Service Manager, tourism

Briefly explain what you do for a living.

I work as a service manager in a company specialising in farm tourism, which provides accommodation, meals, and programme services for camp school pupils, families, and other groups.

I am responsible for everything related to group reservations. I manage customer service, i.e. I keep in touch with customers and respond to invitations to tender. I make preparations for group visits, such as booking facilities and planning the programme according to customers’ wishes. When the group arrives at the farm, I welcome them and take care of them. During the visit, I manage various activities, and finally, I will take care of invoicing.

In addition, I maintain the booking system and booking calendar, as well as develop existing services and productise new ones.

How have you ended up in the profession of your choice?

I have a long career in sales and customer service. I liked customer service, but I needed change. I applied to study in the tourism sector, and after my internship I got a permanent job.

Describe your typical working day or week.

My typical working day is either office work or an active day in programme services. On office days, I respond to invitations to tender, maintain the reservation system, do invoicing, and carry out tasks related to the development of operations. In quiet times, there are more office days.

During busier seasons, I am at the farm and in its surroundings leafing various nature activities. I direct, for example, ice fishing, kick sledding, wilderness skills competitions, forest excursions, and baking of crepes on a campfire to camp school pupils. Sometimes there are so many groups that I spend all the working days of the week outdoors.

What kind of work environment or working hours do you have?

I work from home, at the office, outdoors at the farm, and in the forest.

My working hours vary a lot, but I usually work during the day. I work approximately 1-2 Saturdays a month, but the weekend work is not evenly distributed throughout the year. In addition, I usually work one or two evenings a week. Sometimes the days are long, but sometimes I can work shorter hours and take more leave. I can have my summer holiday in July, which is rare in the tourism sector.

What kind of competence or qualities are required in the profession?

In this work, it is important to be comfortable with people and be able to communicate fluently both orally and in writing. Competence acquired through training in the provision, development, and implementation of tourism sector services is essential. The work of a service manager requires the ability to organise matters, plan schedules, and work independently.

I also need many kinds of practical skills in my work, but the most important thing is readiness to take on whatever task. A small company also requires flexibility and patience. IT competence is beneficial in office work.

What is the best thing about your profession?

The best thing about my profession is that I can offer customers experiences and work in versatile tasks.

What are the downsides of the profession or what seems challenging?

In a small company, the activities are not always well organised, planned, or systematically managed. It often causes problems during busy seasons.

Tourism is often seasonal, and this applies also to our company. There are times when there is too much work and sometimes too little work. Periodic lay-offs are also possible.

What would you tell a person considering the profession of a service manager?

Networking is important, as vacancies are not always publicly available. In addition, it is a good idea to prepare for atypical working hours in the sector, as the demand for tourism services is highest during weekends and holidays.

The tourism sector is still relatively small in Finland, but there is a lot of growth potential. However, there are few supervisor- or expert-level jobs. If you are interested in tourism, it is a good idea to start studying and select internships for future employment.

How do you see the future of your profession?

In Finland, public funding for tourism has been reduced, even though the sector has untapped potential. Tourism may well be a future export product for Finland. As a result of climate change, Finland’s pleasant temperatures and safety make the country an increasingly attractive destination.