Customer Service Representative
Full-Time and Part-Time
Summary:
The Client Service Representative forms the first impression to clients, whether by phone or in person. The Client Service Representative helps to answer telephones, greets clients, schedules appointments, receives payments, prepares patient paperwork, gets weights on pets, escorts clients and patients to exam rooms, receives and relays client correspondence to/from other practices and specialty practices.
Job Duties & Requirements
General Responsibilities:
- Read and comply with the policies of the Family Veterinary Care of Oakdale Employee Handbook
- Follow all hospital standard procedures and protocols, both current and future, as contained within the training manuals or as written or communicated by doctors or other supervisory staff
- Carry out all duties in a professional and courteous manner and remain respectful and polite in speech, tone, and actions under all circumstances
- Remain flexible and willing to implement new or changing procedures in the future
- Employees must be responsible to work the schedule they are assigned.
- Excessive tardiness or truancy is disruptive to patient care and client service and cannot be accommodated for this position.
- Hourly employees must maintain accurate records of time worked by clocking in and out for each shift.
- Maintain a groomed and neat professional appearance while at work, including a clean and unwrinkled uniform and a name tag or badge. Name tag or badge must always be visible.
- Maintain the cleanliness and sanitary condition of the entire hospital, including the parking lot, sidewalks, and entries. Trash, urine, feces, blood or other such things should be cleaned and sanitized immediately.
- Must be able to interact with many types of pets and should not be overly fearful of unfamiliar animals. All pets must be treated with kindness and respect at all times.
- Follow OSHA standards and be familiar with Material Data Safety Sheets.
- Employees must follow all safety guidelines contained in the employee handbook and posted in hazardous areas.
- Remain productive during slow times by seeking additional duties such as cleaning, stocking, or other tasks. Be proactive and find projects or things to work on to improve hospital efficiency.
- Run miscellaneous errands if requested by a doctor or supervisor
- Attend and participate in staff and team meetings
- Train other staff members or new employees in the skills listed in the job description or in the training manuals
- Use your own password identification to enter the practice-management software and your own unique initials on all computer entries, paperwork, treatment sheets, etc. to signify your work
- Maintain a pleasant and cooperative attitude toward co-workers. Be willing to help any staff member with a task if requested.
- Maintain confidentiality regarding clients, patients, medical and financial records, and hospital procedures, policies, and protocols.
- Maintain and project a positive attitude about the hospital, clients, patients, co-workers and other hospitals. Avoid gossiping, condemning, judging, and making negative comments or participating in such discussions. Instead of complaining about problems, be proactive and come up with solutions.
- Take breaks as directly by Supervisor but be willing to stay late or work through breaks if needed for critical or emergency care of patients.
- Communicate openly and honestly with other staff, management, and clients.
- Collect payments by correctly processing cash, credit card, debit card, and check payments. Ensure that checks have proper identifying information and are dated and signed.
- Strive to work by the hospital values.
- Conduct oneself in a confident and professional manner even when stressed and focus on individual task.
Customer Service:
- Smile and project a polite, friendly demeanor during client interactions.
- Be able to explain vaccinations, preventative care, and spay/neuter recommendations
- Become familiar with dog and cat breeds and coat colors. Know and be able to communicate which species of pets are treated by our hospital
- Be able to communicate and enforce the hospital’s payment, care credit, scratchpay and finance charge policies with poise and tact.
- Give price quotes by explaining the services contained in standard estimates and educating the client about the value of following the recommendations
- Explain and answer questions about proper surgery aftercare
- Listen actively and convey concern, empathy, and compassion to clients
- Be patient, polite, and compassionate with a client who is emotional or discourteous
- Be familiar with responses for client complaints or comments regarding their bill or their service
- Immediately remove loudly complaining or angry clients to a private area where they may speak with a supervisor or doctor
- Give progress reports on hospitalized patients as directed by the doctor
- Know how to access and navigate the Internet to find veterinary websites and access information for clients.
- Be familiar with the practice’s website and direct clients there for more information on relevant topics or to download forms and estimates
- Convey information in an accurate and professional way between the doctor and the client when the doctor is unavailable to speak with the client directly
- If you are not absolutely confident that you know the answer to a client’s question, do not answer it–ask another staff member for assistance.
Reception Skills:
- Answer the telephones by the 3rd ring in a courteous and friendly manner
- Learn and be able to efficiently use the telephone system features such as hold, paging, and voice mail.
- Be able to check messages and program the phones for staff meetings and closures.
- Become familiar with our products, services, recommendations, and standard estimates in order to convey value when communicating fee estimates to clients or potential clients.
- Schedule appointments for the hospital using the proper protocol in computer system.
- Be able to recognize if a caller has an emergency situation and respond appropriately. If in doubt, ask. Real emergencies should be directed to come to the hospital immediately. Non-emergencies should be scheduled an appointment as soon as possible.
- Learn and follow the procedure for how different types of calls should be handled.
- Check with the doctor for instructions if the schedule is full or the caller cannot arrive prior to closing time
- Create, update, and maintain computer medical records according to procedure.
- Perform opening and closing procedures and complete daily check lists
- Note and reschedule missed appointments
- Review appointment lists for subsequent days and call to remind clients of appointments
- Keep front desk and reception area neat and clean. Keep reading and educational materials current and orderly. Replace outdated or damaged materials
- Note and restock supplies in the reception area and add items to the want list as needed. Contact the manager promptly with items that need to be ordered/replaced prior to using the last of the item.
- Reconcile invoices and money at day-end.
- Maintain medical records
- Maintain health certificates as needed for travel.
- Ensure thank you and sympathy cards are sent.
- Ensure reminder notices are sent and called; also perform call backs
- Handle incoming/outgoing mail and miscellaneous correspondence
- Monitor returned checks and overdue accounts
- Collect payments by correctly processing cash, credit card, debit card, and check payments. Ensure that checks have proper identifying information and are dated and signed with driver’s license information.
- Process and help clients with questions regarding CareCredit® and ScratchPay.
- If designated, run the billing statements program and prepare and send out customer invoices for payment.
- Email patient records when requested
- After greeting and assuring the comfort of the client, process paperwork and admit clients for hospital appointments, drop offs and surgeries.
- Update client/patient files, including name, address, telephone numbers, emails and vaccination and heartworm history
- Provide educational materials to clients and answer common questions regarding pet care and health recommendations as opportunities arise.
- Monitor the schedule and keep clients informed of expected waiting time if the doctor is behind schedule
- Assess emergency situations and bring the pet to a doctor or technician immediately. Assure the client the doctor will treat the pet and then speak with them as soon as possible
- Recognize patients with contagious or potentially contagious diseases (coughing dogs, sneezing cats, puppies with bad diarrhea) and follow isolation procedures including asking them to wait in the vehicle.
- Review the schedule and be prepared for clients arriving for euthanasia appointments. Greet these clients by name with concern and compassion. Be sensitive about side conversations that are light hearted and may disturb the client. Escort them directly to the appropriate room and let the doctor know immediately that they have arrived. Be prepared to assist the doctor with paperwork as directed in order to expedite the euthanasia appointment
- Invoice services, medications, pet foods, and supplies. Look for opportunities to educate clients regarding our products and services and guide their buying decisions.
- Schedule appropriate follow up visits or recommended services as indicated
- Learn and follow all procedures for discharging a patient from the hospital
- Total invoices and present charges. Answer client questions regarding fees by going over the itemized charges. If the client has a concern, consult with the doctor who performed the service
- Provide every client with a printed or emailed receipt of their transactions
- Sincerely thank clients and tell them we look forward to seeing them again next time
Education & Qualifications:
- Must be able to read, write legibly, and communicate clearly in English both in person and on the telephone. Must also learn to speak and write using proper medical terminology.
- Basic computer literacy including the ability to type on a computer keyboard, use a computer mouse, and view information on a computer screen is required. Experience with Microsoft Windows, Word, and Excel is helpful
- May physically handle and transport pets who may struggle, scratch, or try to bite.
- Ability to remain calm and compassionate with animals who are reacting to fear and/or pain.
- Be a minimum of 18 years old.
- Must be able to work well and communicate in a team setting.
- Customer service background is desirable
- Experience with basic office functions in a busy practice environment is desirable
Physical Demands:
- Occupational hazards may include but are not limited to animal bite or scratch wounds and exposure to x-rays, unpleasant odors, animal feces, urine or vomit, animal bites, anesthetic gasses, caustic or toxic materials, and zoonotic diseases.
- Employees must have the physical strength and ability to lift and carry objects weighing up to 30 pounds without assistance.
- Noise levels can be high, so must be able to tolerate animal noises while handling and working nearby.
- Must be able to stand or walk for extended periods of time
- Must be able to type and view a computer screen for several hours per day
