Housing & Travel Associate

This is a Full Time Job

(S) Housing & Travel Associate

One of a small group of Housing & Travel team members who are all responsible for making individual and group hotel reservations for SXSW event attendees. All customer service functions from first contact to resolution are part of the daily work experience. In addition, all Housing & Travel team members may provide similar housing services to other events outside of SXSW. Staff members support the mission and values of the organization by maintaining positive and productive customer service relations both internally and externally.

Responsibilities
include, but are not limited to:
• Provide housing and travel related customer service, including registration and credentials related service, and user experience service to all event participants, potential participants, and company staff with a special focus on the customer experience.
• Answer all customer service inquiries quickly, accurately, and courteously
• Liaison between clients and hotels to ensure accurate records
• Handle large call/email volume in courteous manner
• Drive execution of housing activities specific to special housing groups that are assigned.
• Set, communicate, and maintain timelines and priorities on housing activities specific to assigned groups.
• Analyze housing operations specific to assigned groups.
• Work in team atmosphere
• Ensure that housing & travel activities support the business needs of the company.
• Support short and long-term relationships with housing and travel vendors and partners; assuming responsibility for contractual compliance related to inventories, performance, continuity, quality, and safety as well as state and federal regulations and statutory requirements.
• Support the implementation and enforcement of company policies and procedures to always ensure orderly and safe contact.

Pre-Event & On-Site Responsibilities:

The workload for this position involves heavy email and call volume for several months leading up to and during the SXSW March events. Work hours are subject to change earlier or later based on seasonal workload.

Qualifications

Qualifications Include:
• Minimum 2 years customer service experience required
• Travel industry, hospitality, and meeting planning experience preferred
• Customer experience focused with a genuine desire to help people
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communications skills
• Exceptional organizational skills
• High attention to detail and able to handle multiple tasks
• Time-management focused & able to work toward a long-term goal or project, both independently and collaboratively
• Ability to prioritize and work in a fast-paced environment
• Creative problem-solving skills
• Ability to enter data using various software programs quickly & accurately and collaborate with team members daily.
• G Suite proficiency is required (particularly Google Docs & Sheets)
• Knowledge of Filemaker, Meetingmax, Basecamp, Slack, and Zoom is helpful.

Physical Requirements:

Frequently required to sit and/or stand for long periods of time with or without accommodation. This position potentially requires being in front of a computer screen & using a telephone for extended periods of time. Requires working in an office with a team in what can be a noisy environment.

Work Location & Schedule:

This Hybrid/Remote Position is in Austin, Texas. Core business office hours are Mon-Fri, 10am 6pm. Must be available to work additional hours to include evenings and weekends in Jan-Mar, as well as mandatory meetings on Saturdays in the 6 weeks leading up to the event. Position offered is seasonal, beginning in mid-October and going through the end of March.