Job Description
Do you have a love of animals, experience of leading a team and a passion for customer service? If so, we have the perfect role for you at our Morden veterinary surgery!
We're recruiting a Customer Experience Manager, who is a key member of our surgery's management team. You'll be responsible for leading our Customer Experience Co-ordinators in creating a positive, welcoming, friendly and efficient environment for The Vet customers and their pets at every touchpoint; and in doing so, driving excellence in customer service and patient care. There's a real opportunity here to take a proactive role which will have a direct correlation with the revenue of our surgery.
About us:
We’re part of the UK’s largest, independent, family-owned veterinary group with a nationwide presence. We offer exceptional care in the local communities we serve, helping pets to live long, happy and healthy lives with their families.
Our state-of-the-art surgeries are purpose-built, light and spacious and equipped with the latest technology. We’re committed to creating an environment that offers exceptional clinical care and where our colleagues love to work, our patients are calm and our customers feel assured.
We’re continually investing in developing our growing team and there's never been a better time to join us!
To attract and retain the best talent in the sector, we offer market-leading salaries and an extensive range of benefits.
Duties and responsibilities
People
- In collaboration with the Area Manager, recruit and induct the Customer Experience Co-ordinators and Cleaners, ensuring they have an exceptional experience.
- Manage the surgery’s Customer Experience Co-ordinators, ensuring:
- Their time and expertise is most effectively utilised
- Their interactions with customers and patients are consistently welcoming and appropriate to the individual case
- Their input into the practice management software is consistently accurate and up to date
- They consistently comply with the practice procedures manual and operating procedures
- Agree development requirements for all Customer Experience Co-ordinators and Cleaners - and monitoring the effectiveness.
- With support from the People team as required, manage the Customer Experience Co-ordinators and Cleaners HR requirements:
- Work rotas- Salary spreadsheets- Timesheets- Holiday requests- Absence recording- Return to work- Personal matters
- Monitor Customer Experience Co-ordinators interactions with customers and provide the appropriate development and training to drive their continuous improvement via group or one-to-one sessions.
- With support from the Area Manager, conduct annual appraisals for all Customer Experience Co-ordinators and Cleaners, ensuring it is a collaborative, positive experience.
- With support from the Area Manager, conduct performance management of Customer Experience Co-ordinators and Cleaners.
- Manage surgery internal communications and team engagement.
Operations
- Manage the surgery email address, ensuring communications are cascaded and responded to appropriately and timely.
- Ensure all reception tasks are conducted in accordance with the practice procedures manual and relevant operating procedures.
- Ensure the surgery is opened and closed effectively, managing call divert to OOH providers.
- Ensure the reception and seating areas are clean, tidy and welcoming.
- Display retail products to give best customer appeal – and ensure they are priced clearly and correctly.
- Ensure customers are efficiently processed at the end of their appointment:
- Non-insurance invoices are paid in full
- Medication is collected
- Follow-up appointments are booked appropriately.
- Ensure consultations are priced correctly, reporting any issues to the Head Vet or Head Nurse.
- Proactively drive Smartpet Healthcare Plan registrations and insurance referrals.
- Ensure there is a good and varied source of information in the reception, seating areas and consult rooms:
- Leaflets up to date and fully stocked- Posters up to date and in good condition- Signs and notices up to date and in good condition- Price boards are up to date and in good condition- Video screens in operation throughout surgery opening times
- Ensure effective use of the practice management software for:
- Booking appointments- Registering new customers- Processing payments- Updating customer records- Updating diary notes
- Ensure payments are taken at the time of appointment, for medication and for other products sold at surgery.
- Manage stock of refreshments for reception, saleable products, sympathy cards and surgery non-clinical consumables.
- Ensure cashing-up at the end of the day is carried out and any variances investigated.
- Manage local H&S requirements and security arrangements, in liaison with the Area Manager and Central Operations Manager.
- Ensure surgery debtors are managed:
- All non-insured debt is collected within 30 days (escalate debts over 30 days to the Central Operations Manager for follow-up)- Total debt is less than 1% of turnover- There is no bad debt (> 90 days)
- Ensure that necessary surgery administration tasks are completed accurately and timely:
- Banking- Insurance processing- Scanning
- Collating lists of registered customers for marketing purposes
- Providing weekly debtors report to financeCustomer
- Create a welcoming, friendly and reassuring in-person experience and on the telephone.
- Ensure all customers with their pets are welcomed to the surgery in a friendly and courteous manner.
- Ensure customers and their pets are seated comfortably as they wait to be attended
- Ensure customers of emergency cases are treated appropriately throughout
- Ensure anxious or distressed customers are escorted into a private room
- Manage customer waiting time
- Lead by example, initiating conversations with customers:
- Efficiently dealing with their appointments and queries;- Creating friendly banter about their pets;- Offering refreshments
- Proactively sharing details of the breadth of services available.
- Ensure incoming calls are answered as a priority and queries are answered where possible, only escalating to other colleagues if the reason for the call cannot be answered directly
- Promptly respond to email and Petsapp enquiries.
- Be the Smartpet Healthcare Plan ambassador
- Ensure the schemes are recommended to all customers.
- Follow-up on lapsed of cancelled Smartpet Healthcare Plans.
- Proactively and confidently drive vaccination & booster uptake
- Manage microchip sign-up and processing.
- Oversee the timely delivery of sympathy cards, paw prints and seeds to all relevant customers.
- Oversee the timely return of pet accessories to their owners – and manage the disposal of unclaimed items
- Ensure pre-op and post-op calls are conducted effectively and as appropriate by the reception and/or nurse team
- Confirming arrangements
- Relaying information provided by the clinical team
- Booking follow-up appointments
- Lead the relationship with animal charities
- Co-ordinate surgery involvement in local fundraising / community events
- Manage local marketing initiatives with support from the Area Manager and marketing team to drive customer footfall.
- Manage the collation of customer testimonials and patient stories for use in marketing campaigns.
- Investigate and resolve customer complaints that are non-clinical; and escalating the matter to the Area Manager if the complaint requires additional support.
- Ensure all staff accounts are paid at the beginning of each monthStrategic Activity
- Working as a surgery management team alongside the Head Vet and Head Nurse to consistently deliver the best patient care and customer experience, cultivating a positive, collaborative working environment for all colleagues
- Promoting the Company’s strategic plan and the values; and be an ambassador for continuous improvement
- Special projects as agreed with the Managing Director
Behaviours
The role is based in a fast-paced environment and the post-holder must lead by example.
The Customer Experience Manager must demonstrate flexibility and adaptability, ensuring their team does the same.
This role requires strong skills in communication, organisation, team working, attention to detail and people management.
The post holder must demonstrate empathy, kindness and compassion, whilst also being calm and confident under pressure.
The role requires a commitment to proactively developing own skills.
The Customer Experience Manager must adhere to health & safety guidelines and ensure their team does the same.
There is a requirement for the role to undertake other reasonable duties as required.
Working conditions
The role is based in a fast-paced environment. Hours will be undertaken on a rota basis and will include some evening and weekend working.
This role will include significant VDU usage.
Direct reports
Customer Experience Co-ordinators
Cleaner
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: From £26,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company car
- Company pension
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free flu jabs
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- UK visa sponsorship
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Monday to Friday
- Weekend availability
Supplemental pay types:
- Loyalty bonus
- Performance bonus
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Bristol: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Experience:
- Customer Service: 1 year (preferred)
- Management: 1 year (preferred)
Work Location: In person