What is a Customer Experience Officer and what do they do?
Published: 2 Sep 2022
Updated: 11 Nov 2022
Time taken : <5mins
What does a customer experience officer do at a performing arts centre? Let's find out!
He makes sure your experience as an Esplanade visitor is a pleasant and an enjoyable one. He is probably the first person you want to look for when you step into Esplanade or the last person you see before you enter one of the centre’s ticketed venues.
As there are many different venues both indoors and outdoors at Esplanade, Omar has a variety of uniforms that he has to wear to suit his duties as a customer experience officer. You probably won’t find anyone else in Esplanade who has so many different uniforms!
If you’re looking to buy tickets to shows at Esplanade or around Singapore, you’re going to be getting Omar’s assistance at the Box Office and Visitor Centre. And if you can’t decide what seats to get at any of Esplanade’s venues, just ask Omar for his recommendation—customer experience officers know which seats are best for your preferences.
You can also come here to get Omar’s assistance for anything in the centre!
By the time you get to the venue with your ticket, there’s already a whole bunch of stuff that Omar has done!
When Omar is assigned to a show, he becomes the venue officer for that show. This means that he is responsible for getting that venue ready to receive patrons coming to watch the performance. This involves a lot of preparation as Omar has to study the show’s requirements, brief the ushers helping out at the show, make sure the venue is clean and ready, and get the queue poles in position, amongst other things. Lastly, Omar also welcomes you and scans your ticket for you to enjoy the venue to enjoy your show!
Oh, and if you aren’t sure of where your seat is, Omar can help you out with that too.
Q: What skills do you need to be a customer experience officer?
Omar: As this is a job that requires a lot of interaction with members of the public who are looking for assistance, you need very good problem-solving skills in order to help them quickly and efficiently. You also need to be able to communicate yourself clearly as you might be providing instructions or directions.
Every person working in customer service also has to have patience and the ability to empathise and understand the emotions of the people you are helping.
Q: What do I need to study to be a customer experience officer?
Omar: Academically, it would be useful to have qualifications such as a diploma or degree in Hospitality and Event Management.
Q: What are some essential tools that you use?
Omar: My walkie-talkie! You also need to be able to communicate quickly and clearly to your teammates in order to perform your duties well at Esplanade. This is especially important because there are many things happening in a short period of time when a show is about to start and you usually need information or assistance from your teammates fast!
Q: Why does Esplanade need a customer experience officer?
Omar: Customer experience officers are the frontline workers at Esplanade who represent Esplanade’s image, mission and values. We extend warm welcomes to all visitors to the centre because we want to create a positive and pleasant experience for everyone who comes to Esplanade!
A good customer experience is invaluable because happy patrons are usually glad to tell their friends about their positive experience at Esplanade. We call visitors who come to enjoy the arts at Esplanade “patrons” because supporters of the arts are known as “arts patrons”, and we feel that’s what people do when they come to the centre! A good first impression keeps people coming back for more.
Q: What’s your most memorable moment at work?
Omar: There was once a patron whom I had the pleasure of serving throughout her day at Esplanade. I assisted her in purchasing tickets to her show, and then was her guide for a tour of Esplanade, and then I was the venue officer for that show she attended that evening. She felt like I was her personal butler!
Now that you know a little more about what a customer experience officer does, let's find out how much you know about this important job!
