Senior Customer Service Representative

POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Customer Service Representative is responsible for data entry and order processing for online products, journals, book content, and CME. This position serves as a backup to the Call Center staff daily. The Senior CSR has responsibility for financial and accounting duties including reconciliations, research, and data analysis. This position is highly visible, dealing with members, customers, vendors, and departmentmanagement, and requires the use of several complex databases for looking up information, analyzing, and updating. It requires a detailed and broad knowledge of both the membership and publishing activities of the American Psychiatric Association and the ability to impart information to customers in a highly-skilled, accurate, and professional manner.

SECTION 2: DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Enter orders and payments for APP book, online, and journal products.

• Using the Publishing System order system, identify customer accounts, books, or journal products by code, description, author, or category to provide customers with the proper item.
• Identify the correct price and discount for the item depending on customer category: member, non-member, wholesaler, retailer, or special foreign discount terms.
• Follow department guidelines regarding credit, new customer set-up, and thresholds for approvals. Recognize unique customers with specific discounts, pricing, or shipping requirements and bring them to the attention of supervisory staff as required.
• Process orders, prepare invoices, and follow up with customers on price and shipping details as necessary.
• Proofread and verify order information before closing and posting.
• Receive and apply payments by credit card, check, lockbox, or wire to customer record.
• Work as a liaison with the warehouse with our international customers in preparing international shipping.
• Process monthly orders for consignment customers.
• Lead in training, QC, and assisting new colleagues.
• Serve as backup to the Operations Manager as needed.

Manage all calls and information requests from APA members, non-members, and publishing customers by answering inquiries directly or transferring them to the appropriate APA department.

• Answer questions about membership status, dues/payment status, annual meetings, publications, and other general inquiries.
• Analyze telephone inquiries to determine if the call should be transferred and assign it to the appropriate department or individual.
• Assist with inquiries about online courses, CME credits, and recertification.
• Assist members with APA online resources and Members-only information using Membernation.
• Update Membernation with member contact information.
• Enter payment plan information into Membernation. Email or mail invoices upon request.
• Attach emails to Contact Tracking to send or assign to Membership Coordinator.
• Answer inquiries on how to become an APA member by explaining membership categories and the process for application.
• Assist with inquiries about online courses, CME credits, and recertification.
• Solved customer problems accessing and using APA and APP websites: www.psychiatry.org, www.appi.org, www.apaeducation.org, and www.psychiatryonline.org.
• Determine whether access issues relate to subscription, payment, de-duplication, content provider, user software/hardware, or user error.
• Provide usernames and passwords; walk customers through accessing accounts. Create temporary access accounts if required.
• Assist customers with deleting cookies and logging on and off to complete access.
• Assist institutional customers with access issues, including incorrect admin name, IP address, or platform host user information error.
• Coordinate institutional subscription and access issues with the Operations Manager and Publishing Systems Manager if subscription or interface requires testing.
• Resolve username and email address conflicts between the host, APA, and Naviga.
• Assist publishing customers with orders, price requests, online access and general questions.

Provide operations support for the Customer Service department’s daily and monthly work.

• Manage APP Distributors, Marketing CS, and the Orders email boxes during the months assigned.
• Oversee and provide backup to the Customer Service Representatives on the email boxes on months that are not assigned to the Senior Customer Service Representative.
• Respond to customer inquiries about order status, shipping cost, proforma requests, and quotations.
• Assign orders and payment batches.
• Receive, distribute, batch, QC, and file incoming orders and mail.
• File, maintain, and archive department paperwork and reports.
• Process EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) for wholesalers and Amazon.
• Coordinate EDI and special orders with APP warehouse.

Accounts Receivable and Billing

• Manage payment process, including checks, wires, and lockbox receipts.
• Reconcile wire payments to Publishing System cash at month's end.
• Reconcile daily cash receipts (checks and lockboxes) to daily cash postings in the Publishing System.
  • Remove unidentified payments to the correct subaccount in the general ledger.
• Run bi-monthly statements and analyze them for accuracy and account status.
  • Determine the status for mailing based on debit or credit status.
  • Identify adjustments and write-offs.
  • Produce invoices and send them as required.
  • Research and resolve discrepancies.
• Coordinate statements and AR reporting with collections agency/collections staff.
• Oversee and provide backup to the credit card reconciliation weekly and monthly process.

Journal Claims

• Research and process journal claims from customers who did not receive journal copies.
• Analyze the reason for the non-receipt of the journal.
  • Correct subscription if required.
  • Notify the customer in writing of the journal claim status.
• Resolve journal claims for de-duplicated accounts by determining the correct parent account and locating other accounts to make subscription adjustments.
• Refer journal claim for processing to outside staff.

Journal and POL Subscriptions

• Research and resolve issues for customers with non-payment cancellations, reinstatements, or problems accessing online subscriptions to journals and books.
  • Identify whether the problem is Naviga subscription, platform host interface, user
  • equipment, or user error.
  • Report problems to the Publishing Systems Manager as needed.
  • Research payment history to resolve cancellation.

Other duties as assigned.

COMPETENCIES

The Senior Customer Service Representative’s performance on these duties and responsibilities will be measured using the following competencies:

SCOPE & IMPACT

• Perform administrative or operational processes that support the Customer Service Department.
• Contributes suggestions for improvements in procedures regarding direct responsibilities.
• Requires the ability to understand oral and written instructions to process orders and communicate with our customers via email and phone.
• Presents a positive image of the Customer Service department and APA to others.
• Success is frequently measured by completing individual tasks and demonstrating well-defined individual work environment behaviors.

COMPLEXITY, PROBLEM-SOLVING & DECISION-MAKING

• Work is mostly routine with well-defined rules and standards.
• Contributes to the operation of the Customer Service Department.
• Work output is often a predictable process used by others to perform larger portions of the end result.
• Identifies routine and predictable problems and recommends solutions to supervisor(s).

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT & AUTHORITY

• Relationships primarily follow established protocol.
• Relationships may include significant interactions with customers, Members, and non-members via phone calls, emails, and other modes of communication.
• Uses tact and discretion to obtain cooperation and understanding on routine matters.

ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE

• Demonstrates a limited understanding of Customer Services and responsibilities within the department.
• Demonstrates a limited knowledge of policies, procedures, and terminology.

SUPERVISION

• No direct management or supervisor duties

REQUIRED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE, AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Entry-level position requires a high school diploma or BA/BS and/or 2-4 years of experience.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral, including the ability to compose clear and professional correspondence.
• Ability to communicate effectively, clearly, and professionally with internal and external customers.
• Ability to make decisions about complex customer issues and determine when to seek assistance.
• Demonstrated ability to use complex data processing systems such as member or order processing software.
• Proficiency in word processing, Excel, and email systems.
• Ability to meet deadlines and work as a team member in a production-oriented environment.
• Technology requirements
  • Membership (Salesforce) and Publishing (Naviga) databases
  • MS Word
  • MS Excel
  • Email

EOE, including disability/vets

Salary-$24.05-$29.71/hour