customer service representative

account manager

team leader

customer service team lead

consultant

Booking.com

The work as a customer service representative is standard for any customer service call center. The 3rd party status of the company results in it being worse than other call centers in regards to the way representatives are treated by customers. This is largely caused by the hotel industry which not only allows unethical practices, such as purposely overbooking and cancelling long held reservations to create opportunities for booking the Anne rooms at higher rates, but seems to embrace them at times. Since their biggest customers, large chain hotels, work with such firm practices, many hotel staff are unaware of how 3rd party companies work and often pass these complications and misconceptions onto the guests who then contact Booking.com for assistance from an often uncaring hotel. This results in many guests that are upset with both companies as Booking.com has to rely on the original offender our other hotels who usually have a similar business model to the original property.

That being said, very few call centers pay well enough to make up for the stress that is common in the industry and Booking.com is not one of them. Even then, they offer a higher than average amount of paid time off which also functions as paid sick days should they be needed. They also provide paid holidays, should you not be required of volunteer to work them, with an option to gain an additional day of paid time off should you work the holiday and choose to give up the standard holiday pay increase.

The company also encourages spirit weeks and potlucks during the work days, so long as they don't cause too much disruption with workflow. The frequency of these are largely dependent upon your manager though. They even have a yearly convention, held in Amsterdam as that is where their headquarters is located, where they provide paid time off and pay for travel and lodging to those that get selected to go.

They give frequent coaching and are willing to work with you on training for promotions. Keep in mind though that they are an international company and therefore tend to prioritize those that speak 2 or more languages for advancement. They also allow transfers and promotions between offices, sometimes even to other countries where offices are located, should you qualify for open positions.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The people and culture that was built over the course of the first 10 years!

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The company did a great job of making it's employees comfortable. They focused on work/life balance and consistency acted on employees feedback. They provided training for handling stress and many other valuable resources whether it be work or life related.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It was a diverse and inclusive environment where upper management focused on employee engagement and health. It sounds cliche but it really was like a family. Everyone was encouraged to share their thoughts good or indifferent and if an issue came up, the company did it's best to rectify it! 
However all that changed significantly when new leadership took over at the highest levels. You could feel a sizmic shift. Then COVID hit and mobile workplace was implemented. Leadership would speak to the employees via zoom and right away you could feel the disingenuous rhetoric about employees were at the forefront when in fact greed was the motivation!

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
We would come into work and listen to the CEO talk about how concerned he was for the employees and that the company was losing revenue. Which was true to an extent except for the fact they were receiving millions in support from the Dutch government and other agencies. Then the kicker was the CEO awarded himself a 7 million dollar bonus. This was proceeded by closing all North American offices and promises of jobs with a third party partner which never materialized! While we were still there the CEO gave the most cringe, phony, and almost comical speeches about how it was for the betterment of the business and they just couldn't afford to keep these offices functioning. Meanwhile the company was recovering and reporting massive quarterly earnings, building a billion dollar new HQ office in Amsterdam. I truly believe the new regime will eventually run what was once a global powerhouse who cared about it's customers, community, and employees into the ground. I don't wish this to happen but when greed and self loathing are the driving characteristics of the leader, unfortunately the inevitable is sure to surface.

Pros – You don't need much knowledge or experience to step into most roles at the company in order to succeed. They provide plenty of training and overview (considered by some to be overkill) before you even lift a finger in whatever role you'll fill. The jobs themselves are easy and the tools provided basically hand-feed you all the relevant information. The benefits package is decent, there are company-sponsored happy hours generally once per month and a company holiday party held in Amsterdam each winter. Also, this is the epitome of a 9-5 job, where there is rarely anything so important that it can't wait until your next workday.

Cons – While easy, the work load in the last year for most roles at the company has grown so exponentially that it has become bitterly overwhelming. The constant merging and purging that that company has done has left the remaining employees accumulating new responsibilities with no additional compensation and with low morale (fearing future secret decisions will lead to further mass displacement or firings). Speaking of which, pay is beyond low. The company pays well below the average compared to other top competitors within a similar industry and the standards for earning the quarterly bonuses keep changing. Many employees have even half-jokingly accused the company of "testing" for ways to make it impossible to earn. Most managers lack knowledge, leadership skills or both. Opportunities are extremely rare at this point within any of the established offices in the US and most that do become available are often filled with candidates from the European offices. In my time with the company, 11 upper level positions (senior or better) became available and only 4 were filled with candidates from our local office (and only 2 candidates were from low-level positions in the office) and I was part of one of the biggest offices in the US.

