IT wouldn’t be summer without a visit to a grand stately home or majestic castle and in Scotland you can hardly drive five miles without tripping over another beautiful site of historic interest.
Some of the best are in the hands of the National Trust for Scotland which, every year, welcomes around 2.56 million visitors to places as remote and wild as St Kilda in the Western Isles and as posh as Crathes Castle on Royal Deeside.
But what is it like to open the door of one of the Trust’s properties in the morning and know that a stampede of tourists awaits?
Well, this is something Bethan Brown experiences every day. The 27 year old is a Senior Visitor Services Assistant at the Georgian House in the heart of Edinburgh. This historic townhouse, with its fine collection of period furniture, porcelain, silver and glass, is one of the finest examples of the work of architect Robert Adam and Bethan’s job is a Customer Services role with a difference.
She’s part tour guide, part property manager – in fact, her role is so varied she turns her hand to everything from selling souvenirs in the gift shop to making sure there are enough paper towels in the restrooms.
Like many others working in Customer Services with the National Trust for Scotland, Bethan has completed the Trust’s own Visitor Experience Champion Training Programme, which is designed to help staff deliver a fantastic, first-class visitor experience.
Bethan joined the organisation in 2011 as a Property Assistant to gain experience of working within the heritage sector.
With an MA in Celtic and Archeology and an MSc in Medieval History, she soon found that she was perfectly qualified to answer a mind-boggling array of questions from inquisitive visitors.
But we wanted to find about what goes on behind the scenes in Scotland’s stately homes and castles – so we asked her not about the suits of armour or whether she had ever seen a ghost, but about her experiences of working in Customer Services.
Can you describe a typical day?
Well, the start of the work day consists of opening up the Georgian House and cleaning the “non-historic” parts of the property. The banking from the day before is completed and the visitor and retail details are digitally recorded and sent to HQ. Finally, the doors open to the public at 10am precisely.
The rest of the day is all front of house Customer Services – this means welcoming visitors to the property, selling tickets, guidebooks and memberships and giving introductions to the House itself. It also involves managing the other staff and volunteers, covering tea breaks and lunch breaks.
Once the last visitor has left and the House is closed, the tills need to be cashed up and the money securely stored in the safe. The property also needs to be shut down correctly and the alarms set when leaving.
What do you love most about your role?
I love the variety of people I get to meet every day. I get to greet visitors who come to the Georgian House from all over the world.
What are the most challenging aspects of the job?
Coping with difficult customers effectively and politely at all times can be challenging…but rewarding. So, too, is managing the volunteers, who sometimes have quite different requirements to full-time staff.
What would you say is unique about working for National Trust for Scotland?
The setting for this job – in wonderful historic properties and places of natural heritage – is certainly unique! Equally special is being able to work with the large numbers of volunteers on whom the Trust depends to keep the organisation running.