Client Services Agent

About the role

Agents at Acumen must exhibit a service-forward mindset as they embody the organization's mission of facilitating freedom, choice and opportunity for individuals with disabilities and their families. The Agent is responsible for enrolling, educating and supporting Acumen clients throughout their lifecycle with the organization, acting as a critical link to ensure positive and healthy working relationships with new and existing clients, their families, and support coordinators.

Responsibilities

• Support clients (employers and employees) during their enrollment process
• Process related paperwork and manage electronic communication
• Accurate data entry using several databases simultaneously while meeting deadlines
• Establish, foster and grow relationships with clients and program contacts including third party organizations
• Understand and stay up to date on program rules, regulations and implementation needs while being able to effectively communicate and explain said rules to external and internal stakeholders
• Act as a communication liaison between clients and across all Acumen’s departments, communicating any opportunities and/or issues that may directly impact the client or Acumen
• Provide accurate day-to-day support to clients, including receiving, researching and resolving all client inquiries within contractual specific timeframes
• Ensure compliance with all state and federal guidelines, including managing all escalated issues with client families and states within contractual specific timeframes
• Develop strategies to support the growth of existing programs through marketing, education and community outreach to potential recipients and social services organizations
• Work collaboratively with other internal departments to ensure all issues are addressed effectively in a verbal and written fashion
• Manage a fluctuating volume of calls and emails
• Provide effective and efficient customer service via calls and/or electronic communication to clients and internal departments
• Perform other work-related duties as assigned

Team Member Responsibilities

• Take personal responsibility for actions, demonstrated through owning problems and problem-solving
• Demonstrate excellence in work standards and tenacity in completing tasks
• Effectively problem-solve and make decisions, including resolving crisis situations and developing resolutions between parties
• Work well with other team members and departments
• Interact and cooperate respectfully to efficiently accomplish mutual goals and assignments
• Request support from the team with ample time to meet deadlines
• Ensure effectiveness in processes to achieve or seek best practices

Requirements

• At least one year of experience with data entry (manual keying of information into databases)
• Ability to work well independently with limited supervision
• Self-starter with effective communication skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Prior experience in customer service and/or client relations
• Ability to handle fluctuating inbound and outbound call volume
• Must be able to work a flexible schedule, including weekends, weeknights, and holidays
• Experience working with multiple applications simultaneously
• Ability to prioritize and handle competing requests successfully
• Knowledge and experience using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet, Email, and PDFs
• Patience, perseverance, and follow-through mentality
• Professional oral and written communication skills
• Attention to detail and critical thinking skills
• Ability to handle responsibility with limited supervision
• High standard of integrity
• Basic math skills
• Excellent organizational skills, time management, and task orientation
• Good interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to handle and accommodate complex clients
• Ability to plan for and meet multiple deadlines
• High school diploma or equivalent with some college preferred (or equivalent work experience)

Preferred Qualifications

• Willingness to obtain certain state-required certifications
• Ability (if required by program) to travel, including overnight(s), via ground transportation and/or flight
• Maintain a valid driver's license within the state of residence and valid automobile insurance (if required by program)
• Able to provide a secure remote workspace with high-speed internet when applicable

Communication Skills

• Excellent communication and relationship skills with all stakeholders, including clients, state entities, and colleagues
• Ability to effectively and respectfully interact with a client base that has varying levels of ability, educational backgrounds, authority, and ethnicities
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Ability to speak in public, including trainings
• Ability to communicate effectively with diverse internal and external customers to accomplish a task or reach an understanding diplomatically and respectfully

Physical and Mental Demands

• Ability to sit for extended periods while entering data into multiple systems
• Regular use of fingers, hands, arms, and eyes to input data and fold and/or cut paper
• Required to answer the phone and respond to team members and internal customers
• Operate and maintain a variety of office equipment including computers, copy machines, scanning and reading equipment, and calculators, requiring repetitive motion of fingers, hands, arms, and eyes
• Frequently required to stand, walk, and talk for an hour or more
• Vision ability required, including close vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus
• Ability to work under stressful conditions that may require handling multiple work assignments with specific deadlines
• Ground travel upon demand

Equipment Normally Used

• Telephone and headset
• Computer with multiple screens
• Copier, scanning system, printer, postage machine, calculator, and fax machines
• Other office equipment as needed