Supervisor, Contact Center

Missouri Botanical Garden•St. Louis, MO

About The Position

The Contact Center Supervisor leads the integrated customer service team serving patrons of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, and Shaw Nature Reserve. The team handles phone and email inquiries and transactions involving tickets, memberships, donations, event registrations, classes, accessibility requests, and visitor information. The supervisor develops strategies to increase membership conversion, upgrades, cross-selling, philanthropic support, and other revenue opportunities, and maintains current procedures and documentation to prepare staff for promotions, events, and programs across all sites. This role builds relationships with staff across the three locations and reports to the Director of Membership and Development Operations within the Institutional Advancement Division. The supervisor oversees day-to-day Contact Center operations and staff, including hiring, training, scheduling, performance evaluation, goal setting, and coaching. The role coordinates staffing for the Contact Center and frontline membership station, establishes and monitors service and productivity goals, and works with frontline supervisors, program managers, and leadership to ensure consistent service and timely communication. The supervisor serves as the Contact Center representative on the Tessitura superusers group, resolves escalated patron issues, provides phone and email coverage as needed, and supports major member and public events. The position also delegates additional work such as outbound calls, data cleanup, and mail preparation; prepares patron feedback reports and recommends improvements to communications and CRM configuration; and ensures staff follow applicable safety standards and established policies. The supervisor must be able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays, as well as regular business hours. This role supervises three full-time and four part-time regular Membership and Contact Center Assistants, the Garden receptionist, and temporary part-time staff.

Requirements

At least two years of experience in a nonprofit, arts/culture, box office, customer service, phone center, or sales environment.
Prior supervisory experience, including scheduling, managing, and motivating a customer-facing team.
Ability to communicate effectively at all levels and interact comfortably with the general public.
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-volume environment, adapt on short notice, and handle escalated customer service issues with resolve and sensitivity.
Punctuality, dependability, self-starting ability, effective multitasking, and ability to work under minimal supervision.
Willingness and ability to work nights, weekends, and some holidays in addition to regular business hours.
Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
Ability to communicate effectively in English, verbally and in writing.
Basic math skills, including performing arithmetic and calculating percentages and decimals.
Ability to exercise independent judgment, assess other divisions’ needs and considerations, and solve problems effectively.
Valid driver’s license.
Ability to pass a background screening and motor vehicle report (MVR) to meet minimum insurance underwriting criteria.
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Communications, Nonprofit Management, or a relevant field, or an equivalent combination of skills, education, and experience.
Ability to make frequent telephone calls, manage vendor communications, use a computer keyboard, and sit for extended periods.
Ability to lift and carry 20 pounds, occasionally participate hands-on in event setups, perform tasks at varying heights, use stairwells, move around the facility, and frequently stand, reach, and stoop.
Ability to work indoors and outdoors in all weather conditions.
Ability to obtain required travel clearances, driving permits, and vaccinations if international travel is necessary for Garden business.

Nice To Haves

Fundraising or membership experience is strongly preferred.
Experience with Tessitura or a similar CRM, fundraising database, or ticketing system is strongly preferred; technology fluency and curiosity are important.
Experience in a call center or with phone systems is a plus.
Professional experience using social media platforms is preferred.

Responsibilities

Supervise Contact Center staff handling phone and online/email communications with patrons regarding tickets, memberships, donations, event registrations, classes, accessibility requests, and general information.
Hire, train, schedule, evaluate, set goals for, and coach staff.
Develop and adjust schedules for the Contact Center and frontline membership station to manage time and skills against call and email volume and quality standards.
Create and execute training plans, procedures, and current documentation covering systems, programs, events, and visitor information across the three sites.
Represent Contact Center needs and patron experience perspectives on the Tessitura superusers group.
Develop and implement strategies to increase membership conversion and upgrades, cross-selling, philanthropic support, and other revenue opportunities.
Set and monitor goals for call volume and quality, email response rates, and other productivity measures established by Institutional Advancement leadership.
Collaborate with frontline supervisors and program managers to share information and maintain consistent service across the three sites.
Maintain the Contact Center as a hub for current procedures, programs, and updates.
Work with leadership on communication plans for new events, programs, and procedures affecting members and visitors.
Serve as the first point of contact for escalated customer service issues, resolve them where possible, and escalate and track issues through resolution as needed.
Provide phone and email coverage as needed.
Oversee and delegate additional Contact Center tasks, including outbound calls, data cleanup, and mail preparation.
Support major member and public events by ensuring appropriate phone support, staff training, and troubleshooting.
Create and distribute patron feedback reports and recommend improvements to communications and CRM configuration.
Ensure applicable safety standards are followed; inform staff and volunteers of safety guidelines and monitor compliance.
Meet attendance guidelines and follow established policies and procedures.
Promote teamwork, cooperation, and respect among employees, supervisors, volunteers, visitors, and others.
Perform other duties as assigned.