Participant Services Associate

Position Summary

The Participant Services Associate effectively responds to incoming participant calls and emails and professionally assists participants using available resources and sound judgment.

• Respond to participant inquires via phone calls, emails and voicemails within standard service-level agreements Answer incoming call within 60 seconds Emails received before 2:00 p.m. must be answered the same day Emails received after 2:00 p.m. must be answered by 10am the following day Voicemails received before 4:00 p.m. must be responded to the same day
• Comfortable navigating multiple internal software programs while troubleshooting participant issues
• De-escalate calls using available resources
• Identify and escape issues that require additional research Place the caller on hold while a ticket is entered to be submitted to the research team for investigation
• Complete ongoing training to become well-versed in different plan areas
• Backup other Participant Services team members
• Assist with updating process and procedures
• Assist with any other activity as needed
• Act as a team player
• Exceptional attendance is required to ensure participant calls are answered in a timely manner and work is distributed fairly among team members

• High School Diploma or GED
• Some college preferred, equivalent experience accepted
• Current certifications in Flexible Compensation or COBRA administration a plus
• 1+ years of customer service experience analyzing and solving customer problems,
  or 1 year of experience in an office setting environment using the telephone and computer as the primary instruments to perform job duties
• Experience administering employee benefit plans in one of the Health and Welfare areas: eligibility and enrollment, reimbursement plans (FSA, DCA, HRA, HSA etc.), continuation of benefits plans (COBRA, LOA, Retiree, Direct Bill), or Online Benefits Enrollment systems a plus

• Provide excellent customer service:
  Patience:
  The ability to stay patient when the participant is confused and frustrated, meanwhile taking the time to truly figure out what the caller wants Attentiveness:
  The ability to really listen to customer is crucial for providing great customer service Clear communication skills: the ability to get to the problem at hand quickly and clearly communicate to customers, keep it simple and leave nothing to doubt Positive attitude: maintain a cheery persona in spite of dealing with people who may be unhappy
• Effective delivery of varied communication styles:
  The ability to understand your own natural style of communication and adapt that style to varied communications styles of others to ensure effective communication
• Multitasking: the ability to approach multiple tasks and clearly establish which task is more important, then immerse yourself in immediate task, while not forgetting about what remains to be done next
• Effective writing: the ability to craft a succinct response that addresses simple to complex inquiries in a tone that is appropriate for the intended audience, using proper organization, phrasing and grammar
• Team player: the ability to willingly work in cooperation with others. This means being accountable, as the team counts on each member to be at work everyday in order for work distributed fairly and to maximize customer service. This includes arriving to work on time and taking breaks and lunches on time to insure that no individual team member is being inundated with calls because another Associate did not take his/her break on time.
  
  Maintain an encouraging and optimistic attitude to avoid spreading negative energy. Maintaining an encouraging an encouraging an optimistic attitude is key to creating a collaborative thriving environment
• Exemplify TRI-AD core values: integrity, service, initiative, positive attitude, accountability and empowerment
• Physical demands include:
  General office work Ability to sit for long periods of time Additional hours may be required during peak periods