Neil Crittenden
Park Retail Coach
"I joined in 1996, and spent six years working fixed-term around different retailing outlets in the park. I became permanent three years ago – first as Hotels Retail and Fun Retail Manager, then back in the park as Arcades Manager. Latterly I've moved up to be a Commercial Area Coach, then a Commercial Duty Coach, and recently I've been promoted to Park Retail Coach responsible for all of the park retail units. Fantastic!
Part time cash to long term career
"I first worked here part-time whilst I was at college. A lot of my friends were here, and I wanted to join in the fun. I imagined it would be exciting, fast paced, a little bit ruthless even. I was right about it being a lot of fun, but making the fun 'happen' is a very serious business.
"When I joined, I looked at the managers and thought, “they all made it from starting out in the front line – why can't I?” Very quickly, I picked up the importance of customer focus, because that's really what this business is all about.
Maintaining the customer experience
"My day usually kicks off with a 10:15 meeting where we discuss the main things happening that day, after which I could literally be anywhere doing anything – touring the park, conducting an audit, investigating the running of the units or meeting any other operational need. I'm there to address any issue at all that might impact on the customer experience.
"As the duty contact, I work day-to-day with our leadership team and different people across the group. I feel I have built up a good rapport with many people over the past few years. Walking around the park each day, I get a first-hand picture of everything we're doing commercially, plus a great opportunity to understand the whole business of running a theme park. That puts me in a perfect position to bridge any gaps between teams.
"You can tell who's really committed to the park because they will react to anything that needs attention as and when it happens - they don't need prompting, they just `use` their initiative. I love these people and love working with them.
Support and opportunity – a winning combination
"We're a very friendly company, and we try to do our best for our employees. We put a lot of emphasis on teamwork and excelling in day-to-day challenges, we take time to support each other and celebrate together and above all, we make sure look after our customers. It's hard work and a challenging business – every day and every guest is different. But if you're prepared to put a lot in, then you'll get a lot back out. Personally, I'd be bored working on the high street.
"Thinking back, I've got some great memories of selling balloons in the snow, of playing distance darts (when I should have been stocktaking!), and more recently of winning awards. But the best memories are probably those you leave with your customers. Sometimes, just offering to take a photo or help with directions can set the seal on someone's day."
