Information & Ticket Sales Assistant [FTC]

Birmingham Hippodrome; Highgate; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

Birmingham Hippodrome in the West Midlands is seeking an Information & Sales Assistant to provide friendly, efficient service by phone, email, webchat and face to face at the front counter, ensuring sales are maximised and the customer experience remains exceptional. Shifts run 9:30–18:00 or 11:15–20:00 with occasional earlier/later starts; evenings and weekends are required on a 4‑week rota.

This fixed-term role offers on-site work with uniforms supplied, and opportunities to learn about our

Qualifications

• Excellent customer service skills and a helpful, courteous manner.
• Good numeracy and written skills with experience in payments/refunds.
• Experience with computerised ticketing systems and databases.

Responsibilities

• Provide cheerful, exceptional service to all customers.
• Answer inbound calls regarding sales, exchanges, and queries.
• Handle emails via shared departmental mailboxes.
• Respond to webchat and co-browsing requests.
• Be the voice of the Hippodrome across locations and events.
• Promote tickets, hospitality packages, and merchandise.
• Work in a target-driven team and meet sales goals.
• Support operations to improve customer experiences.

Skills

Customer service

Numeracy

Written communication

Phone sales

Tools

Ticketing system

Job description

ABOUT US:

With a mission to enrich the cultural life of our region, Birmingham Hippodrome is one of the most popular theatre complexes in the UK. Varied productions in our 1,850-seat auditorium (dating from 1899), and in our 200-seat Patrick Studio ensure we play a key role in the region’s world-class cultural scene. With c.400 live performances annually in our main house, we present nothing but the best in touring musical theatre, ballet, dance, opera, pantomime, drama, and comedy. Our Patrick Studio welcomes a range of smaller-scale productions and is an important base for dance and for the development of new artistic work.

Fun fact: The Information & Ticket Sales team handle around 35,000 calls every year - and they hold legendary buffet days!

ABOUT THE ROLE:

Shift work: Normal shift patterns for this role are 9:30am-6pm and 11:15am-8pm, and punctuality is important in this team. On occasion, your shifts could be earlier or later than this (up to 8:30am or 10pm).

Evening and weekend work will be required for this role, as part of a 4-week rota with plenty of advance notice. Typically this will involve working 1 late shift every week, 1 in every 4 Saturdays, and the occasional bank holiday when needed.

Fixed-term contract: 12 months from November 2026 to November 2027, depending on your start date.

Uniform requirement: We'll provide you with some of our snazzy Hippodrome shirts, and you'll also need black trousers (or skirts) and black shoes.

Our Information & Sales Assistants ensure everyone is welcome by providing excellent service standards over the phone, through email, webchat, and face to face on our front counter. The role will ensure sales are maximised and that the customer experience is always of the highest standard by providing a welcoming, efficient, knowledgeable and friendly service. This role is predominantly phone-based, working from the newly renovated Information & Sales office but will involve working in all Information & Sales locations, and on occasion, at off-site events.

MAIN DUTIES

• Providing a cheerful, happy, and exceptional service to all customers.
• Answering inbound phone calls regarding sales, exchanges, and general queries.
• Answering emails via the shared departmental mailboxes.
• Responding to webchat interactions and co browsing requests.
• Work in any Information & Sales area, including the main Information & Sales office (Phone Room), the front desk or any other Information & Sales designated area, including temporary off-site areas.
• Be the voice and face of Birmingham Hippodrome and act as ambassador of our organisation and custodian of our reputation.
• Share your own enthusiasm, passion and interests for our on and off-stage programme, engaging with patrons whenever possible, encouraging visitors to experience our diverse programme.
• Proactively offer assistance to our patrons with information and guidance about our organisation, programme, events, facilities, and off-stage activities.
• Aim to have expert knowledge of product and venue information, responding positively to patron enquires and maintaining effective customer relations.
• Actively sell tickets for our on and off-stage programme, including hospitality packages and experience enhancements.
• Actively promote our fundraising initiatives, including the solicitation of patron donations at the point of sale.
• Seek opportunities to recommend, upsell and promote our services and any offers or promotions including Friends memberships, Gift Vouchers, show programmes and merchandise.
• Work in a target-driven environment, meeting individual and team goals.
• Feedback to Managers/Supervisors on areas for improvement, including items for immediate attention (e.g., show availability) and items for future consideration (e.g., sales trends, visitor experience).
• Undertake outbound call campaigns to either upsell, amend bookings, or reschedule performances.
• Participate in team meetings and contribute to the discussions in a productive and enthusiastic manner; Assist in the training of new colleagues.
• Work together with other departments to help improve operations and customer experiences.
• Maintain knowledge of all our fire, safety and evacuation procedures, and facilitate evacuation in the event of an emergency.
• Ensure high standards of personal presentation, body language, and telephone manner.

ABOUT YOU:

We're looking for someone with excellent customer service skills, who can assist all our patrons in a helpful, friendly, and courteous way, particularly over the phone. You'll have good numeracy and written skills, including experience of working with payments and refunds, plus experience in computerised ticketing systems and databases. You'll need a flexible, calm, motivated and can-do approach, and you'll be keen to learn and develop. You'll be reliable and positive, and have high standards when it comes to your dress, appearance, and time-keeping.

The ideal candidate will also have experience working in a Box Office, experience of phone sales and handling complaints, and knowledge of theatre and the performing arts sector.

Recognising under-representation in our workforce of the global majority, and people with disabilities, we particularly welcome applicants from those backgrounds.