Visitor Services Assistant

Organisation:
The National Trust for Scotland

Location:

House of the Binns, Linlithgow, West Lothian, EH39 4NZ

To maximise our visitors’ enjoyment of House of The Binns by maintaining excellent standards of service, optimising opportunities to generate income and ensuring that the site and its assets are safe and secure. To ensure the smooth and safe running of operations in Admissions, Tours and Event activities.

To provide the highest degree of customer service: greet and welcome all visitors to the property; deliver engaging one hour long guided tours three – four times a shift; recruit new Trust members and promote fund-raising initiatives; deliver appropriate admissions procedures; and provide general visitor information.

Please note that the job involves some physical activity in the form of periods of standing, walking, ascending and descending stairs etc.

Some flexibility will be required as to when hours are worked and regular weekend working will be expected.

• Providing excellent customer service.
• Delivering engaging one hour long guided tours of the House of the Binns (potentially three – four times a shift).
• Be responsible and proactive. Ensuring all day-to-day tasks are completed including responding to customer enquiries, answering the telephone, cleaning, recording statistics etc.
• To develop a working knowledge of the history of the site and to be able to relate that to visitors in a friendly and engaging way.
• Handling cash accurately and processing sales across all platforms.
• To ensure continually high levels of accuracy are maintained for all transactions and data recording.
• To actively drive-up selling opportunities through strong product knowledge and excellent customer service to maximize sales of admission tickets, membership and donations.
• Cash reconciliation duties including end of day and administration tasks.
• Be able to take responsibility for your own development and learning.
• Taking booking enquiries and process appropriately.
• Assist at events.
• Adhering to the property’s quality standards including wearing of well-maintained uniform.
• Assisting in internal and external activities as required during event days at the House of the Binns.
• Ensuring health and welfare of property staff, volunteers and visitors by adhering to the Trust’s Health, Safety and Environment policies and guidelines.

This role is one for which the duties, responsibilities or accountabilities of the role require you to become a member of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, administered by Disclosure Scotland. This role involves regulated work with children.

• 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 variations in 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.
• Genuine belief in the value of good customer service.
• Excellent interpersonal, public speaking communication skills.
• Demonstrable time management skills and the ability to prioritize.
• Ability to be proactive and to take the initiative.

• Previous cash handling experience.
• Foreign language skills.
• Historical knowledge of the site.

The Property team consists of a Visitor Services Manager and Visitor Services Supervisor and seasonal assistants.

There are no line management responsibilities for this role, but this role works closely with volunteers and members of the wider site team.

This role involves working with members of the public of all ages and abilities on a daily basis.

This role will involve cash reconciliation duties as appointed by the Visitor Services Supervisor.

There will be the occasional use of cleaning chemicals.

This role will involve manual handling.

Is expected to work and ensure compliance within the property’s ‘safe systems of work’ (the system for managing health and safety).