POSITION SUMMARY

The Customer Service Representative is responsible for data entry and order processing for online products, journals, book content, and CME. This position serves as a back-up to the Call Center staff daily. The CSR has responsibility for financial and accounting duties including reconciliations, research, and data analysis. This position is a highly visible one, dealing with members, customers, and vendors and requires the use of several complex databases both for looking up information, analyzing and for 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.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

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

• Using Publishing System order system, identify customer account, book or journal product by code, description, author, or category to provide customer with proper item.
• Identify correct price and discount for item depending on category of customer: member, non-member, wholesaler, retailer, or special foreign discount terms.
• Follow department guidelines regarding credit, new customer set-up, and thresholds for approvals. Recognize special customers with specific discounts, pricing, or shipping requirements and bring to the attention of supervisory staff as required.
• Process orders, prepare invoices, and follow up with customer on price and shipping details as necessary.
• Proofread and verify order information prior to 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 customer in preparing the international shipping.
• Process monthly orders for consignment customers.
• Train, QC, and assist new colleagues as needed.
• Provide support to Permissions and Licensing team.

Manage all calls and information requests from APA members, non-members, and publishing customers by answering inquiries directly or transferring 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 call should be transferred and if so, 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.
• Solve customer problems accessing and using APA and APP web sites: www.psychiatry.org, www.appi.org, www.apaeducation.org, and www.psychiatryonline.org.
• Determine whether access issue is related to subscription, payment, de-duplication, content provider, user software/hardware, or user error.
• Provide usernames and passwords; walk customers through accessing account. Create temporary access accounts if required.
• Assist customer with deleting cookies; 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 Operations Manager and Publishing Systems Manager if subscription or interface requires testing.
• Resolve username and email address conflicts between host, APA, and Naviga.
• Assist publishing customers with orders, price requests, online access and general questions.

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

• Manage APP Distributors, Marketing CS, and the Orders email boxes.
  • Provide back up to the Customer Service Representatives on the email boxes on months that are not assigned.
• Respond to customer inquiries about order status, shipping cost, proforma requests, and quotations.
• Assign order 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 payments process including checks, wires, and lockbox receipts.
• Reconcile wire payments to Publishing System cash at month-end.
• Reconcile daily cash receipts (checks and lockboxes) to daily cash postings in Publishing System.
  • Remove unidentified payments to correct subaccount in general ledger.
• Run bi-monthly statements, analyze for accuracy and account status.
  • Determine status for mailing based on debit or credit status.
  • Identify adjustments and write-offs.
  • Produce invoices and send as required.
  • Research and resolve discrepancies.
• Run credit card reconciliation weekly and monthly to ensure the information matches our Finance department. Email the information weekly to the correct contacts.
• Coordinate statements and AR reporting with collections agency/collections staff.

Journal Claims

• Research and process journal claims from customers who did not receive journal copies.
• Analyze reason for non-receipt of journal.
  • Correct subscription if required.
  • Notify customer in writing of journal claim status.
• Resolve journal claims for de-duplicated accounts by determining 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, reinstatement, or problems accessing online subscriptions to journals and books.
  • Identify whether problem is Naviga subscription, platform host interface, user
  • equipment or user error.
  • Report problem to Publishing Systems Manager as needed.
  • Research payment history to resolve cancellation.

Other duties as assigned.

COMPETENCIES

The 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 in order to process orders and communicate with our customers via email and on the 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 that is 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 as a whole and responsibilities within the department.
• Demonstrates a limited knowledge of policies, procedures, and terminology.

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 ability to compose clear and professional correspondence.
• Ability to communicate effectively, clearly, and professionally with both 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 system 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-$22.84-$30.29