The Sr. Client Support Specialist will deliver comprehensive consultation and support to internal and external clients, including end to end service and resolution related to multiple booking sources and quality control programs. This individual will be accountable to analyze client data and industry trends to make recommendations that will maximize outcomes for all key client and internal stakeholders.

Reporting and Data

• Compile, analyze and communicate operational data and performance metrics. Collaborate with operations and SPM teams to identify and implement process improvements
• Research concerns around process, reporting, service fees and service; collaborate with appropriate departments for problem resolution
• Partner with appropriate departments on service fee audits as required

Hotel Support

• Support annual rate audits to ensure all client negotiated properties are visible in the GDS and online tools; correspond directly with vendors and clients as required to ensure rate loads are complete
• Complete ad-hoc rate checks in GDS and online tools as required to support client hotel program amendments throughout the year
• Support specific client project requests for hotel stay analysis to include review of internal and external data related to project scope, marketplace trends, average price, and ancillary availability
• Provide consultation and recommendations derived from audit and trend analysis

Car Support

• Establish client access to discounted rates with National and Enterprise
• Facilitate loading and rate verification for black car service into Groundspan and online booking tools

Air Support

• Contract testing to ensure all negotiated airline discounts are available via the GDS and online tools; correspond directly with vendors and clients as required to ensure rate loads are complete
• Support specific client project requests for air fare analysis to include review of internal and external data related to project scope, trends and benchmarking, average ticket price, and research of price options and savings opportunities based on travel routing and client patterns
• Implementation and facilitation of client airline affinity programs
• Unused Ticket Management
  • Research specific tickets and answer questions related to the Unused Ticket Reports
  • Escalate identified issues related unused ticket technology or reporting

Customer Satisfaction

• Respond to all client inquiries in a timely manner, asking appropriate questions to facilitate resolution; provide timely and direct follow up with customer as required
• Collaborate with clients and internal departments as needed to support pre/post trip customer service issue resolution
• Compile and communicate customer satisfaction survey results to include score trends and analysis as well as highlight focus areas for internal stakeholders
• Support client policy changes to include facilitation of change management plan with appropriate stakeholders and communication to impacted individuals

Telecom/TSF

• Research and analyze information required to answer internal and external questions around SLA; including impact and communication around IROP and force majeure
• Facilitate telecom change requests through collaboration with operations and telecom teams

Communication

• Develop and deliver internal and external communications as required, including regularly scheduled client communications around industry updates and trends
• Communicate as necessary to ensure all stakeholders are current on account specific or operational updates and changes, as well as deliverables and progress of open requests
• Utilize Salesforce for intake of all requests as well as for project tracking and documentation

Relationship Management

• Build strong, trusting relationships with client through proactive e-mail and phone communication and consultation
• Ensure all contracted obligations are executed accurately and appropriate actions are taken upon contract renewal and expiration periods; ensure all key client service, account management, operations and business goals are being met.
• Understand customers’ business strategies and overall health of the client. Strategize ways to strengthen relationships, increase loyalty, profit, and client market share through a trusted advisor approach.

Online and Product Support

• Facilitate escalations to appropriate stakeholders or vendor contacts
• Communicate performance concerns/outages

Leadership Abilities

• Has strong understanding of own skill set and development opportunities.
• Strong understanding of company goals and ability to support revenue and retention strategies of Strategic Program Manager team
• Self-starter, takes ownership for own work, operates with a sense of urgency, employing effective time management to deliver within deadlines
• Comes prepared to meetings and participates appropriately
• Good understanding of the organizational road map
• Good understanding of key departmental contacts
• Ability to offer consultation to both internal and external customers on a variety of support items and change management concerns
• Strong change management skills, ability to understand decisions and support them
• Demonstrates exceptional teamwork and ability to partner with all departments
• Proactively offers support when ability matches need
• Ability to utilize persuasive and compelling language to draw support to optimal decisions
• Shares best practices and ideas with others
• Demonstrates strong decision making and conflict resolution skills
• May seek minimal guidance, but generally has solution at hand
• Thinks creatively to find best/appropriate solution to difficult problems
• Able to support others in decision making
• Knows when to escalate to a leader

• 5+ years’ experience in an operational and/or client management related position within the travel industry
• Strong understanding of business travel process related to operations, account management, mid office products, reporting, and finance.
• 5+ years’ customer service experience
• Goes above and beyond, and is consistently proactive
• Current or past customer facing experience
• Handles escalated customer service issues with little direction or additional guidance
• Analytical Thinker with ability to quickly identify trends within various data sets
• Proficient in at least one designated GDS (Worldspan/Sabre/APOLLO)
• Experience with Salesforce, Prime Analytics, Sabre RFP, Lanyon a plus
• Excellent written and verbal skills
• Ability to present material to groups of various sizes
• Strong attention to detail
• Strong Microsoft office skills (word, excel)
• Ability to complete simple analysis
• Build/utilize simple spreadsheets/word document