Front Desk

Front Desk

 

Front Desk, shift at the customer service desk

When I come to work, I open the desk, i.e., turn on the lights, open the doors, and bring the cash register from the back room. I open three tabs in the booking system: today’s departures, the cash register system, and the search page, so I can quickly search and check the guest’s order if necessary. I place the work orders I printed yesterday on the desk, i.e., the participant lists and notes for each safari, and check if any departures have increased overnight.

I also open the email, but I don’t need to prioritize it today, as my main task at the desk is face-to-face customer service.

My day starts at eight, and the first safari usually leaves at 9:15. This means that the first guests start arriving at the office around 8:45. I answer guests’ questions and direct them to the right guide. At the same time, I mark down who has arrived for the safari. I work with the guide, and if we notice that guests are missing, I ask my colleagues in the back room to call them.

The morning is the busiest, as many safaris leave early. This way, guests get the most out of the daylight!

Throughout the day, other guests also come to the desk, and I help them as best I can. Guests want to book new safaris, buy souvenirs, inquire about the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights, get information about Rovaniemi in general, rent snowshoes, check their reservations, find lost items, ask about good restaurants, and of course, complain if something has gone wrong. To help guests, I work a lot with other departments, such as production (shift supervisors & guides), group sales, the clothing team, and our subcontractors (e.g., taxi service, husky kennel, and reindeer farm). I also get help from my own team. I also went through all today’s departures and reservations yesterday, so I already know what I can sell today and which guest I need to remember to talk with, for example about meeting times.

About fifteen minutes before my shift ends, the next day’s colleague of mine comes to the desk with me. I brief them on the evening’s upcoming departures and any returning guests.

Although being at the desk is demanding, the days go by quickly because there is a lot to do. During quiet moments, I answer simple emails, messages received through social media, and reviews posted online. The guides also stop by the desk from time to time to tell stories about the safaris.

On Duty During the Christmas Season 

I have a duty shift today, which means that I go through all of tomorrow’s safari bookings, guesttransports, equipment rentals, and other possible events, and I will be at the desk this evening and tomorrow, as I know what is happening in the house.

I arrive at work in December at 12:30 and go to the back office to work. First, I go through with the production supervisor who is responsible for the next day, if we need to limit the number of participants for some of tomorrow’s safaris. After that, I make the necessary changes to the booking system and inform my colleague who will be at the desk that day if they need to take anything into account.

Then I start going through the list of tomorrow’s safaris and events, checking that all guests’ pick-up locations are known and that any additional information left by guests has been addressed. At the same time, I make sure that booking requests have been sent to our subcontractors. The list is long, and going through it can take a good while, depending on the day. I also send additional information to our subcontractors about the next day’s events when needed.

The most important thing during the duty shift is to prepare everything for the next day, as the desk can be very hectic in December. I print out the Arctic Circle crossing certificates for guests and write down if any reservations still need to be paid or if we have other matters that we need to inform the guest.

A little before four, I go to relieve the morning shift Front Desk Salesperson at the desk, and we go through what will happen in the evening. I serve guests until closing time, after which I take the duty phone home with me – the phone lines are open until ten, and in December, the Front Desk is responsible for phone duty. Calls generally don’t come in much in the evening, and we don’t make new reservations for the distant future over the phone, but we try to guide and serve guests regarding the same evening and the next morning. For example, a guest might ask what time their Northern Lights safari meeting time was or if we still have space for snowmobiling the next day. I can also access our booking systems from home on my computer or the company’s tablet. A little before ten, I check if there are any new reservations for the next day through the online store, and at exactly ten, the phone line closes automatically.

A Day in the Front Desk Back Office Shift 

Our back-office shifts are divided into three different shifts. So, I might come to work for the billing shift at 8:00, the middle/shop shift at 9:00, or the evening shift around 10:00.

Each shift has its own responsibilities, but as a team, we always prioritize guests at the desk, phone calls, and emails first. On busy days, there is often no time for other tasks.

Answering emails is the biggest part of the workday in each shift. Through email, we make reservations for travel agents and answer guests’ questions. We make reservations for our public weekly departures, leisure groups’ own departures, and also for small groups (e.g., families) their own exclusive departures. Weekly departure bookings are easy, but others require more investigation, more detailed questions from guests, cooperation with production supervisors, and our subcontractors. Making leisure and exclusive group departures also requires more familiarity with our booking system to ensure everything from booking requests to billing goes correctly.

In addition to emails, we also answer the phone and advise guests through it. For example, we provide meeting times for the next day, opening hours, availability, and tell them who to contact if we don’t have an answer.

Tasks also include organizing the safari shop, billing, monitoring payment links, preparing for the upcoming season (e.g., checking brochures), monitoring and updating availability, responding to feedback, making social media updates, and counting the cash at the end of the day.

The day always starts, regardless of the shift, by opening the email and going through the new emails and notices that came in last night and today. I also go through the logbook, where we add notes for other team members daily. This way, I get up to speed on what is happening in the office. Then I start working on the most urgent task. If there are many emails, I start with that, as wemaintain a promise to respond to our guests’ every email within 24 hours.

In the evening shift, my day ends when the office closes at 18:00, and the cash count is done. In December, there may still be guests in line at the desk after closing, so I serve them before leaving.