Working Remotely - Senior Account Manager, Paris

Thomas Coulbault, Senior Account Manager for Paris told us all about working remotely with GetYourGuide.

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What is your role at GetYourGuide?

I am the Senior Account Manager for Paris, France. I joined GetYourGuide back in January 2014 when the company had only 80 employees located in one office. After two years in the Berlin office, GetYourGuide asked me to relocate to Paris to continue growing the destination from there.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day in the Paris office starts in the morning by checking if we have the right amount of tickets in our stock and deciding if we need to order more to ensure we won’t sell out. I look at the daily and weekly sale numbers, the customer satisfaction rate for our top 50 products and check if we have seats available for our low-availability products.

Then, I organise my daily work according to my priorities. It can vary from preparing a Business Case to get a new product validated internally, having a meeting with a new supplier or testing a product to check what the customer experience is like.

Each week, I try to have two meetings with suppliers and to spend minimum half a day on the ground to test new products. I also have a meeting with each one of my top 10 suppliers every quarter, and I constantly speak to them on the phone to improve the customer experience on all our top products. It is all about being as close as you can with your partners and the attractions you are working with!

What does your work environment look like?

We are a team of three people in the Paris office: Cecile, Regional Manager for France, UK and Spain, who is the link between our Berlin headquarters and the local teams in each of those three countries. Eulalie, the Account Manager for France (outside or Paris and Paris cabarets) and I. I take care of the Parisian key accounts.

Our office is located in one of the most prestigious avenues of Paris, Avenue de l’Opera, going from the Opera Garnier to the Louvre. We wanted to be close to the attractions and the suppliers we work with and to have a prestigious address to help the GetYourGuide image locally. Our office is quite small but it allows us to bond even more as a team.

What are the advantages of working remotely?

There are various advantages of working remotely. The first one is having the biggest impact on the customer experience in the destination. Being local allows you to go on the ground and see what needs to be improved and to act faster and more efficiently.  You also get a chance to build a closer relationship with the suppliers by spending more time with them, advising them and making propositions to create new products. With all of these opportunities, you get to know your destination in depth and have a more precise, efficient sense of the market and what needs to be done.

Are there any disadvantages to working remotely?

The disadvantage of not being in the headquarters is that you can tend to lose access to some information you could easily obtain if you were located in Berlin. Because the company is growing really quickly and there are always changes happening, it can be hard to keep track of exactly what is happening or how teams are moving, for example. Of course, when a company is growing, you can’t keep up with every single thing. However, I this is even more noticeable when you are remote versus if you were based in Berlin. Also as your team will be smaller, make sure you get along with your teammates ;)

What advice would you have for someone who is considering working remotely?

Be independent and don’t be afraid to go out and be on the ground as much as possible. You will always get something from it, whether it will be valuable information from a guide or a partner, nice feedback from customers or something you notice that needs improving. Because you spend a lot of time on the ground, it is then important to prioritize your tasks when you are back in the office.

How do you remain connected to the culture and core values of GetYourGuide while working remotely?

I try to visit another remote office each semester and return to Berlin at least three times a year.  We also have a weekly huddle with the other Account Managers where we share new information, challenges, and learnings.

What is the best thing about working remotely with GetYourGuide?

All the product testings, drinks with suppliers, and networking events. Working outside with amazing attractions like the Louvre or Versailles Palace is an added bonus! We were invited on the rooftop of the Arc de Triomphe for the arrival of the Tour de France which is a good memory for sure.

Want to join our Paris team? See our Paris openings here.

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