Customer Service Advisor in Larne

At Eakin Healthcare, we put patients at the heart of everything we do. We are a family-owned global medical device company with a proud heritage of innovation and care. We deliver innovative solutions across Ostomy, Respiratory, and Surgical therapies, along with our Respond home delivery service. Founded over 50 years ago, we now have a team of over 700 dedicated people across three UK manufacturing sites, 12 international sales and distribution centres and export to over 60 countries. We’ve been recognised as a Great Place to Work®! And we’re proud to be named among the Best Workplaces in Healthcare and Best Workplaces for Women. At Eakin Healthcare, we’re united by one mission: working together to improve lives - just like we’ve been doing for over five decades.

WHY JOIN US?

• Blended Working Bonus
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (pro rata'd)
• Option to buy holiday days
• Wellbeing Programme
• Health Cash Plan
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Referral Scheme
• Long Service Awards
• Free Parking

ABOUT THE ROLE

This role is a 12 month fixed term contract, on a Part Time basis. While the ideal working days would be Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, we are open to discussion on the days worked within our core Monday-Friday operational hours. This role is based in our UK Service part of the business, Respond Healthcare. For stoma and continence patients who need appliances dispensed with ongoing care, support and advice, our award-winning, confidential, stress-free Prescription Dispensing Service is committed to delivering the very best levels of customer care.

Reporting to the Care Centre Manager at our office in Larne, this role is to ensure all customers' orders are processed accurately and monitored through to delivery, within the relevant timeframe whilst adhering to the required regulations. The majority of our customers are individual patient customers who we supply products to on a prescription basis through our Home Delivery Service, similar to that of a pharmacy. The Customer Service Advisor will handle all customer queries effectively and in a professional manner. This role requires forward thinking, so you will have the freedom to make decisions to meet the needs of our customers which is pivotal to maintaining high levels in customer satisfaction and retention of our customers, contributing towards the success of Respond Healthcare, growing the Respond business.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Prescription Processing: Ensure prescriptions are requested for all customer orders required on prescription. Process prescriptions in a timely manner, ensuring the prescriptions are fully examined for accuracy and endorsed appropriately. Build meaningful working relationships, liaising with GP surgeries and other relevant parties regarding prescriptions, including prescription requests, incorrect prescriptions, urgent orders and prescriptions that are not received. Minimise the amount of orders that are written off, due to non-receipt of prescriptions. Prepare prescriptions for payment, completing required administration accurately and submitting to the Business Services Organisation in a timely manner. Minimise the amount of prescriptions returned and not paid by the Business Services Organisation. Keep a fully traceable record of prescriptions received.
• Inbound Customer Contact: To answer customer telephone calls promptly and professionally and to accurately process all orders including customer orders via prescription, cash sales, product sample orders and Territory Manager orders. To maintain excellent product knowledge and to answer all enquiries regarding products. To resolve any customer queries regarding delivery.
• Outbound Customer Contact: To contact customers regularly, as per agreed frequency with the customer, to ensure orders are confirmed and placed as needed.
• Customer Loyalty: Maximise the number of existing customers who continue to use our service by identifying customers who do not use our service regularly, making proactive contact to secure future orders. Maximise the number of new customers who use our service repeatedly, making proactive contact to secure future orders.
• Proactive Order Delivery Monitoring: Regularly review the status of courier deliveries and proactively communicate with customers to advise delivery times and resolve any delivery issues to the customer's satisfaction. Ensuring new patients are contacted at the earliest convenience, once they have been referred, to confirm an ongoing ordering pattern. Ensuring new patient leads are generated and followed through to achieve targets.
• Product & Account Administration: Responsible for accurately inputting data to create new customer accounts in accordance with procedures. To ensure all records are accurate and are kept up-to-date. To ensure customer accounts are maintained accurately, including delivery addresses. Taking credit card payments and liaising with the Accounts department.
• Customer Complaints and Compliments: Ensure complaints relating to all areas of customer service are dealt with efficiently and effectively ensuring total customer satisfaction. Responding appropriately and sincerely to all customer complaints and compliments. Reporting all issues that hinder the delivery of excellent Customer Service to the Care Centre Manager or Senior Customer Service Advisor, in their absence. Record all customer complaints and compliments.
• Other: To attend relevant training courses, keeping own knowledge of the business, products and processes up to date. To maintain a professional image of the company at all times, demonstrating a can-do approach to both customers and colleagues. To adhere to customer confidentiality policies. To adhere to the company’s Equal Opportunities policy and Dignity at work policy in all activities and to actively promote equality of opportunity wherever possible. To be responsible for your own health and safety and that of your colleagues, in accordance with the company’s Health and Safety policy. To adhere to the company’s Quality policy and Environmental policy. To undertake other duties as may be reasonably required.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Essential: Previous experience working as a Customer Service Advisor. Friendly personality with a “can-do” attitude. The ability to work as part of a small team with limited direct supervision. The ability to handle queries professionally and efficiently with sensitivity. The ability to deliver a high-quality service. Conscientious and able to act proactively.

Desirable: Previous experience in the healthcare sector. Experience of promoting products and services to existing and potential customers.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal: To liaise with warehouse and DPD to meet the needs of the customer. Liaise with finance when handling cash sales. Inform the Key Account Director and Territory Managers of any unusual events. Escalate customer dissatisfaction to the Customer Experience Manager. To be the point of contact for interdepartmental requests and to action those requests in a timely manner e.g. Warehouse, Accounts.

External: Liaise with the Stoma Care Nurse & other healthcare professionals regarding any issues affecting our customers or their products and to ensure that new customers' orders are processed within agreed timescales. To liaise with GP surgeries to obtain the customers prescription before despatch of product. To attend national exhibitions, local exhibitions, and open days as and when required.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Blended home/office working shifts available. 7 hours a day between the hours 8:00 -17:00 on a shift rotation. 1 in 8 Saturdays 8:30 – 12:30. Total 23 hours a week. Objective based bonus. Occasional UK travel may be required.

COMPETENCIES

• Customer Focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Manages Complexity: Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Drives Results: Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Instils Trust: Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Nimble Learning: Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.
• Being Resilient: Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.