Freya Gerassimov

In this position I am cross-trained across the areas of the arena, café and reception. I run safety briefings for the climbing sessions, assist climbers in the arena and on the high ropes, and overall assist in maintaining a level of health and safety whilst providing the best experience for customers I can. I help in the cafe, preparing and serving hot drinks and food and using the till. I also can work in the reception area booking customers in and dealing with in person or telephone enquiries. I have been a part of the NICAS Clip scheme since it started, originally assisting but then moving onto running it myself. I plan the sessions, using the guide and my own experience, and deliver them with enthusiasm and passion. I develop good rapport with both the children and their adult guardians and do my best to ensure they get the most out of these sessions. Working efficiently here is paramount to ensuring high customer satisfaction, I am confident in my safety knowledge, as well as being adept at sticking to my briefing schedules and being as personable as I can to build climbers confidence and skills. I receive good feedback from customers and management.

Here I assist in greeting guests upon arrival to create welcoming atmosphere, serve meals and drinks with professionalism, maintaining high presentation and quality standards. We serve high volumes of guests in fast-paced environments with exceptional customer care. I regularly communicate with both kitchen staff and bar staff to maintain smooth front of house operations and minimise potential service delays. Upon receiving any complaints or concerns I immediately notify the correct staff and either resolve it promptly and professionally myself or communicate with management if needed to ensure top tier service at all times. I provide friendly, courteous service, and can clearly translate and customer requests to kitchen or bar staff to meet any specific needs, maximising positive customer satisfaction. Maintaining cleanliness is vital, here I clean, sanitise and organise tables, wait stations, and the general restaurant floor area, ensuring exceptional hygiene standards. I also calculate charges and issue bills, then process card payments promptly, ensuring it is all accurate to avoid till discrepancies and enable swift table turnarounds.

Here I was part of a team that helped the bar staff with anything they needed, this involved collected glasses from the bar and floor area, washing and refilling up glassware, clearing and resetting tables, keeping the floor, toilets, bars, and tables clean, restocking the fridges and shelves, and keeping the ice stocked up. I was also one of of few that could change kegs and gas for beers and fizzy drinks. I had slightly more responsibilities than others, as I am a very motivated worker and enjoy helping where I can. I also would help and be involved in closing or opening the bar and back of bar and dealing with stock deliveries, I progressed a lot in just the 3 months I was there and was on my way to becoming supervisor when personal circumstances arose. I enjoyed this job as it was mostly a very busy job and I thrive when I am given lots to do as I enjoy learning new things and refining skills.

In this job I was required to interact with customers and assist in finding the best floor for them. I also dealt with company reps to keep on top of ordering and accepting stock, which I did with outside companies through software and phone/online communication. I was also answering the phones, dealing with bookings and enquiries from customers and sales companies, and kept a general level of tidiness and organisation around the shop, office and warehouse. Here I also worked on improving the company website, and ran social media to advertise the jobs we had done for customers. I feel this job improved my people skills and I learnt a lot about business skills, administration and furthered my skills in using software.

At this job, I made and served drinks at the bar, took orders from customers, answered the phone and dealt with bookings and enquiries. I brought food orders out to the tables and sometimes assisted in the kitchen if needed. Other parts of this job involved maintaining the bar and other areas to ensure they stay clean, and processing cash and card payments. I often had good feedback from customers and managers, and I felt my confidence and skill improved every shift. I learnt a lot about customer service, being a server and a bartender, and also being able to cope under pressure.

At this place of work I dealt with customer service at the front desk, I also washed hair, made and served hot and cold beverages, answered the phone and used the software in the computer system to book in clients or change appointments if needed. I also maintained the salon and staff room to ensure a clean and safe space. As this was my first job I learnt a lot about working with customers and I carried those skills with me throughout my other jobs and in general day to day. I learnt how to work under management and how to work efficiently on busy days.