Booking.com is a great company to work with, in my opinion. 

There is a lot of information thrown at you during training, however, it is broken up into two parts so you'll get to apply the knowledge you learned. This job makes me think and use problem solving skills which I truly enjoy. Every case is unique and keeps you on your toes. I will not say it is the easiest job in the world. Customer service jobs are tough. You will have times where it gets extremely frustrating because customers are upset with you and can't get their way. 

As far as management/other employees - everyone has been so nice, supportive and helpful. Although everyone is on different teams, it feels like we're one big team because everyone is so willing and ready to help with any questions. I've never felt unwelcome. You will be checked on often to help you develop and improve in your role. I've already brought up advancing in job and my manager was 100% on board with wanting to help me grow. 

Shifts go 8 &10 hours. From what I've seen, everyone works weekends. They do have different shift options, but weekends seem like a must. There is a premium for working on the weekends though!

Booking.com as a whole is always listening for feedback and constantly changing to be a better company for it's customers and employees.

I love the benefits - health, dental and vision. Gym on site, massage chairs, fitness reimbursements, Free fruits, coffee/tea/hot chocolate. They have a mini store to buy discounted healthy snacks, sandwiches, etc. You do have a benefit for booking with Booking.com. PTO is plentiful but it all comes grouped together in one package. Sick 
time, and etc is all counted for as PTO. 

With my shift, I get two 20 minute paid breaks, 10 mins of personal time (also paid) and 30 minute lunches (unpaid). I do wish the lunch breaks were longer. 

Overall, I'm liking my role so far. I would recommend if you have patience, you're willing to learn and are open to constructive criticism all the time. 

Every job as pros and cons and not every job is for everyone.

While the culture may be fun, that only lasts for about a week when you realize people who are managers haven't graduated from diapers to potty on their own. 

Sale people are subjected to their phone, half hour for lunch, if you're one minute late, you get points against you.

As for the admin side, while they don't do that (well last I was there), the Office Manager has serious issues of her own. The level of disrespect is an atrocity. The admin calls are a waste of time. All voices chiming in on how a job could be done better instead of taking those two hours and doing the job.

They expect you to life heavy boxes and the sales team can't help you if you ask for help, you get in trouble. ???? This coming from twenty something year old manager who does nothing but writing poetry all day on how much he loves the company and reads them during the Monday morning meetings (issues much?)

Then they're not sure who you're reporting to...are you reporting to the office manager or the manager on site who has secret conversations with the office manager and then come back and invent stories about you three months later. 

The employees there have a lot of grown up to. Since my departure, they haven't found a suitable admin and agencies in New York refuse to work with them because they don't know what they are looking for.

If you're an admin, spare yourself from this circus. Trust me the Ringling Brother's treat their elephants better than you would be treated at this place. I still have physical issues from having worked there. 

If you want stability this isn't the place. While the CEO is smart, the people they place in management are not and the turnover rate is astounding. 

Any admin with well over ten years of experience should not be working here. The managers are spoiled and rotten to the core. Respect yourself and find something more promising with people that will respect you in return. 

Oh top of that for such a large title comes a very small salary.

The company attracts people of all ages, experience levels, areas of study and lifestyles with competitive pay compared to other starting-level positions in the job market. If you can prove yourself minimally competent in the English language (and others), you are certain to be employed answering the telephone. Do not expect to advance unless you can sell yourself as a company cheerleader and ingratiate yourself with the people who have done the same before you. Internal positions are often times pre-determined, so be sure not to get too excited about possible prospects. Those who can pucker up the best and make it to a leadership position have it made in the shade and can enjoy a good salary for nothing more than attending unnecessary meetings and micromanaging those in the position they just left themselves. Although your colleagues will be the best part of the job, beware of high school-style cliques and individuals whose only joy in life is stepping on others, as there is no shortage of either, especially if you work in the larger call centers. As much as the company tries to sell an image of inclusivity and deep concern for its employees, they are like any other establishment and will happily send you on your way without an afterthought. If you need a job as you transition to a better phase of your professional life, by all means work at the company, but if you are seeking professional fulfillment, do not linger, because the company is happy to drain your talents, effort and enthusiasm without providing the reward you are after. 

With any customer service field, specifically with calls, it can be a stressful job or it can be an easy job. The days will vary of course since you will be assisting guests' with their complaints and questions, and it also depends on how well you handle negative situations or stress. In my position since it is a call center you will most of the time be taking calls, however you will also be scheduled at some times to respond to emails, messages and live chat. Some times you will be on calls all day and sometimes the tasks will alternate. Your task schedule is not fixed, meaning if they need more people on the phones and you are scheduled to respond to emails, your schedule may change 15 minutes prior to switching tasks to assist in taking calls.

