Ruth's Hospitality Group
Mgr, Guest Relations (Personal Services)
The Guest Relations Manager will be carefully attending to direct Guest feedback, listening to Guest feedback on social media, reviewing Guest comments and surveys, and taking Guest phone calls, the Guest Relations Manager is responsible for: a) resolving specific Guest issues, b) proactively capturing themes and patterns of Guest feedback, c) generating insights from the themes and patterns, and d) sharing the insights with the Brand, Culinary, Product, and Operations teams to drive action, innovation, and operational improvements. The Guest Relations Manager will continually conduct analyses of commonly
mentioned keywords in feedback, decipher any key themes from mentions of the brand, and create recommendations for actions provided through presentation to a cross-functional team consisting of Brand, Culinary, Product, and Operations. The individual in this role will manage all Vendor Partners providing tools for Mystery Shopping, Guest Feedback, Online Review Tracker,
Social Media Listening ensuring their products are optimized for on-going Guest relation management. The Guest Relations Manager has a continuous improvement mindset and simultaneously evaluates the current performance of those Vendor Partners and makes strategic recommendations for improvements to their products and services as well as sources alternative
tools to better serve the organization and the Guest. Critical to success in this role is the application of the significant operations background to understand why patterns are emerging and Guest Relations Manager September 2021 to make sound recommendations to the Brand, Culinary, Product, and Operations teams. This position is located in the Winter Park, Florida corporate office.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
*Manage Guest Relations and comments in all formats: website, email, telephone, fax,
letter, social media, and future outlets that develop
*Serve as a primary liaison between our company and Guests; be able to handle delicate
line of advocating for both
*Handle Guest Relations contacts (in writing and/or verbally) during the business day with
priority to Guests who are extremely upset or have a (deemed) emergency Identify situations that need to be escalated to senior management and make strategic recommendations on approach to resolution.
*Maintain clear and timely communications with the Brand and Marketing teams as well as
the appropriate members of the Operations and HR team.
*Manage all agencies responsible for delivering an exceptional Guest Relations program including but not limited to InMoment, Sprout, Review Trackers & A-Closer-Look *Use the Guest Relations management system, continually refine processes and work with
Training department to educate field and champion the system and approach.
*Work with the Regional Vice Presidents and field operations team to ensure all Guest
complaints and comments are taken care of swiftly while limiting any risk to the
organization
*Maintain a library of responses for any type of situation that may arise.
*Proactively improve the Guest Relations area, including but not limited to developing
resolution templates/tool kit for operators, ongoing analysis of established tools and
partners and additional analysis of areas of possible improvement.
*Develop deep understanding of Guest behavior including likes, dislikes, product feedback,
operational process improvement and experience optimizations through trend analysis and
reporting (complaint trends, complaint channels).
*Support Public Relations efforts as needed to ensure that earned media and social media
efforts result in harmonious guest impressions.
*Make recommendations for business improvements to ensure optimum customer service,
reduction in complaints and process changes at the restaurant.
*Develop and maintain reports analyzing the customer service process and highlight trends
to incorporate in Team Member training.
*Continuously evaluate and identify opportunities to drive process improvements that
positively impact the customer's experience.
*Analyze data to provide operational and product improvement recommendations to
relevant parties.
*Manage restaurant Mystery Shop program including review of quarterly shops & re-shops,
reporting on areas of improvement, making any enhancements or adjustments to the
program, and ensuring the Vendor Partner maintains their platform and employs quality
shoppers.
*Compile and manage Guest service surveys via an online comment platform, establishing
coach report for operation refocus areas.
Guest Relations Manager September 2021
*Demonstrate a positive, professional, and flexible approach to all staff, at all times.
*Cross train for Gift Card support when extra assistance is needed during high volume times.
*Other duties as assigned.
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING
*Bachelor's Degree (Business, Marketing, Communications, Analytics, Statistics or related
field) preferred
*1-2 years of experience in Guest relations or direct Guest interactions, with fine dining
preferred
*5 years in hospitality industry, restaurants preferred
*5 years of Operations experience working in fine dining
*Strong familiarity with the Ruth's Chris brand preferred
*An appropriate combination of education and experience
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES
*Strong customer service focus
*Excellent communication, listening, influencing, and training skills
*Ability to communicate clearly and professionally, both verbally and in writing.
*Effectively communicate across departments with all employee levels and with vendor
partners
*Ability to stay calm/maintain composure when speaking to guests that may be agitated
*Ability to act as expert on the Guest Relations software system
*Hands on experience with guest relationship management software
*Ability to formulate business insights from the data, and report those to management
*Proficient in online abilities, including but not limited to online research
*Proven ability to work across many departments to solve problems and achieve results
*Strong decision making and analytical abilities.
*Excellent organization, project, and time management skill – detail oriented
*Attention to detail, with the ability to multi-task and effectively prioritize work
*Experience in providing executive level monthly reports, outlining number of complaints,
key topics, and resolution
*Ability to identify themes and patterns in data and provide recommendations for action
*Highly developed sense of integrity and commitment to customer satisfaction
*Passion for excellence with respect to treating and caring for Guests.
*Has “thick skin” and is able to handle complaints and unpleasant Guests.
*Has interest in digital and social media, proactively staying up on trends within the Guestengagement space
*Willingness to work a flexible schedule. Some weekends & holidays may require 2-4 hours
for brand monitoring
*Experience in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook
*Proficiency in English, multilingualism will be considered an asset
*Familiarity with industry's latest trends
PHYSICAL DEMANDS: (Minimum qualifications needed to perform the essential job functions)
*Must be able to sit, talk, hear for long periods of time
*Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds.
*Must be able to see and adjust focus.
*Must be able to complete some work on weekends and evenings
NOTE: The information here does not constitute a contract, express or implied. The content of this
material is not all-inclusive, but is for informational purposes only. Ruth's Hospitality Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Non-Tipped Employee