“Team=Together everyone achieves more.”
Chuck Eiden, CAC Exhibit Host
Chuck’s observation provided an astute summary of the group conversation during our January Volunteer Steering Committee meeting.
After five months of learning the ropes in our new home, our team of volunteers, staff and docents looks forward to what promises to be an exciting spring and summer as visitors flock back to the friendly confines of the CAC. Now that we’ve survived the polar vortex and enjoyed an influx of Chicagoans pondering the O’Hare terminal models, let’s take a collective moment to breathe as February promises to be a quiet month in the galleries.
During a time when volunteers and staff will often outnumber the guest count inside the CAC, let’s all take advantage of an opportunity to get to better know our teammates.
Have a conversation with the ever-present gallery attendants. Like Cheryl…the Tom Skilling of the CAC, as she’s the barometer of all daily activities in the Center.
Get to know Christian, our facilities coordinator, who never says no to any request.
Say hi to DJ and the rest of the all-knowing and always cheerful team at the box office.
Express your appreciation to Maria. Thanks to her tireless pursuit of every footprint, fingerprint, and dust bunny on the premises, the CAC looks as fresh and clean as it did on opening day last September.
And say howdy to the glue of each day’s team, the guest services volunteer on duty.
Currently we have over 90 folks trained to cover the two GSV shifts each day, and as they are the unsung heroes among the volunteers, it’s worth reiterating their role.
A guest services volunteer is stationed at or near the kiosk under the stairway when walking tours are departing. The GSV serves as the liaison between the box office, walking tour guests, and docents, ensuring that every tour ticket-holder is checked in properly, provided with a listening device, and connected with their docent.
The GSVs, in many cases, are the first extended point of contact for our visitors, playing a “concierge” role in answering questions about the CAC’s tours and organization and providing information about Chicago culture and history, restaurants, transportation, and directions.
In their official job description, GSV staff are encouraged to…
- Provide a welcoming presence and positive experience in helping the box office and docents with guest relations.
- Help visitors make personal connections with what they are seeing and experiencing during their time with us.
- Share ideas and suggestions that they are excited about in fostering curiosity and excitement among our guests.
To also paraphrase exhibit host Brian Kelly from our Steering Committee meeting, our guests perceive anyone wearing a red or black shirt as a touch-point with the CAC brand and experience. Let’s all make an extra effort to engage with our colleagues, as volunteering is truly best played as a team sport.
Cheers, Bob