Travel Specialist

Primary Responsibilities 40% - Manage attendee phone calls. Communicate travel itineraries, hotel confirmation numbers, and cancellation policies, via phone, fax, and e-mail to attendees. Maintain documentation of all email correspondence regarding attendee changes. Coordinate necessary program activity with the back office system regarding enrollments, hotel room inventory, activity selection, and program reporting. Ensure client expectations and guidelines are met. Provide Travel Directors with supporting documentation and information. Report labor hours daily utilizing a labor tracking application. Act as program liaison with Project Management, clients and third party suppliers. Act as SME on at least 2 registration platforms. 40% - Manage the mailing process and ensure the correct information is being sent out in a timely manner. Maintain and monitor client e-mail boxes and winners' lists. Communicate pertinent updates to the Project Managers and appropriate team members. Secure pre/post-hotel extensions and communicate attendee hotel changes to hotel contacts. Review and test websites prior to the sites going live. Review certain applicable reports on a weekly basis for accuracy. Distribute reports to appropriate parties and communicate subsequent changes. Organize and prepare files for storage and purge program profiles 60 days after program operation. Complete all accounting functions pertaining to client specifications. Communicate any unpaid status attendees to Project Managers and Supervisors prior to final mailing. 20% - Research customer inquiries, which includes reviewing email correspondence and/or involving other Travel Associates and departments. Respond to and resolve accounting issues, form of payment (FOP) questions, vendor issues, hotel no-shows, or other hotel issues. Attend ongoing training to enhance knowledge, skills, and abilities. Perform special assignments as directed by management. Attend department and program meetings to discuss updates, industry changes, policies, client specific information, process improvements, challenges, best practices, and recognize/reward team members. OTHER: This job function requires or may require travel to destinations worldwide, in support of client site inspections and/or program operations. There is an inherent risk associated with all travel, often as a result of extraordinary circumstances. Therefore, during an emergency or period of high volume resulting from inclement weather, it is your duty to provide guidance and leadership as necessary under the circumstances, and to promote the safety of the client, travel attendees and other Maritz employees by implementing or supporting prescribed crisis procedures. This can include additional work hours or deviation from standard work hours. Qualifications Bachelor's degree or equivalent travel industry experience required. Hospitality or Event Management related degree a plus. Proven record with strong customer service skills. Must be very detail oriented and have strong problem solving skills to research and resolve customer inquiries with minimal supervision. Professional oral communication, written communication, and effective listening skills to ensure customers' understanding of and satisfaction with their travel arrangements. Strong MS Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) along with the technical aptitude to learn new technology. DISCLAIMER: This job description is designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by associates within this classification. It is not designed to confirm or be interpreted as a comprehensive summary of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of associates assigned to this job.