You are scheduled to work in a team that can range around 10-18 colleagues of different races and backgrounds. You will work with other co-workers that speak different languages which is cool because you can learn more about their culture.

The company itself does a great job in wanting to make their employees feel inclusive and help the work be less stressful, it is obvious that they are aware that the customer service industry can be tolling. Because of this, they do fun events such as pajama days, potlucks, team outings and sometimes catered food. They also have subsidized healthy food/snacks in the cafeteria area and there's free coffee, tea and fruit. There are a lot of benefits that come when working with this company. If Customer Service is something you love, I definitely recommend working for Booking.com.

This company has no consistency with how it works. There are good years with management, and then there are bad years. With no doubt, at least once per year it feels as though they do an employee cleanse towards customer service agents. You feel this because out of no where all your metrics and codes are looked at with a magnifying glass. And any discrepancy or sense of work avoidance gets you into PIPs (performance improvement plans). Depending who your team lead is, this can be hellish. IN customer service you are either in the reservations department assisting guests (which are usually complaints) or partners ( properties on our website). You are mostly on the phone. We have metrics to reach and satisfy. In the summer and xmas season it's back to back. 

The good: There are 3 health plan options. One where you don't pay anything out of pocket. The health plan is very good with Aetna. You get 18 days per year of PTO, no sick days. The holidays you are placed to work you can redeem by getting paid x1.5 or for another PTO day. After 5 years you get a whole extra 5 days of PTO. You get $125 every March if you had a medical revision the previous year. You get $240 every year for fitness reimbursement. You get a quarterly bonus which ranges from $300 -$550.

Nowadays they are placing agents in flex schedules, meaning your start time and day of working change everyday per customer demand. 

Culture is very inclusive for all. There may be a sense of hypocrisy. And last, your team lead either fights for you or they just go with the flow and does not fight for you. 

Current pay after 5 years with the company if $17.30

I spent two years there and quit having failed three times to get the promotion my work and knowledge had earnt... I gave full notice and was told I would be welcomed back.

I returned a year later once family situations had changed and after working my way back in for almost a year I applied for one of THIRTY of my old position again. Denied.

Pay is around $12/hour but ridiculously low funded health care took $2.50/hr of that from me for my family of 3. Was left without enough money to live on. What in 2008 was a great place to work has slowly morphed over 5 years to be your average call centre environment with a load of corporate rules due to their rather low hiring standards.

I was eventually fired for posting this on Facebook after a call with a guest: "Yes, caller, you do have to restart your computer if your browser has locked up. No, you don't have to restart the computer in your car as that doesn't handle anywhere near the kind of data a browser does. And hanging up on me doesn't help either." 

My account is private. The post (and a follow-up post telling people why I got fired) were both removed by Facebook without informing me. My wife is now in withdrawal from prescription pain meds as she has a chronic arthritic condition and now has no health care. We are 10-14 days late paying our rent and facing eviction.

Social media policy? Just an excuse to take care of the squeaky wheel in the office.

Management breaks or makes the job and recently management has caused so many people to quit or find other opportunities. I worked there  3 years and had to leave because they hardly offered new shifts. When they did, it always seemed people that sucked up to team leads and management would get morning shifts. Everything changed! 

When I started it wasn’t stressful and our main goal was to provide great customer service to our guests. Now they are numbers based when this job doesn’t require any sales or retention of guests. 

They make you worry about your talk time, customer satisfaction, your adherence, hold time, your contacts per hour on phones and email, finalize and then make you track every reservation you worked on. Basically the job is being micro managed and are just money hungry. 

Booking offered a trip to Amsterdam for conferences but that was cancelled. They are open 365 days, they do not close for any holiday. So chances of you working important holidays are high. I spend my New Years at work when the clock hit 12:00 am, January 1st. 

Management will stab you in the back especially if they do not like you. I’ve seen it happen to a lot of people.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Customer service representative 12 salaries reported	$16.44 per hour
Account manager 13 salaries reported	$70,246 per year
Team leader 11 salaries reported	$52,754 per year
Customer service team lead 5 salaries reported	$56,600 per year
Consultant 6 salaries reported	$52.33 per hour

Working at Booking.com: Company Overview and Reviews

Booking.com

Booking.com Ratings

Popular jobs at Booking.com

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected