Client Care Specialist Job Summary
Meet and greet clients and their pets. Coordinate and represent all facets of client services. To serve as a good will ambassador for the hospital.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Excellent client service skills.
- Excellent phone skills.
- Computer skills preferred.
- Must be friendly, outgoing, “people-oriented.”
- Excellent communication skills.
- Ability to work in a team oriented environment.
- Well groomed, organized and detail oriented.
- Ability to take direction.
- Ability to handle money accurately and honestly.
- Must possess sound decision making skills and multi-task while working in an environment of stress.
Education and Experience:
- High School Diploma.
- Must have experience working with the public, i.e. restaurant, retail or service business.
- Experience in a veterinary hospital or other doctor’s office is a plus.
Authority:
- Scheduling appointments.
- Effective determination and scheduling of emergencies.
- Authority to delay disputed charges until further reviewed by supervisor.
- Authority to resolve client service issues within established guidelines.
Physical Requirements:
- Dependable attendance is required.
- Any allergies to animals must be controllable through medication.
- Must be able to lift 40 pounds.
- Must be willing to work long or irregular hours under pressure conditions.
- This position requires the ability to walk, bend, stand and reach constantly during a minimum 8-hour day.
- Visual acuity sufficient to maintain accurate records, recognizes people and understands written directions.
- Ability to speak and hear sufficiently to understand, give information in person and over the telephone.
- Fine motor skills adequate for utilizing office equipment such as computers, telephones, copiers, fax machines, etc.
Duties:
The following is a list of essential job requirements. This list may be revised at any time and additional duties not listed here may be assigned as needed. Job functions and Job Responsibility include:
- Client Service
- Answer Telephones and Make Appointments
- Maintain Charts and Computer Records
- Pharmacy and Retail Sales
- Marketing Implementation
- Maintenance/Housekeeping
- Financial Responsibilities
Client Service:
- Agrees to practice the principles of the Bay Animal Hospital Mission Statement in the daily performance of job duties.
- Demonstrate excellent relations with clients/pets in waiting and/or exam rooms:
- Ensure that clients and pets feel welcome and comfortable.
- Serve as “Ambassadors” – creating and maintaining goodwill for the hospital.
- Build rapport with clients.
- Immediately greet clients and pets by name.
- Quickly understand client needs and initiate the process of meeting those needs.
- Help new clients completely fill out the registration form. Inform new clients about services, etc. that your hospital offers.
- If there is a delay, i.e., the doctor is behind schedule, keep clients informed of expected waiting time.
- Know enough about general animal husbandry and pet care to be able to educate clients and to answer non-medical questions that the client may have or to inform them of things their pet may need:
- General dietary requirements and feeding schedules.
- Vaccines.
- Dental care instructions.
- Routine laboratory tests (i.e. stool exams, heartworm tests, urinalysis, leukemia tests, etc.).
- Heartworm preventatives.
- Housebreaking techniques.
- General flea and tick control.
- Generate, present and explain fee estimates for treatment/surgery to clients.
- Handles client complaints with concern and diplomacy.
- Accurately communicates medical/surgical information to clients.
- Send client cards and letters, i.e., thank you notes, sympathy cards, welcome cards, as directed by management team.
- Prepare, distribute and explain client education materials.
Answer Telephones and Make Appointments:
- Exhibit a “come in now” attitude towards clients and patients.
- Answers telephone promptly.
- Encourage the client to make an appointment if the pet has any problem that is concerning to either the client or you.
- Schedule appointments and other patient visits in appointment book, including re-check appointments, surgeries, and drop offs.
- Reschedule any missed appointments.
- Understand and use excellent telephone etiquette.
- Call clients to confirm appointments, remind of missed appointments and laboratory results as well as callbacks for procedures performed.
- Refuse to diagnose pet health care problems over the telephone.
Maintain Charts and Computer Records:
- Keep charts and computer records updated with current client and patient information,
i.e. address or telephone number and/or vaccine due dates, other reminders, age, etc.
- Prepare charts for new clients and/patients.
- Prepare charts for patients prior to appointment including all necessary forms, authorizations, and instructions as necessary.
- Handwriting must be neat and legible.
- Open an order or start an invoice as each client enters the hospital. Recommend any needed service, i.e. vaccinations, heartworm testing, etc.
- Calculate client’s invoice and collect payment.
- File charts in appropriate areas as needed.
- Do routine computer reports and backups.
Pharmacy and Retail Sales:
- Understand the benefits of the retail products we offer and how they are used. Must be able to promote them to our clients.
- Dietary products.
- Flea products and shampoos.
- Fill prescriptions and dispense medications as directed by a veterinarian.
- Explain prescription directions to clients.
Marketing Implementation:
- Understand, participate, promote and support planned marketing events and programs.
- Present marketing promotions to clients in a professional manner.
Housekeeping/Maintenance:
- Verify that the front desk, reception area, waiting areas, and exam rooms are neat and clean at all time.
- Periodically check the outside of the hospital for feces, urine, etc. and keep clean and neat. Also examine glass doors and windows for smudges and clean when necessary.
- Keep the client refreshment area in the hospital stocked, operational, neat and clean at all times.
- Keep your appearance always clean and neat.
- Wear your nametag and a clean, pressed uniform at all times.
- Endeavor to keep the waiting area reading and educational materials current and orderly.
- Keep office plants watered as needed.
Financial Responsibilities:
- Verify that all provided services and/or products have been accurately entered in the computer on the client’s order/invoice and under the correct employee number.
- Collect deposits and payments for services at the time they are rendered.
- Clients should pay their bill before they leave the hospital.
- Follow appropriate protocol, i.e., credit applications, promissory notes and approval by Management, in cases where clients cannot pay their balance at the time of dismissal.
- Print receipt and give to client for each visit.
- Balance the cash drawer with the computer summary report accurately.
- Prepare deposit slips and/or cash balancing worksheet for the daily bank deposit as directed by the Hospital/Office Manager.
- Keep cash/checks, etc. secure at all times.