Customer Service Representative - Veterinary Teaching Hospital

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign•Urbana, IL

8h•Onsite

About The Position

Under general supervision, the Customer Service Representative will represent the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in all communications with referring veterinarians, clients, faculty, staff, and students. This individual will be responsible for performing complex customer service and clerical duties as they pertain to the needs of the hospital and its clients utilizing caring and optimistic attitudes with quick and adaptable problem-solving skills. This position may assist in the Small Animal Clinic, Large Animal Clinic, and/or South Clinic as needed.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent
Three (3) years (36 months) of responsible work experience in customer services, public relations, office administration, business and financial operations, healthcare administration or other closely related experience.
OR Any one or combination totaling three (3) years (36 months) of college coursework in business administration, communications, public relations or a closely related field as measured by the following conversion table or its proportional equivalent: 30 semester hours equals one (1) year (12 months), Associate’s Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen months (18 months), 90 semester hours equals two (2) years (24 months), Bachelor’s degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years (36 months).
Knowledge of general care of companion species of animals (dogs, cats, birds, exotics).
Working knowledge of professional business office processes, clerical procedures, and medical office routines.
Skilled in customer service and the ability to work well with others.
Detail oriented with ability to think clearly and complete tasks in a busy work environment.
Ability to multi-task as well as provide complete follow through.
Ability to work with minimal supervision and frequent interruptions on a daily basis.
Ability to continue to develop new methods and skills for dealing with clients and clinical staff successfully.
Working knowledge of medical and veterinary terminology.
Knowledge of operating computers, phones, email, internet, faxing, credit card verification.
Ability to perform basic math accurately.

Nice To Haves

Persons allergic to animals, pollen, hay, or straw may experience discomfort in this position.
The work is very fast paced and the work environment can be hectic and stressful at times.
Persons must have the ability to work in the presence of animal waste and fluids. To some extent, unpleasantness may be experienced under such conditions.
This position may involve moving bags of food up to 40 lbs from one location to another.

Responsibilities

Greet clients in-person and over the phone in a friendly and helpful manner; determines nature and purpose of inquiry/visit and handles or directs appropriately.
Determine whether the current visit is the patient's initial visit to the clinic; verify the client's credit status with the clinic, and add new patient fee when appropriate.
Perform all processes associated with client registration, patient admissions, and discharge including creating a client account, obtaining patient information and referral documents and receiving payment.
Obtain/relay information to schedule patient visits, including facilitating appointment reminders in an efficient manner.
Coordinate communication between clinical care staff and clients or referring veterinarians.
Enter client and patient data into the medical record, utilizing the Health Information System, updating information when needed.
Respond to and resolve routine and complex inquiries from clients to provide or clarify information on clinic services, policies, and procedures.
Research client inquiries as needed and provide point of contact for quality control concerns. Report customer feedback, identify problems and trends, and suggest resolutions. Refer unresolved customer grievances to designated personnel for further investigation.
Enter all pertinent client communications into the electronic medical record, detailing inquiries, complaints, and comments, including actions taken.
Coordinate patient care between the clinic and the services in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
Communicate, verbally and in writing, with referring veterinarians with whom clients/patients are shared.
Complete and maintain various hospital and University reports.
Facilitate accounts receivable and billing processes as needed.
Provide oversight of clinic emails, responding as appropriate.
Process incoming and outgoing mail.
Maintain cleanliness of reception area and exam rooms at all times; including cleaning and appropriately disposing of animal waste as needed.
Maintain office supplies by communicating needs to supervisor who facilitates ordering.
Assist with pet supply purchases including, but not limited to, dental care, grooming care, food, heartworm, and flea/tick preventatives.
Retrieve prescriptions and accurately communicate home care instructions to the client as needed.
Other duties as assigned.