Telephonist

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Title: Telephonist

Department: Customer Services

Responsible to: Deputy Head of Customer Services

Accountable to: Head of Commercial & Customer Services

Job Purpose:

To provide a sympathetic and professional telephone service to patients and service users. To operate a first point of contact service to incoming callers and support Spencer Private Hospitals by answering all incoming calls, answering queries at the first point of contact and connecting more complex callers to the required departments via telephone or email utilising appropriate resources available.

Key Relationships

Patients / Service Users

Relatives / Friends / Family

Colleagues

Consultants

NHS Colleagues

SMT

Key Responsibilities

Operate a PC based switchboard to provide an efficient and effective service to both internal and external callers with the ability to communicate effectively with confidence and enthusiasm.

Quality

Handle enquiries from existing and prospective clients professionally

To remain calm, concise and polite when under pressure

Good listening and interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate with all staff at Spencer Private Hospitals

Good listening and interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate with callers with discretion, diplomacy and courtesy

Good vocabulary and professionalism, taking into consideration the needs of patient/caller and their privacy and dignity

Ability to sound confident and concise when giving out relevant information and keep up to date with developments within Spencer Private Hospitals to ensure that accurate information is provided

Ability to effectively communicate where communication is difficult due to language barriers, distress, hearing difficulties etc

Ability to communicate information of a non-clinical nature with accuracy

Ability to understand the needs of others and to communicate with discretion in difficult circumstances

Ability to assess, resolve and refer enquiries effectively

Ability to judge the urgency of situations and respond accordingly

Ability to use own judgement and discretion in the disclosure of information held within the Spencer Private Hospitals database

Be part of a well-established team and team player within the department

To continually maintain accurate electronic records and bookings systems

To assist in any clerical duties considered necessary for the smooth running of the department i.e. sending appointment letters, sending emails, etc.

To provide a sympathetic and professional patient service

To act in a discreet, diplomatic, and tactful manner at all times

To ensure that all local policies and legal requirements relating to clinical care, Information Governance, GDPR and Health and Safety are complied with

Business Development

Provide a quality service for customers and local service users

To foster and continue strong working relationships between the Reception Teams, Bookings Team and Clinical Teams

Work towards retaining ISO9001 2015 & ISO14001 2015 Accreditation

Workforce

• To participate in in-house training sessions and attend meetings and discussions when required.
• Other general ad-hoc administration duties as and when required and as directed by your line manager

To work under supervision and direction of the Deputy Head of Customer Services to ensure a smooth service

To attend staff appraisal and identify personal needs and set and evaluate personal objectives

Equal Opportunities

It is the aim of the hospital to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, sex, race, colour, nationality or ethnic or national origins, or is not placed at a disadvantage by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable. To this end, the hospital has an Equal Opportunities Policy, and it is for each employee to contribute to its success.

Health & Safety

All Employees must be aware of the responsibility placed on them under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), to ensure that the agreed safety procedures are carried out to maintain a safe environment for employees and visitors. Individual employees should also refer to specific health and safety requirements within their own job descriptions.

Data Protection

If required to do so, to obtain, process and/or use information held on a computer or word-processor in a fair and lawful way. To hold data only for the specific registered purpose, and not to use or disclose it in any way incompatible with such purpose. To disclose data only to authorised persons or organisations as instructed by Spencer Private Hospitals.

Customer Care

It is the aim of the hospital to provide patients and clients with the best possible care and service. In order to meet this aim all of our staff are required, at all times, to put the patient or client first and do their utmost to meet their requests and needs courteously and efficiently.

Confidentiality

To ensure that confidential information is not disclosed about Spencer Private Hospitals (including information regarding patients and staff) to any unauthorised member of staff, or to anyone outside the employment of Spencer Private Hospitals.

This job description is intended to reflect, in outline, the responsibilities of the post holder, which may change over time with corporate or local business needs of Spencer Private Hospitals. It will therefore be subject to periodic review and amendment in the light of changing circumstances and following consultation with the post holder.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Maths and English (GCSE or equivalent) grade C or above

Desirable

• IT Qualification
• Customer Services Qualification

Experience

Essential

• Proven experience working with the public over the phone
• Proven experience in a customer focused role

Desirable

• Knowledge / experience in a healthcare / medical environment
• Experience liaising with patients
• Experience of liaising with colleagues in other departments

Skills

Essential

• Excellent IT skills
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook
• Exceptional customer service skills
• Good written communication skills

Desirable

• Directing high volumes of calls to other departments
• Proven track record of delivering service beyond all expectations
• Hospital softwares e.g. Compucare / PAS / Sunrise

Other

Essential

• Ability to travel between sites
• Permission to work in the UK

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Outstanding communication skills
• Polite and confident telephone manner
• Organised and methodical in approach
• Accuracy
• To be able to work under pressure
• Ability to act on own initiative
• Self-motivated
• Flexible to the needs of the business
• Previous experience of working in a team
• Be able to act upon direct instruction effectively
• Able to work in a high pressurised environment

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Spencer Private Hospitals Ltd

Address

Spencer Private Hospitals Limited

Units 1 and 3 Almond House

Betteshanger, Deal

Kent

CT140EN

Employer's website

https://www.spencerprivatehospitals.com/ (Opens in a new tab)