levels

Option to purchase additional leave up to 5 extra days

Pension scheme matched up to 10%

Life assurance policy on joining us

Wellbeing programme

Colleague discounts including family discounts on cruises and holidays!

Range of reductions and offers from leading retailers, travel groups and entertainment companies

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Grandparents leave

Income protection

Access to Saga Academy, our bespoke learning platform