Account Manager - Performing

Company Introduction

WorldStrides is the global leader in educational travel and experiential learning. The company was founded in 1967 to provide middle school travel programs to Washington, D.C. and has grown to provide a wide range of programs for more than half a million students annually to over 100 countries around the world. WorldStrides offers experiential learning programs in educational travel, performing arts, language immersion, career exploration, service-learning, study abroad, and sports. Each of these experiences helps students to see beyond the classroom and to see the world – and themselves – in new ways.

Job Description:

Provide our customers with the highest quality travel experience within the limits of an acceptable budget. Maintain strong, cordial, and helpful relationships with school directors including, as requested by directors, booster, or parent contacts. Maintain good working relationships and positive communications with sales team members and other support staff. Work closely with other departments within the organization as required, maintaining the overall goals of Heritage Festivals and Bowl Games of America. Maintain strong and positive relationships with the operations team through consistent contact. Function as a contributing member of the Account Management Team through effective communication and assisting others as needed.

Responsibilities:

• Create a strong relationship with each Music Director.
• Maintain regular and effective communications with each customer after they have agreed to attend our event (contact with school director and/or parent booster or travel agent).
• Produce itinerary and specific tour plans for each group within an appropriate time frame.
• Build itineraries with activities, meals, transportation for each group coming to your event.
• Maintain communication with customers within set guidelines and document all contacts. When necessary, phone contact can occur outside of normal working hours.
• Provide excellent external customer service by responding promptly to customer's inquiries, displaying proper phone and email etiquette, and being courteous.
• Selling additional meals, activities, and transportation on top of the base package.
• Properly set customers' expectations.
• Balance the customer's expectations with the company's fiscal goals.
• Maintain clear and comprehensive file records.
• Travel to each event during the bowl game or festival season.
• Work with Festival Host in making sure itineraries are balanced with optional meals, activities, and festival schedule.
• Handling issues: work with team to manage travel issues, conflicts, complaints, cancelations, and refunds.
• Maintain a team working relationship and open communications with each PTS, Festival Host and assigned Operations/Hotels team members, for your assigned festivals.
• Research assigned cities to develop confidence in what you can offer your groups in creating the itinerary best suited to each group.
• Prepare, manage, and analyze the event level final itinerary information for each assigned festival destination.
• Work closely with Operations/Hotels/Charters teams to book hotels, activities, meals, and busing arrangements for each specific school. Manage change requests and communicate changes to appropriate team.
• Maintain a system for quality control; provide feedback to each operational team (hotels, operations, charters).
• Focus on continually improving the quality of the customer experience to promote company growth.
• Represent WorldStrides in a positive, ethical, and professional manner.
• Participate in regular sales meetings, company meetings and training sessions.

Qualifications:

• Three to five years experience successfully coordinating complex logistical tasks.
• Function as a contributing member of the Account Management team through open exchanges, assisting other team members as needed, and by partnering with the Account Support Representative, Financial Services Representative, or Performing Travel Specialist.
• Must possess excellent customer service skills, both over the phone and in person.
• Experience in solving complex problems.
• Detail oriented, with ability to manage large amounts of information under pressure and deadlines.
• Demonstrate an ability to effectively manage large amounts of information in a high stress environment.
• Solid computer competency- ability to quickly learn our in-house systems.
• Ability to dedicate extra work hour during our travel season as needed (December and March through May).
• Basic computer skills, ability to type, process paperwork, and work under deadline pressure.
• Must be able to travel as required to certain destinations and operate in a variety of public environments.
• Ability to adhere to our standard work hours.
• Ability to manage physical demand of working an event. Ability to lift boxes of 50 pounds and walk for long periods of time at the event.
• Four-year bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Sales and/or customer service experience
• Travel industry experience.
• Music performance participation or experience

Work Perks

• Fun & driven environment.
• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage, life, accidental death and dismemberment, accident, critical illness, and disability insurance, FSA healthcare, FSA dependent care, HSA with employer contribution, and generous 401k match.
• 11 paid floating corporate holidays, 1 paid volunteer day & up to 25 PTO days to start – accrue up to 28 over 3 years, 4 mental health days, and 5 bereavement days.
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 annually
• $1,000 towards professional certifications annually
• Opportunities for paid and discounted travel.
• Flexible work schedule providing on-site, remote, and virtual office opportunities.
• Encouraged participation in our Employee Resource Groups and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion council.
• Fitness Center and café onsite at select locations.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Paid Parental, Caregiver, and Disability leave.
• Team Member Discount Program