Guest Experience Manager

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

Abode is helping to pioneer the transformation of hospitality. We're combining exceptional spaces with the convenience and next-level service found in upscale hotels. Abodes are design-forward, tech-optimized, and curated furnished apartments that give travelers a truly home-like experience. By giving travelers convenient access to authentic living experiences in the most desirable neighborhoods Abode has created a hospitality experience that resonates with guests by merging the best attributes of home-sharing and hotels.

What we offer.

• Competitive compensation
• Benefits (Health & Dental Insurance with a generous zero out-of-pocket employer contribution for full-time employees)
• Abode Travel Perks: Travel is at the heart of what we do, and we can't wait to welcome you and your family and/or guests to one of our homes
• Mostly Remote Workforce: depending on the role, may work from anywhere
• We're a small team that encourages access and transparency. Our culture is inclusive, and we put a strong emphasis on fostering a fun and values-driven company culture
• A growing, fast-paced company that emphasizes work-life balance
• Your work makes a difference here, and we value the enormous contribution our team members make to Abode's success. Join us and help us to build the future of hospitality!

POSITION SUMMARY:

Abode is looking to add a highly motivated and dynamic individual to join our Guest Experience (GX) Management Team. As a GX Manager, you will oversee a team of Guest Experience Agents focused on building a personal connection with our guests by communicating directly with them on a daily basis to resolve questions and issues as they arise. Your goal will be to successfully manage a team to create fantastic, memorable experiences for all Abode guests.

This role is a matrix responsibility role within the Guest Experience department of the Hospitality Division. The Guest Experience and Destination Services teams work closely to curate and deliver the Abode Guest Experience and there is some overlap between the responsibilities of the two teams. Our GX and Destination Services teams are located remotely across the world and communicate effectively through a team messaging app and video interactions.

We’re looking for someone who understands true hospitality and helps travelers feel at home in a new place. One of your main goals will be to create a positive, lasting impression of Abode so guests come back to stay with us again and again. You'll be responsible for managing a team of agents handling guest inquiries, resolving issues, coordinating with destination services to ensure our apartments are always ready for guests, and taking the initiative to find ways to improve guest satisfaction by working directly with our guest experience team and indirectly with our destination services, distribution, and other relevant teams.

This position requires you to interact with all departments, continually monitor multiple tasks, and facilitate priorities through to completion. It requires a positive, upbeat, and engaging work style, a strong self-starter, and a problem-solver who can work independently.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The duties and responsibilities are described but not limited to those outlined below.

• Develop proficiency with company reservations, property management, communications, and other technology systems to support the company's ability to meet and exceed guest experience expectations. Assist the company in implementing, standardizing, and maintaining business systems operations, including the development of training materials and training other team members as required to meet department KPIs.
• Lead, manage and coach a team of GX agents to provide experience management services for guest stays including but not limited to coordinating with reservations and destination services teams to facilitate check-ins and check-outs, pre-arrival, in-house and post-departure guest communications, experience curation, quality control, and issue resolution.
• Work with the quality assurance team to ensure the GX department is meeting its KPIs and guests are enjoying best-in-class experiences.
• Work with Abode trust and safety team and systems to ensure guests are appropriately screened prior to being approved for check-in.
• Work with reservations and audit teams to ensure guest payments are collected and folios are reconciled.
• Work with the marketing and distribution teams to ensure property listings, pre-arrival instructions, and residence guidebooks are updated and accurate.
• Proactively identify residence, service, and guest communication-related issues and coordinate with appropriate resources to resolve them for current and future guest stays. Examples include property listings accuracy, pre-arrival information/expectation setting, property access, maintenance and housekeeping, telecom/entertainment services, and operating/guest supply inventory issues.
• Work hours may require after-office hours, weekend and holiday shifts, and on-call availability.

PROJECT COORDINATION

• Engages in multiple project management activities and utilizes independent judgment in resolving project issues and ensuring timelines are met.
• Coordinates collection, assimilation, and distribution of research and information through internal and external resources and consultants.
• Provides project research, administrative system development, and coordination support in department administrative and other areas.
• Special Projects as assigned.
• Specific job duties may change as the company grows.

QUALIFICATIONS:

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Five years of customer service and contact center experience including at least 2 years in a team lead or manager role.
• Minimum four years of college education preferred.
• Extensive experience with all modules of the Google Office Suite (Docs, Sheets, Drive) and/or Microsoft Office Suite (particularly Word and Excel)
• Strong knowledge of customer service contact center operations, project management, and administration. Ability to quickly learn and master the use of multiple business technology platforms. Solid organization, administration, project coordination, and people management experience required.
• Experience managing and motivating contact center teams and coaching individual team members to provide best-in-class service and experiences effectively and efficiently.
• Experience managing and improving customer service contact center systems, processes and performance metrics.
• Computer literate and able to learn new communication and management systems
• An unrelenting focus on quality and attention to detail (we want to catch issues before guests do!)
• Internally motivated and sees opportunities to improve processes
• Strong written and spoken English grammar and ability to effectively and diplomatically communicate and respond to questions from team members, guests, and business partners.
• Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, commissions, and percentages.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL ABODE TEAM MEMBERS

• An unrelenting focus on quality and attention to detail (we want to catch issues before guests do!)
• Excellent organization, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
• Enjoys technology and is eager to learn new systems and platforms.
• Motivated and sees opportunities to improve processes.
• High energy and always ready to do everything you can to make sure our guests have a great stay.
• Able to handle stressful situations in a calm, positive and professional manner.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

Annual Salary: $45,000.00 - $60,000.00 based on experience

Benefits:

• Paid time off such as PTO, sick days, and vacation days
• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Retirement benefits or accounts
• Relocation assistance
• Telecommuting options