We Live and Love Travel.... Do you?
Its not just our holidays that are award-winning. Our workplaces are, too!
We are looking for an experienced Travel Consultant to join our team in John Lewis Southampton.
Our Travel Experts are at the heart of what we do, and they voted us Best Large Company winners at the Best Workplaces in Travel Awards 2022.
When you work in one of our beautiful stores, youll discover a travel career with a difference from how we treat our team to the experience we give our customers. We call it the Kuoni Difference.
Come and join our team of enthusiastic, inspiring and knowledgeable people and experience the buzz of sharing your passion for travel. Youll sell an unrivalled range of luxury holidays, add the Kuoni touch to take things to the next level, and jet off around the world on incredible educational trips.
We know that personal growth is key, so we offer ongoing training, excellent career progression opportunities and a fun, supportive and inclusive work environment.
As a Personal Travel Expert, your personality, exceptional customer service skills and your destination knowledge is what our customers come back for time and time again. As a Personal Travel Expert you will create and sell worldwide holidays and you will own your customers journey from start to finish; from enquiry to welcoming them back onto home soil. We make sure that booking holidays are as enjoyable as the trip itself…
So what are we looking for:
Confident & well-travelled natural conversation starters that can bring their personality to work! Our Personal Travel Experts not only have a hunger for sales but also a real genuine passion for making their customers booking journey as seamless as possible. Therefore our desired applicant will:
- Be passionate and enthusiastic about travel (with first-hand experience of multiple long-haul destinations)
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Be self-motivated and dedicated to building a repeat customer base
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Have a good knowledge of the travel industry and experience in selling & designing tailor-made holidays, including knowledge of third party product
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Have a proven track record of hitting sales targets
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Manage own time effectively; theres a lot to do before, during and after the customer journey.
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Adaptable and be flexible in an ever-changing and omni-channel environment (more so now than ever)!
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Have experience using booking systems or have the ability to pick up new systems quickly
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Experience working retail hours (Most of our stores are open 7 days a week therefore a requirement to work 37 hours across 5 days which will include a selection of shifts including evenings and weekends. Typically you will get one full weekend off a month, as well as an additional weekend day).The store is currently open Monday to Friday 9am - 8pm, Saturday 9am - 7pm and Sunday 11am - 5pm.
What does a typical day look like as a Personal Travel Expert…
It all starts by talking all things travel whilst your customer enjoys the in store experience; whether it be over a glass of Champagne, a cold Peroni or sipping tea from around the world.
You will deliver a personal service on a daily basis and your aim will be to inspire and create excitement for the customer by designing a holiday to match their interests, taste, spend and of course all created with absolute commitment to quality. As part of Kuonis new retail vision we wanted to be able to offer a wider range of products to our customers we still offer our famous tailormade Kuoni holidays, but we have also introduced third party products that you may feel would suit the customer better - still giving them the famous service but booking the holiday through a recommended and trusted brand.
Once your customer has booked their dream holiday with you its down to you to ensure their booking experience doesnt stop there. We go above and beyond to blow our customers away by surprising & delighting them at different touch points before they are due to travel, therefore you will also act as the customers concierge and point of contact.
Alongside exceptional customer service, you will work towards monthly sales targets and create relationships with our specialist brands and third party suppliers.
Benefits for our retail team
We understand that theres more to work benefits than annual leave and pensions. We offer ongoing training and strong career progression opportunities, as well as the chance to broaden your horizons and see the world in an exclusive way.
Were also a company that values wellbeing, sustainability and giving back, so you can feel proud and confident to work with us.
Retail training & career progression
- Our training kicks off with a five-week virtual programme, supported by in-store training
- Ongoing coaching and development throughout your career, from our dedicated sales support and training teams
- Strong connection and open communication with our leadership team and amazing head office
- Opportunity to grow your own database of VIP customers and build lasting relationships, wowing your customers with our award-winning service and Kuoni touches
- Opportunity to attend and organise events as a Kuoni ambassador
- The chance to take on extra responsibilities such as running your stores social media account or in-house projects
- Strong recognition and internal promotion opportunities; chances to move up to Assistant Manager, Store Manager or into a head office role
- Yearly overseas conferences for our Retail Store Managers & Assistant Managers
- The unique opportunity to sell an unrivalled range of luxury holidays. As both a tour operator and travel agent, we can create Kuoni itineraries from scratch and find the perfect holidays from our handpicked travel partners.
Travel opportunities
- At least one educational trip per year, gaining first-hand knowledge to share with your customers. So far in 2022, weve sent our travel experts on unforgettable trips to destinations including the Maldives, Galapagos, the French Alps, Malta, Kenya and Corfu
- Weekly opportunities to earn incentives such as cash, vouchers, experiences, accommodation, flights and holidays
- Discounted staff travel
- The top sales performers in our retail stores are awarded an overseas VIP trip
Lifestyle & financial benefits
- Perkbox, providing thousands of discounts. We give you monthly credits to spend on what you love such as Café Nero, money off your food shops or with your favourite retailer.
- Discounted gym memberships
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From 25 days annual leave, increasing the longer you work with us
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Additional day off to celebrate your birthday
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Matched contribution pension scheme
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Exceptional performance-related pay (opportunity to earning an extra £4,000 - £7,000 a year on top of your salary).
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Friendly, fun and supportive work environment as part of our Kuoni family, you are treated as an individual and encouraged to shine
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£290 per year clothing allowance to create your Wear to Work Wardrobe
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Interest-free season ticket loan on public transport
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Bike2Work scheme
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Free annual family travel insurance
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Loyal service awards to celebrate important milestones
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Significantly enhanced maternity and paternity leave
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Recommend a friend we welcome referrals to join our team and currently offer a £1500 bonus for each successful introduction.
Wellbeing & giving back
- Employee Assistance Programme that provides a complete support network, offering expert advice for both professional and personal matters
- Wellbeing support from our fully trained Heads Together Team
- Free flu vaccinations at a convenient location
- Free eye tests and money towards glasses for VDU use
- Two days of paid leave each year to volunteer and give something back to the local community
- Opportunities to get involved in great fundraising activities for our charity partner, Mind.
Job Security
As one of the most trusted and established names in travel, we look after our people. We are proud to be part of DER Touristik, the travel division of REWE (one of the largest and most successful retailing businesses in Europe), so we have the backing of a stable and financially strong international group.
To get a further insight into our culture please follow us on Instagram: @workatkuoniuk and visit Kuoni Stores