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The practical steps to run a successful ExperienceFirst tour are:
Arriving 15 minutes early (or 30 for some tours - you'll be told when this applies)
Utilising the ExperienceFirst check in app to check in all guests
Starting the tour with an ExperienceFirst intro
Conducting the tour in line with the 10 principles of being a great guide
Finishing the tour with an ExperienceFirst outro
Following up with guests to request a review
Before the tour
Before the tour
Arriving at the meeting point
Arriving at the meeting point
At a minimum you should arrive 15 minutes before every tour. This is to allow people to find you, and also spread out the time it takes to check everyone in. The guests are also asked to arrive 15 minutes before the start time of the tour.
Some specialist tours may require additional time (due to the volume of guests and complexity of check in). This will always be communicated to you on a per tour basis.
Checking in guests
Checking in guests
With a tour concierge
With a tour concierge
At popular locations (e.g. Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 memorial), we may be checking in hundreds of guests in one day. In these instances you will be supported by a tour concierge. This is someone who will check in the guests and assign them to a guide (there will be multiple guides with you ready to take guests on the same tour).
In these cases you should let the tour concierge know as soon as you arrive. Guests will be assigned in order of your arrived. I.e. the earliest person to arrive will be assigned the first guests. You should start your tour as soon as the tour concierge tells you your group is full.
Please be prepared to assist the tour concierge and support the check in process in any way you can.
The tour concierge will provide guests with any tickets associated with the tour, you do not need to do this.
Without a tour concierge
Without a tour concierge
When you are checking in guests on your own (without a tour concierge), you will have a Point Person who will be in contact with you during the tour. Your Point Person will assist you with any questions that may arise and will communicate with you concerning guests who are part of your tour. You will use the ExperienceFirst Check In app. You can access the Check In app anytime from the homepage of Bob. The Check In app is configured per location, therefore, you should double check that you have accessed the correct portal for your city.
You should stand somewhere visible and ensure you have something from ExperienceFirst prominently on display. This may be a paddle, lanyard, uniform, hat, or flag.
You should check in each individual guest as they arrive. Their names will be included on the manifest associated with your tour on the app. Once all of your guests have arrived, you can start the tour (see note below regarding latecomers).
You may also have physical tickets that you will provide to your guests at the check in time.
Point Persons
Point Persons
A Point Person is a remote team member who will help you during check-in. They will text you a few hours before the tour, via Whatsapp. They will help you to problem solve any issues that may arise.
Here are their phone numbers, if you want to save their numbers.
Ticketing Team, who normally Point Person for Ticketed Tours:
Jhemna - Ticketing Team Leader - +63 923 970 8115
Azel - +63 956 831 4963
Trexie - +63 945 149 7671
Aji - + 63 998 840 8940
Camille - +63 950 984 9699
Rachel - Customer Service Team Leader - +63 976 080 0573
Rein - +63 935 792 6365
Vesna - +381 66 425112
Mariana - +351 919 900 903
Rizelle - +971 56 614 8839
Checking in different booking types
Checking in different booking types
Guests can book an ExperienceFirst tour in many different ways. Their method of booking may mean some different processes in our Check In App. This is to ensure we have all the information correct for our own records, and also to share with affiliate partners we utilise for ticket sales.
The different check in processes are outlined below. It may take a few tours to get used to this. We recommend keeping this page handy for the first few tours you take.
You can access the check in app anytime from the homepage on Bob. Look for this icon on the right hand side under "essentials".
General check in
General check in
To check in guests do the following.
From the homepage of the check in app expand the menu in the top left hand corner.
From the dop down menu, select the tour code and time of your specific tour.
Select "Manifest" - this will give you a full list of all guests.
As each guest arrives, click on their name to open their profile.
Select "check in" at the top of the profile, and select the relevant guide name (if you are checking in your own guests this will be your name, if you are assisting a tour concierge this will be the name of the guide who will be taking that guest).
If there are any issues or notes you want to share with the team, for example on site changes to the booking (such as ticket upgrades) you can "insert comments" at the bottom of each guest profile.
In the event of a no show, no action is required. Simply leave the guests unchecked in.
This shows you how to select your tour and the manifest button.
This is a guest profile. You can see it is for 2 people, includes museum tickets (seen as "MUS") and the booking is from Viator.
This shows the drop down menu to check in a guest and assign them to a guide.
You can view a video demonstration of a general check in for reference.
Check in exeptions based on booking type
Check in exeptions based on booking type
GoCity Passes
GoCity Passes
Many of our guests have purchases a discounted city bundle from a third party supplier, this is called a GoCity Pass. It gives visitors access to several attractions in a specific city as well as walking tours, including ours. If someone has a GoCity Pass, you must scan it when presented by the guest, even if the guest states they will not be joining the tour. Unscanned passes (ie--no shows) does NOT charge the guest. We do, however, still encourage guests to come to the meeting place and have their passes scanned. This way, we can collect payment from GoCity Pass for the spot the guest would have occupied.
The first steps of the check in process remain the same, find the name of the person who has booked, open their profile and check them in by assigning a guide. Then:
Select 'redeem pass'.
On the next screen, scan the pass (QR code) that has been provided.
Click 'next' to complete the check in process.
You will need to scan each pass of every member of the party.
If the pass fails to scan, allow the guest to continue on the tour, however please reverse the check in process (unselect the guide they have been assigned to) and make a note in the comments section.
Sometimes a guest's pass is 'INVALID' when scanned, this means it has expired (they only have a set amount of days to use it, from the moment they activate it that day is counted as a full day). If that happens, the guests have two choices:
Pay for the tour on the spot (see walk ups) below; or
Don't take the tour.
