Visitor Services Associate - Part Time

New England Botanic Garden; Boylston (MA); On-site; USD 22,000 - 31,000; Part time

Job summary

New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, MA seeks a part-time Visitor Services Associate to staff the Visitors Center desk, greet visitors, and assist with admissions and memberships.

The role requires a friendly, professional presence, ability to handle cash and operate the POS system, and comfort with basic computer tasks. Experience in customer service is preferred, and multilingual ability is a plus.

Qualifications

• Friendly, outgoing demeanor with effective verbal and written communication.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Minimum of one-year customer service and cash handling experience.
• Comfort with computers; familiarity with Microsoft 365, Teams, and POS system a plus.
• Multi-language proficiency a plus.

Responsibilities

• Providing a professional, inclusive welcome for all visitors, setting the stage for an enjoyable experience at NEBG at Tower Hill.
• Presenting a courteous, discreet, and knowledgeable presence at all times.
• Providing general information in-person and over the phone to answer visitor inquiries.
• Greeting visitors and assisting with admissions, memberships, or check-in of pre-sold admissions.
• Directing visitors and informing them about membership, programs, or garden highlights.
• Opening and closing the Visitors Center, managing cash registers and maintaining space appearance.

Skills

Customer service

Cash handling

Multi-language

Education

High school diploma

Tools

POS system

Microsoft 365

Job description

Job DetailsJob Location: Boylston, MA 01505Position Type: Part TimeSalary Range: $19.29 - $19.29 HourlyPosition Overview

Visitor Services Associates at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill are responsible for staffing the Visitor Services desk in the Visitors Center. Associates greet and assist all visitors including general visitors, members, donors, volunteers, and vendors as well as assisting callers with general information requests and admissions questions. They are specifically responsible for selling admissions and memberships, directing visitors throughout the property, answering questions about events and programs, and generally educating visitors about the Garden.

Responsibilities

• Providing a professional, inclusive welcome for all visitors, setting the stage for an enjoyable experience at NEBG at Tower Hill.
• Presenting a courteous, discreet, and knowledgeable presence at all times.
• Providing general information in-person and over the phone which consistently demonstrates basic familiarity with gardens and programs in order to answer visitor inquiries.
• Greeting all visitors as they enter the Visitors Center and selling admission or memberships, or checking-in pre-sold admissions through our point-of-sale system. Directing visitors and, as time allows, informing visitors about membership, daily programs, or garden highlights which change throughout the year.
• Maintaining and demonstrating familiarity with all membership levels and the associated benefits in order to accurately process members for admission and offer advice when visitors are buying a membership.
• Assisting callers with ticket reservations, class registrations, membership sales, and troubleshooting their online accounts.
• Opening and closing the lobby of the Visitors Center in a timely manner. Duties include opening and closing the cash registers, as needed, keeping the area stocked with collateral and supplies, as well as monitoring overall appearance of the space.
• Accurately processing cash, check, and credit card transactions for admissions in a fast-paced environment. Register drawers are to be counted at the beginning and end of each day.
• Directing all non-garden visitors and deliveries as appropriate.
• During busy shifts, working closely with coworkers and volunteers to keep lobby traffic flowing smoothly.
• Assisting with the directed response to an emergency or in the completion of incident reports.
• Providing support for other departments and other duties as assigned by the Visitor Services Manager.
• Willingness to attend staff training on various topics that further individual professional development and organizational goals
• Be welcoming to all staff and the public.
• Be respectful of staff differences and preferences.
• Use gender neutral communication styles.
• Respect everyone’s pronouns.
• Works with an awareness of surroundings and vigilant to any possible threat to the safety of staff and the public, or to NEBG at TH property. Ensure all concerns are reported promptly.
• Complies with provisions of the current Employee Handbook, all published personnel policies, and the requirements of the job description.
• Other duties as assigned.

Supervision and Training

This position reports to the Visitor Services Manager but also receives day-to-day supervision from the Assistant Visitor Services Manager. There can be 2 to 6 Visitor Services Associates that work as a team each day. All new employees will receive training in customer service skills and on our point-of-sale system.

Schedule

Visitor Services Associate positions are year-round, hourly, and non-exempt from overtime. The Garden is open seven days a week and the Visitor Services Desk must be staffed anytime the Garden is open to the public, including some seasonal evening hours. Current available shifts are on Saturdays and Sundays beginning at 8:30am or 9:30am totaling 29.75 hours available every two weeks.

QualificationsEducation and Experience

• Friendly outgoing demeanor with effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, busy environment.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum of one-year customer service and cash handling experience required.
• Must be comfortable with computers in a high-energy environment. Familiarity with Microsoft 365 Suite, Teams, and point of sale system a plus.
• Multi-language proficiency a plus.

Physical Demands / Working Conditions:

• Must be able to sit or stand in one area for four or more hours.
• Must be able to work with necessary computer, general office, and communications equipment.

Note: Duties described above, other duties and physical demands have been identified as essential functions as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.