Temporary - Animal Service Customer Care Representative

Minimum Qualifications
Education and/or Equivalent Experience:

• Graduation from an accredited high school or equivalent, plus one (1) year of experience in a field related to customer service.

Licenses or Certifications:
None.
Notes to Applicants
Who Are We?
Austin Animal Center‘s mission is to enhance the lives of pets and people by preventing animal homelessness, to help lost pets find their way home or find new homes, to provide education and resources to preserve the human-animal bond, and to administer animal-related ordinances to ensure public and animal safety, all while achieving a 95% live outcome rate for sheltered pets.

Why work here?
If you love animals and want to make a positive impact on our community this is the place for you!We at Austin Animal Center is committed to the wellbeing of animals in our community and shelter. On a daily basis, the work we do here helps hundreds of animals and people within our network.

What’s the Job?
As a Customer Care Rep you must have the ability to communicate effectively and give your undivided attention to citizens when delivering customer services. This position will rotate between conducting conversations with customers that want to adopt an animal (Adoptions) and conversations with customers to assess their needs to connect the customer with there sources that will enable them to keep their pet in the home. Recommend alternatives to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes and to deepen the customers’ understanding of our policies and procedures. (Intake).

This position will advise and respond to complex customer inquiries regarding services, ordinances, and procedures related to sheltered animals and general animal welfare, including animal availability, service timelines and fees; while accurately creating, updating, and maintaining electronic records associated with customers and animals. Customer communication will occur in person, email, fax, phone or 311.

The Customer Care Representative will have the ability to respond to inquiries as quickly as possible while showing compassion and empathy and the ability to handle problems with little or no supervision. The ideal candidate will be a professional, extremely strong verbal communicator, with great listening and organization skills. The individual will have the ability to create effortless experiences by assisting our customers in issue resolution with helpful, efficient, and accurate answers to their questions. Able to be a successful team member with strong verbal communication skills who excels at customer interaction, delivers practical solutions, thrives in quick paced, ever changing, ambiguous and collaborative team environment.

Regarding Your Application: Please be sure to detail on the application all previous employment that you wish to be considered as part of your qualifications. A detailed, complete employment application is required. Be sure to provide job title and employment dates for all jobs you wish to be considered. A résumé is optional but will not substitute for a complete employment application. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please include contact information from previous employers.

If you are selected to interview: Military/Veterans must provide a copy of their DD214 at the time of initial interview to receive military/veteran interview preference.

If you are selected for hire:A Criminal Background check ( CBI ) will be conducted.

Additional Information: Animal Service Office worksite locations are tobacco-free. Use of tobacco products and/or e-cigarettes is not permitted on any ASO worksite - including construction sites, parking lot, or in any personal vehicle located on the premises.

Please Note this posting may close any time after 7 days.
Pay Range
$22.82
Hours
This position will work 40 hours per week and require working both Saturday and Sunday.
Official weekday hours will be determined upon completion of training.
Job Close Date 01/14/2025 Type of Posting External Department Animal Services Regular/Temporary Temporary Grant Funded or Pooled Position Not Applicable Category Professional Location Austin Animal Center, 7201 Levander Loop Bldg A 78702 Preferred Qualifications
Preferred Experience:

• Experience providing professional and courteous customer service with internal and external customers.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate, mediate, and negotiate with customers to resolve complex customer service issues.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and adapt to a quickly changing environment.
• Capable of working well under pressure with tight deadlines in a professional setting.
• Bilingual (Spanish).

Duties, Functions and Responsibilities
Essential duties and functions, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.


Advise and respond to complex customer inquiries regarding services, ordinances, and procedures related to sheltered animals and general animal welfare, including animal availability, service timelines and fees; while accurately creating, updating and maintaining electronic records associated with customers and animals. Communicate with customers in person and receive and respond to customer inquiries via email, fax, phone or 311. Contribute to the programs and services that support the shelter’s live outcome goal. Provide safe and humane handling of animals for the purposes of intake, inventory, behavioral assessments, environmental enrichment and promotional events, while adhering to disease management and safety protocols. Safely and humanely handle animals for purposes of intake, inventory, behavioral assessments, environmental enrichment and promotional events. Collect payments by accepting cash, making change for cash customers.

Responsibilities- Supervision and/or Leadership Exercised:
None.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Must possess required knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience and be able to explain and demonstrate, with or without reasonable accommodations, that the essential functions of the job can be performed.

• Knowledge of good customer relations practices.
• Knowledge of animal services and animal related programs.
• Skill in handling multiple tasks and prioritizing.
• Skill in oral and written communication.
• Skill in handling conflict and uncertain situations.
• Skill in observation and classification of animals.
• Skill in using computers and related software applications.
• Skill in information analysis and problem solving.
• Skill in safely handling animals, including those with unknown temperament.
• Ability to work with frequent interruptions and changes in priorities.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective communication and working relationships with city employees and the public Ability to make change for cash accurately.
• Ability to quickly recognize and interpret animal signaling.

Criminal Background Investigation This position has been approved for a Criminal Background Investigation. EEO/ADA
The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require reasonable accommodation during the application process or have a question regarding an essential job function, please call (512) 974-3210 or Texas Relay by dialing 7-1-1.

The City of Austin will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, age, religion, veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation. In addition, the City will not discriminate in employment decisions on the basis of an individual’s AIDS , AIDS Related Complex, or HIV status; nor will the City discriminate against individuals who are perceived to be at risk of HIV infection, or who associate with individuals who are believed to be at risk.
Information For City Employees: If you are an employee within the department, are in good standing and meet both the minimum and preferred qualifications, then you will receive an initial interview.

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
* The minimum qualifications for the Animal Service Customer Care Representative position are: Graduation from an accredited high school or equivalent, plus one (1) year of experience in a field related to customer service. Do you meet these minimum qualifications?

• Yes
• No

* Describe your experience providing professional and courteous customer service with internal and external customers.
(Open Ended Question)
* The ability to communicate, mediate, and negotiate with customers to resolve complex customer service issues are essential in this position. Please briefly describe your ability to resolve complex customer complaints.
(Open Ended Question)
* Please tell us about your ability to navigate ambiguity and adapt to a quickly changing environment.
(Open Ended Question)
* Please describe your experience working under pressure with tight deadlines in a professional setting.
(Open Ended Question)
* Are you bilingual with the ability to fluently speak and write in both English and Spanish?

• Yes
• No

* This position requires a criminal background investigation (CBI). By selecting the following, you are acknowledging that you understand if you are selected as a top candidate for this position, you will need a successful CBI to be hired.

• I acknowledge and understand this position requires a Criminal Background Investigation.

Optional & Required Documents

Required Documents Optional Documents Resume

• 

• City of Austin

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