Should guests be argumentative about the validity of their passes please direct them to GoCity customer service. Contact information below:
GO CITY CUSTOMER SERVICE:
+1 800 887-9103
Customers with invalid passes/problem with passes can contact Go City the following ways:
1) Chat bot on the FAQs page: https://gocity.com/en/faqs
2) Phone call: + 1 800 887 9103 (more phone numbers listed on the faq page)
3) writing a contact form on the faq page: https://gocity.com/en/faqs
IMPORTANT NOTE! If you're customers have any issues at check in, you can show them this QR code and they will be able to liase directly with GoCity Customer Service.
Customer Support QR Code.pdfThe Siteseeing Pass
The Siteseeing Pass
The Siteseeing Pass is another bundle option that guests may have purchase for activities and attractions during their stay. This Pass has it's own app, you should scan the passes utilising the vendor app (not the ExerpeinceFirst check in app).
Once scanned, follow the usual check in process in the ExperienceFirst app and write in the comments section that they Siteseeing Pass has been scanned.
Walk ups
Walk ups
Occassionally someone will ask to join the tour when they see it starting. Wherever possible we try to accommodate, the only exception being if the tour is at capacity or if tickets are included. To participate in the tour, payment must be received first.
Follow the following process:
Text the local operations team with the number of guests.
The team will send you a payment link for the guest; or
If the person has a GoCity Pass, but did not yet book the tour, the operations team will make a booking, which will be added to the check in app, and you can scan their pass as usual.
Dealing with late comers
Dealing with late comers
We get it, people sometimes miss their train, get lost or lose track of time when they’re exploring. However, we do need to make sure our tours leave on time for the rest of the guests. Here are the steps to take if you are missing guests that are listed on your manifest:
Whenever possible, start your introduction on time at the meeting point. You will likely have some information to share, which will buy you between 5 and 10 minutes.
If your guests have not arrived by the time you leave the meeting spot, mark them as a no-show in the Check In app and continue on with the tour. Guests often reach out to our customer service team, if they are able to meet up with you later in the tour, the customer service team will send you a text message. Please keep an occasional eye on your phone for the first 15 minutes.
If you are working with a tour concierge, leave any spare tickets you have behind. These can be passed on to guests to take advantage of even if they’ve missed your tour.
If there is no tour concierge, take the tickets with you and you may be able to pass these on if the guests catch up to you at the final stop.
On the tour
On the tour
Tour intro
Tour intro
The first few minutes of a tour are the most important. It’s true that first impressions matter. This is an opportunity to not only get people excited, but also provide important instructions and set the tone. Your tour intro should always include:
Welcome on behalf of ExperienceFirst. Guests may not have been aware of exactly who they booked with (often they book through a third party platform like Viator). Example of how to do this - but feel free to use your own language!
On behalf of ExperienceFirst I’d like to give you a very warm welcome to [city]. ExperienceFirst is all about giving you the best experiene possible, and that’s where I come in.
Housekeeping. If you can tell people what to expect upfront, it will mean fewer questions along the way and can help people feel comfortable knowing what to expect. You should include:
How long the tour will be
Where/when (if) there will be a bathroom break
How much walking, breaks and shade
In each location you will share some information first, then provide time for photos
Where you will end and what public transport is available at that point (also worth checking if anyone in the group has a ‘hard stop’ - i.e. somewhere they need to be)
An introduction to your topic. Explain what people will see and why it’s important. But this is where the story telling starts. Makes sure you provide an engaging context.
Any specific safety or other instructions, e.g.
Keeping an eye on you as you walk (if you are quite short, picking a tall person in your group and encouraging them to walk up front with you can help!)
How the group will cross roads, i.e. always wait for lights. If someone gets stuck at a red light, you will wait on the other side. People should never feel they have to cross a red light to catch you.
Scams or other known risks in the area (e.g. pickpockets)
Any areas that will be particularly busy
How tickets will be provided (if relevant).
Taking a group photo
Taking a group photo
On most tours you are encouraged to take a group photo. The reason for this is to enhance the guest experience and also provide something to share with your review mailer that will encourage both reviews and tips.
Choose a spot that captures the ‘essence’ of your tour and causes minimum disruption to other foot traffic.
Tour outro
Tour outro
After your tour intro, the second most important impression you can make is the tour outro. This is the last thing people remember and can prompt them to take additional action (for example leave a review). Your tour outro should always include:
Thanks for joining ExperienceFirst. We exist to create lifelong memories for each and every guest, we are also passionate about showing off our places and helping you see a small part of it.
If you’ve enjoyed the tour, please leave a review. The purpose of reviews are to highlight great work done by our guides and also encourage other people to book with us.
Tap and tip
Review process TBC
We don’t expect tips, however if you’ve enjoyed your time they are always welcome.
Finally, we have a range of tours both in this city and around the world. If you’ve enjoyed today, here are some others you may find interesting…
Share other tours in the city (there will be a cross-selling incentive)
Share other cities if people are travelling onwards.
After the tour
After the tour
Send a review mailer
Send a review mailer
After each tour, we ask you to contact your guests, attaching a group photo and asking for the guests to leave a review of their experience. These reviews are crucial for helping us maintain our search ranking (meaning we get more bookings and more work for you!).
Conduct any required financial reconciliations
Conduct any required financial reconciliations
On some tours, you may be required to purchase things on behalf of your guests, for example tickets, transport or food. In these instances you will be provided with an ExperienceFirst credit card.
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