Applying
Application deadline: Mon 21 Aug 2023 09:00
If this role sounds like you, then click Apply Now below to let us know!
Details
It’s an exciting time to be joining HWUnion as part of our brand new Welcome Team. Our aim is to deliver a first-class experience to every single person that makes contact – whether that’s in person to our purpose-built Student Union building, or at a distance by telephone or email. We’re on the lookout for like-minded individuals who love to exceed customer expectations.
Our Welcome Team will be the face of HWUnion and have a crucial role to play, delivering heartfelt service to our visitors, daily. We’re looking to create the first Welcome Team at our Edinburgh Campus so if you have genuine passion for helping others and are ready to make a real difference then we could be what you’re looking for!
The role in a nutshell…
- Welcoming our visitors to the SU building
- Helping visitors to understand the great benefits HWUnion provide
- Resolving any queries visitors may have or putting them in touch with someone who can
- Having great conversations to understand our visitor’s needs and desires then using your knowledge of our services to find the best solution
- Working with our amazing team across all departments so visitors always have the right person to speak to when they need expert advice
- You’ll be an ambassador for HWUnion, showcasing the amazing work we do and spreading the word at all available opportunities
- Ensuring the experience of visitors is a-ma-zing, in every aspect of their visit. Everyone is a VIP.
This is not the full list, there may be other things that your Line Manager asks you to do. We ask you to follow all our policies, procedures and governing documents at all times. We’ll provide you with full training for the role to help you grow and develop.
What might that look like in practice?
- You start your shift by bringing yourself up to speed on everything that’s happened since you were last here and looking ahead so you know what to expect over the next few hours. You’re the sort of person who likes to be prepared so you’ll know who has booked our meeting rooms, if there are any events taking place and if any staff aren’t available today
- You’ll make sure you’re visible at the entrance to our building, ready to acknowledge every visitor with a cheery smile and a hello
- You notice the café is busy today, so much so that there are a couple of tables that need clearing but the team member in there looks swamped – so without thinking you clear the table, grab a spray bottle and get to work making it ready for the next person
- A visitor stops you in the foyer to say there are no hand towels in the bathroom so you grab a new pack and fill up the dispenser
- A student approaches you at the entrance and asks how they go about booking a meeting room for a group study session. You talk them through how to access the online booking system and describe the rooms we have available, but to save time you offer to book the room for them – you know you’ll be back on shift at the time they choose, so tell them you look forward to seeing them then
- You’ve noticed a visitor wandering around looking a little lost so you ask if you can help them. They say they’re looking for something to eat so you walk them to Geordies and introduce them to the staff member working there who can help them
- As you walk back, you notice something has spilled on the floor. No worries, a quick wipe with the mop and everything is looking good again
- Back at the entrance, a visitor asks how to get to the Shop. You whip out a map and mark the route they need to take, before stepping outside with them to point them in the right direction
- Back inside, a visitor stops you to ask if they can speak to the Activities Coordinator. You know Polly is working from home today so instead you offer to help. They want to start a new society – no worries, you talk them through the process of what’s involved and give them Polly’s email address to arrange a Teams call with her later in the day.
- Things are a little quiet, so you have a walk around the building to check everything is spick and span. You take down some out-of-date posters from the notice board and stop to chat to some customers who have just finished their sandwiches. You ask them what they were like and recommend the Chicken Mayo as it’s your favourite. While chatting, you tell them about the Movember darts tournament that’s taking place on Friday and how they can get tickets.
- You see through the window that someone has just walked in the main entrance, so you head back to welcome them. They’ve arrived for an appointment with an Advisor but they’re not sure where to go. You realise it is Angela in the Advice Hub they’re meeting, but that’s in a different building. Not a problem, you walk with them outside and give them directions of where to go, then give Angela a quick call to let her know they might be a couple of minutes late
- A visitor approaches you – they have a meeting with Darrin the CEO. You ask them to take a seat and you’ll let Darrin know they’ve arrived. Darrin comes to the entrance and you ask if either of them would like a coffee for their meeting. They do so you sort that out for them.
- Someone has been in one of the meeting rooms, and brings you back the key to say they’ve finished. You nip upstairs to check the room is ok and rearrange the chairs so it looks neat for the next booking.
- Just in time, as the next booking has arrived. This is their first booking with us, so you walk with them upstairs to the meeting room, chatting with them as you go. You ask are they expecting anyone else to join them and they are, so you let them know you’ll direct people upstairs when they arrive.
- There are a lot of people walking through the building, so you take the opportunity to talk to them about the Big Ask, our student satisfaction survey, and hand them a free lollipop with the survey web address on it and ask them to complete it.
- An Amazon delivery driver has dropped off a couple of parcels, but has mistakenly left a parcel for someone staying in Halls. You look the student up on the directory and send them an email saying they can pop down to pick it up.
- You finish your shift by preparing a handover for the next Exp Team member, highlighting anything important they might need to know (like the parcel that the student is coming to pick up) before signing off for the day.
To be successful you’ll need to bring…
- Experience of student life at Heriot-Watt
- Some experience of working within a customer service environment and a passion for delivering a brilliant service to visitors
- Insatiable curiosity as you ask questions and seek to offer the best help to everyone
- Great communication skills with a natural ability to engage and build rapport with lots of different personalities
- A flexible and positive working approach to suit visitor needs and business demands
- Genuine enthusiasm to work with the team to achieve collective goals
- A keen interest in all things student related with a desire to keep up to date with what’s happening on campus and share that knowledge with the team
It would be amazing if you have the following … but it’s not essential…
- Some Student Union experience such as being involved in a society committee, or being a volunteer
- Knowledge of the issues students are currently facing both in Uni and out of it
Regardless of the role, our team can all demonstrate our values…
- Keep your arms open wide to include everyone, regardless of background, culture or experience by being welcoming
- Be brave and take a few risks to push yourself out of your comfort zone
- Don’t just fix problems, but be empowering to help others to help themselves
- Enjoy every minute of work by making sure you have fun
- Make sure you are student focused in everything you do
What Next?
Before we talk about you applying, let's just double check a couple of things...
- We will need the successful applicant to be available to attend training on 30th August 2023
- If successful, you would need to be available to start working from Saturday 2nd September (when Freshers Week starts)
- During Freshers Week, the Welcome Team run the ticket box office which will involve more shifts and late nights
- During term-time, this role will require afternoon shifts so isn't ideal for you if you have a lot of classes / labs / workshops each day
If this sounds like a role you would excel at, then let us know by completing our application form below. The more detail you give us about why you'd be suitable for the role will give you a better chance of making it through to the next stage. Don't be shy - this role needs dynamic people - so sell yourself!