Customer Contact Center Representative

About the Job

Days/Hours: Monday to Friday, 1:30pm to 10:00pm

Position Overview

This position is responsible for providing excellent client service and compassionate, professional handling of a variety of client interactions. Staff in this role put clients first in everything they do by communicating clearly, respectfully, and professionally with internal and external clients. This includes asking questions, seeking feedback, explaining ideas or policies, actively listening, using proper discretion, anticipating and meeting service needs, and using proper etiquette when communicating face to face, by telephone, or in writing.

Customer Contact Center Representatives (CCCR) greet and admit all clients and patients at the front desks of the Veterinary Medical Center, including the Lewis Small Animal Hospital, Piper Equine Hospital, and Large Animal Hospital, as well as schedule appointments and aid clients via phone and email. CCCR’s answer questions and respond to client needs/requests, seek solutions to client/patient concerns, and reduce client anxiety whenever possible by troubleshooting issues related to Customer Contact Center duties, service failures, and other problems, including identifying and resolving the problem, making effective decisions, and escalating issues when appropriate.

CCCR’s interact effectively with others and actively participate as committed, collaborative team members. CCCR’s act as proud ambassadors of the Veterinary Medical Center (VMC) and the University of Minnesota by supporting their mission, vision, and values. All efforts are directed to the “common good”. This includes remaining calm in difficult situations, assisting coworkers, sharing information, listening to and involving others, objectively considering others’ ideas and opinions, and interacting effectively with people from varied and diverse backgrounds.

CCCR’s take personal responsibility in work each day to help VMC achieve its objectives by ensuring work activities are completed thoroughly, accurately, efficiently, and in a timely manner, ensuring quality standards are met, and continuously looking for ways to improve client service.

Essential Functions

Front Desk (SAH) (70%)

• Delights clients and visitors by welcoming them to the VMC and provides a caring, reliable and knowledgeable first contact point.
• Efficiently and accurately admits patients ensuring all quality standards are met. (ie verifying rDVM, client, and patient demographics)
• Assists with accurate electronic medical record keeping by ensuring all authorization forms are signed and completed records are forwarded to Medical Records for scanning.
• Utilizes established protocols for walk-in clients.
• Provide a caring, reliable and knowledgeable first contact point for VMC.
• Timely check in and admission of patients, take deposits as appropriate.
• Ensures the billing process is initiated and adds exam fees as appropriate.
• Notify proper personnel of the client’s arrival following specific guidelines.
• Place required documents in patient medical record.
• Prepare medical records with appropriate forms for the service they are seeing.
• Be sure visitors are registered before entering the clinic; notify proper personnel of arrival.
• Assist clients with prescription pick-up by notifying After Hours Dispensary staff.
• Give directions to vendors, clients and visitors.
• Maintain appearance of front desk and lobby area according to VMC cleanliness standards.
• Help to maintain department appointment schedules.
• Give parking permits to all appropriate customers.
• Answer incoming calls from within the VMC (staff, students, clinicians calling Front Desk).
• Remote admission and discharge of Large Animal clients.
• Uses established protocol for calling in after-hours specialty teams
• Follows accounting protocols for opening/closing registers.
• Follows hospital guidelines for taking deposits and discharging patients.
• Quickly and efficiently identifies distressed clients/patients and escalates to appropriate staff member when necessary.
• Ensures visitors are registered before entering the clinic, notifying proper personnel of arrival before clients enter clinical area.

Call Center (25%)

• Triage incoming Small and Large animal emergency cases; utilize internal triage tracking system as appropriate.
• Enter appointments on Large Animal, Small Animal, and West Metro emergency schedule as appropriate; notify client of emergency procedures and cost.
• Process scheduling calls based on standards and guidelines for each service.
• Process general information calls by answering questions, taking messages and redirecting incoming calls.
• Process appropriate paperwork for new clients.
• Liaison between clients and clinicians.
• Problem-solve trouble calls.

General (5%)

• Answer questions and explain procedures for interns, senior veterinary students, and student technicians.
• Required to work a minimum of two holidays per fiscal year.
• Willingness to cross train and assist in other areas as assigned.

Qualifications

All required qualifications must be documented on application materials.

Minimum Qualifications:

High School diploma / GED and two years of medical or veterinary office experience. Must have reception experience i.e. high volume telephone and face-to-face meet and greet customer service experience. Must have experience with and be proficient in Microsoft Office programs or similar software. General knowledge of excel spreadsheets.

Preferred Qualifications/Selection Criteria:

• Veterinary call center, front desk, or admissions experience.
• Medical appointment scheduling experience.
• Customer Service orientation, outstanding interpersonal skills, and problem solving skills.
• Effectively multi-tasks and reprioritize to meet job expectations.
• Willingness and ability to cross train and assist in other client areas as assigned.
• Ability to problem solve in emergency setting.

About the Department

The Veterinary Medical Center (VMC) has served the community for more than a century. It is the most advanced, full-service referral care center for large and small animals in Minnesota. The VMC sees more than 35,000 cases annually, with specialists available in all areas of medicine and surgery. More than 50 of the veterinarians on staff have undergone several years of additional training to become board-certified specialists in a particular area of veterinary medicine.

The Veterinary Medical Center is comprised of the Small Animal Hospital for dogs, cats, and other companion animals, the Piper Clinic at the new Leatherdale Equine Center, for horses, and the Large Animal Hospital, which treats farm animals, and occasionally, zoo animals.

Pay and Benefits

Pay Range: $22.67-$24.02 ; depending on education/qualifications/experience

Time Appointment: 100% Appointment

Position Type: Civil-Service & Non-Faculty Labor Represented Staff

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefit eligibility.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
• Employee Transit Pass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metro area

How To Apply

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will have the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.

Diversity

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Employment Requirements

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

About the U of M

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by the Star Tribune as a Top Workplace for 2021, as well as by Forbes as Best Employers for Women and one of America’s Best Employers (2015, 2018, 2019, 2023), Best Employer for Diversity (2019, 2020), Best Employer for New Grads (2018, 2019), and Best Employer by State (2019, 2022).

Apply through the University of Minnesota Human Resources Employment online process at https://humanresources.umn.edu/content/find-job using Job ID 371982.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $22.67 - $24.02 per hour

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Parental leave
• Relocation assistance
• Retirement plan

Experience:

• veterinary medical: 1 year (Required)

Work Location: In person