Visitor Contact Assistant 2x permanent and 1 fixed term contract London, England
Job description
Southbank Centre
The Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts centre occupying a prominent riverside location that sits in the midst of London’s most vibrant cultural quarter on the South Bank of the Thames. We exist to present great cultural experiences that bring people together and we achieve this by providing the space for artists to create and present their best work and by creating a place where as many people as possible can come together to experience bold, unusual and eye-opening work. We want to take people out of the everyday, every day.
The site has an extraordinary creative and architectural history stretching back to the 1951 Festival of Britain. Southbank Centre is made up of the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery as well as being home to the National Poetry Library and the Arts Council Collection. It is also home to six Resident Orchestras (Aurora Orchestra, Chineke! Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Philharmonia Orchestra).
Our Artistic Mission
Southbank Centre exists to provide great artistic experiences for everyone. Through art, we invite our visitors to enjoy shared cultural encounters together. To gaze. To listen. To be moved. To discover a new idea or a new perspective. We are proud that for the last 70 years, the performances and exhibitions here have moved millions. We have provided a home for art and for artists. A community centred on art, where everyone, no matter their job, helps make the experience.
We create a place where as many people as possible can come together to experience bold, unusual, entertaining and eye-opening work. We want to take people out of the everyday, every day.
Our values
Champion Greatness
We seek out great artists and give them the space to present their best work
Take the lead
We make sure we’re at the forefront of the arts – provoking and inspiring, not just following it
Open up the arts
Not everyone will love everything, but we make sure there’s something here for everyone
Have fun
We’re serious about the arts – but not stuffy. Culture here can be playful, provocative, exciting and entertaining. It is a joy not a duty
We are looking for 3 Visitor Contact Assistant, 2x permanent and 1 fixed term contract to join our Visitor Experience and Ticketing team on a full time basis.
This person will join a team of 20 Visitor Contact Assistants, who are the first point of contact with Southbank Centre visitors, members and ticket holders via all digital touch points and inbound calls. This includes phone calls, emails, live chat, social media, and SMS. The main responsibilities of the team are to:
- Provide a warm welcome to all visitors as the face of Southbank Centre. To offer a fast, efficient and knowledgeable service, ensuring a world class experience.
- Be responsible for the daily output of visitor contact channels, working with the Visitor Contact Manager.
- Proactively offer to all visitors, assistance, information and guidance about our site, events, festivals and local area. Aim to be a world class expert in your field by acquiring and providing product and venue knowledge responding positively to visitor enquiries and maintaining effective customer relations.
- Responsible for customer relations including complaint handling, refunds, event changes, and customer feedback.
- Actively engage with Southbank Centre’s arts and events programme, values, brand and tone of voice. Ensuring a consistent approach across all channels.
- Provide a positive, exceptional and accessible service to all visitors and colleagues with differing requirements.
- To demonstrate a high level of knowledge and expertise in Tessitura (Ticketing system), Membership and Customer Relations and their associated processes and systems. Knowledge of and experience in Tessitura is helpful but not essential because we can provide this training.
Shortlisted candidates will display some of the following in their supporting statement:
- Has an interest in the arts, culture or music.
- Has exceptional customer service skills including the ability to assist all visitors in a helpful, friendly, courteous and confident manner
- Has experience working in a customer facing or ticketing environment, providing excellent service and resolving visitor issues.
- Is driven to deliver outstanding results, working towards targets.
- Is a confident salesperson who will promote Southbank Centre Membership, activities and events.
- Is a problem-solver who remains calm under pressure.
- Is organised, with excellent attention to detail.
- Is able to work as part of a team in a supportive and collaborative manner
- Has a high level of numeracy and accuracy.
- Has demonstrably strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Has good IT skills
- Is able to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to the role that diversity and inclusion play in the activities of the Southbank Centre as a whole and in the work of this particular job.
- Has the ability to work flexibly including working in the evenings and at weekends.
As well as working at one of London's most popular and engaging sites the successful candidate will also benefit from the following:
- a min 5% pension contribution (going up to 8% depending on employee contribution)
- 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
- Enhanced sick pay
- Enhanced family leave benefits
- Discount at all onsite retail, food and beverage vendors
- Free staff tickets for SC events
- Free entry to Hayward Gallery
- Free/discounted entry to other institutes such as the Tate
- Free staff yoga
We welcome applications from people from a Black, Asian or Ethnically Diverse background or those who are D/deaf or disabled. If you wish to discuss reasonable adjustments such as a BSL interpreter for your interview for this role please indicate this on your application form. Interviews are currently taking place via Zoom or Google Hangouts but if you require support to access these platforms someone from the HRteam will be happy to assist you. If you would like to speak to someone about any adjustments or concerns you can also email [email protected] and we will be in touch with you to make the necessary arrangements.
By attracting people to work for us from a broad range of backgrounds with diverse attitudes, opinions and beliefs we can continue to look at the world with fresh eyes and find new ways of doing things. SC is a warm and welcoming place to work, with great aspirations and ambitions to create great and accessible work for all. We pride ourselves in building a supportive environment to enable the development of our staff.
If you feel you have just some of the required skills and experience but meet the person specification, we would still encourage you to apply; we are very open to continuing the training and development of individuals who are self motivated to acquire new skills and knowledge relevant to the role.
The Southbank Centre Way
The Southbank Centre Way is a framework that sets out how we want our people to work together. It describes the qualities that drive our ability to inspire, provoke and transform lives and illustrates behaviours that make Southbank Centre a warm and welcoming place to work, perform or visit. The language that forms the Southbank Centre Way comes from the people who work here. We have captured their words to help everyone we work with understand us.
Click to find out more about the Southbank Centre Way.
We reserve the right to close the advert early if enough applications are received.
