Apprentice - Sales Support Assistant

Earn while you learn with our award winning training team

This is an exciting apprenticeship opportunity within our Hays Beds and Transfers Department.

Hays Beds and Transfers Product Team work in an environment which is structured around our key objective in driving sales.

This is carried out by a number of functions, but primarily by relationship management, quality control of our existing products and developing new products. The focus of this role is to develop the sales and product of Hays Beds and Transfers, establishing strong relationships with designated suppliers, divisional managers IG members & HTOL in order to meet sales targets.

Below is a list of the key responsibilities which you will learn during your apprenticeship.

Key Responsibilities

• Responsible for the account management, sales analysis, lost booking analysis, contracting of new suppliers, negotiations and query resolutions to maximise overall sales
• Being pro-active in gap filling or identifying new suppliers
• Relationship management Hays Beds & Hays Transfers suppliers and initiate override negotiations
• Negotiation of special offers and flash sales weekly, distributing them to key areas of the business such as HTOL product, HTOL sales, web marketing and key IG members
• Daily system checks within Hays Beds, Hays Transfers, iSell, iTour and the Agent Portal of own suppliers to ensure that all suppliers’ feeds are performing to the expected standard in line with systems checks procedure
• Investigation and resolution of statement queries for dedicated accounts
• Point of escalation for all areas of the business
• Assist with group enquires
• Transfer rate loading into Transtan – mainly to support new rates negotiated or to gap fill, or to load ad-hoc rates to support the wider team
• Support the team in any ad-hoc duties required, such as price comparisons, team handovers etc.

Competencies Required

• A good team player
• Good organisational skills with the ability to prioritise own workload
• A clear and effective communicator with the ability to liaise with internal and external customers
• Ability to build relationships with customers, providing exceptional customer service at all times
• Analytical and problem solving skills
• Ability to work as part of a team in a dynamic and vibrant department
• Strong team player who is supportive and strives for success for themselves and their team
• An enthusiastic and positive approach to learning and progressing within the company

Technical Skills Required

• Basic knowledge of computer systems i.e. Microsoft Word and Excel with the ability to utilise its key functionalities
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy skills
• File management skills
• Web Navigation Skills

Qualifications/Experience required

• Ideally 4 GCSE’s grade 4 or above (or equivalent) including English & Maths

General

• To be committed and dedicated to completing the customer service Apprenticeship programme within the 12 month timescale, attending all relevant training workshops
• To undertake any other duties that may fall into the job criteria
• To conform with all company policies and procedures including Health and Safety
• To treat all employees, customer and suppliers with dignity and respect

About Hays Travel

As the UK’s largest independent travel agency, Hays Travel specialise in providing good value, quality holidays alongside excellent customer service. We work with all leading suppliers and can package holidays that include hotels, flights, cruises, tours, attraction tickets, and more. We have over 470 Branches throughout the UK and our Head Office based in Sunderland, is home to tour operator teams, finance, marketing, people/HR and IT, plus many more. We have been operating for over 40 years, and continue to grow each year.

Our values

Our SMILE values are embedded in to our Company and ensures our teams work strongly together. You and all of our colleagues will ensure that the Hays Travel values are demonstrated at all times.

• Supportive
• Motivational
• Innovative
• Loyal
• Excellence

What it’s like to work for us?

Whichever location or department you work in, our people are always at the heart of everything we do. We offer a range of training programmes to help you progress personally and professionally, as we know the benefits of promoting and rewarding our hardworking colleagues are extremely important.

Of course, it's not all about work, we're very sociable and there are always lots of team nights-out and company parties. Plus, there are opportunities to travel abroad on educational trips, and you can also take advantage of our colleague discount when booking your own holidays.

This job description is not intended as an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of the post but simply reflects the key areas involved

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