Duty Office Executive
Job Description
We are recruiting a duty office executive to provide operational 24/7 support, 365 days a year, to our Global Travel Counsellors by monitoring Worldwide events, FCO advice and alerts from other Trade Partners.
You will also be proactively run reports to identify any bookings affected and communicate updates to our Travel Counsellors while offering support to Travel Counsellors for any in-resort issues or emergencies.
The working rota for this duty office executive role includes 12-hour shifts over 24-hours on a 4-on-4-off rota basis.
About the Role
- Continuous monitoring of world events; assessing the impact on our customers and business
- Being the calm voice of reason during emergency and crisis situations globally
- Offering creative solutions to our customers when things don’t go to plan during their holiday or business trip
- Amendments to often complex itineraries with multiple flights, hotels and other components during travel
- Communicating operational changes to bookings to our Travel Counsellors before departure
- Pro-actively chasing information from our direct contracts and suppliers whilst building and maintaining effective relationships
- Assisting both Travel Counsellors and, where appropriate, their clients with any in-resort issues
- Understanding fare rules to allow the processing of voluntary changes to scheduled flights, including IT, Consolidated and published tickets
- Managing involuntary flight schedule changes and then assisting our Travel Counsellors with amending or cancelling any affected ground components
- Issuing new flight tickets outside of normal office hours
- Obtaining rates and checking availability via the in-house Phoenix booking system
- Providing quotes for amendments and cancellations to both in-house package bookings and individually quoted ground components e.g. hotel transfers, car hire etc., and then processing accordingly
Our Benefits
Working here at Travel Counsellors, we value the hard work and effort that our colleagues put in. Because of this, you can expect a wide range of employee benefits, including:
- A competitive basic salary + annual company bonus
- Flexible hybrid working model (2 days home, 3 days office)
- Career development and promotional opportunities
- 25 days holidays (increasing to 28 after 5 years of service)
- A Moments That Matter Day (annually)
- Enhanced maternity/paternity pay
- Holiday buy and sell (up to 5 days per year)
- 3 paid days charity leave
- Company events, socials, and incentives
- 3x annual salary death in service benefit
- Company pension scheme
- Costco membership
- Salary sacrifice, company car scheme
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Free breakfast, fruit, and hot/cold beverages
- Referral scheme
- Employee discount
Essential Skills
- A proven background in a similar travel-based role
- Experience with ticket re-issues and fare building (desirable)
- Experience in and able to work unusual hours/out-of-hours support (24/7 on a rotating shift pattern)
- Understanding fare rules to allow the processing of voluntary changes to scheduled flights, including IT, consolidated and published tickets
- Previous knowledge and experience of issuing and amending flight tickets
- Dealing with duty office/in-resort issuing
SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
- Familiar with hotel room rates, availability and contracts
- GDS experience (Galileo preferable) – to obtain the best possible flight options/fares.
- Foreign languages would also be of benefit (desirable)
- IT literate with advanced knowledge of MS Office, especially Excel
- Ability to build rapport and engage with all types of individuals. Shares a passion for delivering excellent customer service
About Company
Here at Travel Counsellors, our customers, communities and colleagues lie at the heart of everything we do – and that’s what makes us special. For us, relationships come before transactions, and we are there for our customers, connecting with them on a deeply human level through the moments that matter.
We’ve been changing lives for the past 30 years as the leading travel marketplace for self-employed travel entrepreneurs, empowering over 2,000 global independent travel agents to run successful leisure and corporate travel businesses. We pride ourselves in remaining a company that truly cares and has never wavered from its purpose; to redefine what personal means for a travel business.
Our Travel Counsellors are supported by a team of over 300 super-talented people in our support offices to help them create unique, inspiring and exciting experiences for their customers whilst building lasting personal relationships that bring them back to us, time and time again.
Our unique approach within the workplace – as well as towards customers – has seen us receive numerous awards and accolades, including being named The Best Place to Work in Travel at the 2022 TTG Travel Industry Awards, placing in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work list 2023 (Large Company) as well as being the first travel company to be awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category!
We are expanding at a phenomenal rate – on the back of what is our record year in terms of revenue (over £930m) – and so are looking for outstanding individuals to join our dedicated Head Office team to help the company continue to flourish.
