Customer Relations Specialist

INLIVIAN is seeking an enthusiastic, customer-focused professional to join our team as a Customer Relations Specialist (CRS). This role serves as the face and voice of our organization, providing exceptional service to residents, applicants, visitors, and community partners.

If you enjoy helping others, solving problems, and creating positive customer experiences, this could be the perfect opportunity to grow your career with INLIVIAN!

Position Highlights

As a Customer Relations Specialist, you will:

Serve as the first point of contact for residents, visitors, and callers at our Administrative Office.

Respond to inquiries and provide information regarding:

• Housing programs
• Application status
• Rent payments
• Agency services and resources

Investigate and resolve customer concerns while ensuring a positive customer experience.

Provide administrative and clerical support to the Call Center.

Process application updates and maintain accurate customer records.

Coordinate appointments and provide warm handoffs to appropriate departments.

Respond to customer service emails and support special projects as needed.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate is:

• Customer-focused and solutions-oriented
• Professional and compassionate under pressure
• Organized with strong attention to detail
• An excellent communicator, both verbally and in writing
• Able to handle confidential and sensitive information
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-volume environment

Minimum Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in:
• Customer Service
• Reception
• Administrative Support
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered.

This role offers an opportunity to:

• Expand your customer service and problem-solving skills
• Build relationships across the organization
• Gain exposure to housing programs and agency operations
• Grow your career within a mission-driven organization

Position Summary

The primary purpose of this position is to provide customer service to residents, visitors, staff, contractors, and the general public. The incumbent is client-focused, wherein the individual facilitates the main lobby operations, by handling and resolving a high volume of client concerns, complaints and questions from individuals visiting INLIVIAN’s Administrative Office. The CRS answers or refers questions and provides information in person and over the phone, respectfully listening and communicating to help resolve problems. This position serves as an alternate to customer care associates. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Responsibilities

1. Monitors front desk and reception area of INLIVIAN’s administrative office. Maintains positive resident communications and relations, including answering phone calls and receiving walk-in visitors to office; receives and responds to inquiries (telephone and in-person) from applicants, residents, landlords, and community organizations when appropriate.
2. Resolves problems for clients by providing clarity on issues and questions through quick investigation and analysis; provides and implements solutions; escalates unresolved issues to ensure problem resolution.
3. Provides clerical and administrative support to the Call Center, including recordkeeping, document generation, data tracking, telephoning, mailing, and filing as assigned. Ensures adequate supply of forms and flyers are available for housing applicants.
4. Responds to requests in a prompt and courteous manner; identifies administrative needs of the department and develops appropriate solutions and/or recommendations.
5. Provides customer service to residents/participants, applicants, property owners, and their agents and general public; answers incoming calls and responds to messages; responds to inquiries regarding program information, the admissions process, application status, and rent payments, escalating matters as needed.
6. Documents communications with tenants, landlords, and applicants in appropriate location(s).
7. Processes application updates, updates information in appropriate location(s), and communicates with applicants as required.
8. Provides professional and constructive engagement with clients by efficiently determining the nature of customers’ business and effecting a warm handoff to the appropriate staff member or department and schedule appointments with appropriate representative when necessary.
9. Receives, responds to, and escalates customer service-related emails, as required.
10. Compiles and submits office supply requests to supervisor.
11. Assists Executive staff and other departments with special projects, as required.
12. Completes other related duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

High school diploma or GED and a minimum of two (2) years of experience as a receptionist or customer service representative. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

Some positions may require possession of a valid driver’s license and the ability to be insurable under the Agency’s automobile insurance plan at the standard rate.

Knowledge and Skills

1. Knowledge of general office practices and procedures, including business English and arithmetic.

2. Skills in operating computer equipment, applicable Agency software, and general office machines.

3. Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, orally and in writing.

4. Ability to deal effectively with sensitive and confidential information.

5. Ability to understand and follow moderately complex written and oral instructions.

6. Ability to meet and deal tactfully and courteously with the public

Supervision Controls

The Customer Relations Specialist receives instructions from and is accountable to the Call Center Supervisor. The employee receives specific instructions regarding areas with which the employee is not familiar, priorities, deadlines, when complaints are brought to the attention of the supervisor, and when the supervisor is contacted by the employee for direction. In familiar, regularly occurring duties, the employee plans and carries out work activities with minimal supervision and independently resolves problems that arise. The employee's work is reviewed regularly and closely for accuracy, timeliness, and conformity to organizational policies, federal, state, and local regulations and attainment of objectives.

Guidelines

The employee performs routine duties by following established policies and procedures, applicable reference materials, published laws, regulations, handbooks, and training materials. These guidelines cover most job-related situations. The employee may require guidance from the supervisor in situations not covered by existing guidelines but has reasonable latitude in the performance of customary duties.

Complexity

The employee performs routine duties following established and specific organizational policies and procedures, applicable local, state, and federal regulations, traditional practices, and information from training and reference materials. The course of actions are determined by the circumstances, assessment of critical issues, supervisor input, and by established procedures and applicable regulations. The employee may coordinate, integrate, and/or prioritize tasks. Routinely, the employee may adapt procedures to the circumstances and make decisions concerning resident or maintenance problems, collections, and management of staff using personal judgement based on prior experience.

Scope and Effect

The employees work affects other employees and the perception of the organization by clients and the general public. Performing duties effectively, efficiently and in a professional manner enhances relationships between the Agency and its clients and contributes to the organization’s overall ability to provide housing that is decent, safe, and sanitary.

Personal Contacts

The employee's personal contacts are mostly with residents, coworkers, local officials (police, judges), outside service agencies, utility companies, contractors, and advertising contacts. The purposes of these contacts are to obtain or provide information, plan and coordinate, and to advise, motivate, influence, or direct subordinates or others, and justify, defend, negotiate, or resolve matters and issues concerning

housing.

Regularly, contact requires negotiation and/or handling of controversial matters, and may include dealing with skeptical, uncooperative, unreceptive, and hostile individuals.

Physical Requirements

1. Work is principally sedentary, but may involve some physical exertion, such as kneeling, crouching, or lifting to obtain files, records, and office supplies, and eyestrain from working with computers and other office equipment.

2. Must be able to sit and/or stand for up to eight hours at a time while preforming work duties.

3. Must be able to bend, stoop, push, and pull in the performance of office related duties.

4. Must be able to use fingers bilaterally and unilaterally to operate office equipment.

5. Must be able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers and clients and perform essential job functions in an environment that will sometimes include increased levels of work-related stress.

6. An employee may request a reasonable accommodation to mitigate any of the physical requirements listed above.

Work Environment

Work involves the normal risks or discomfort associated with an office environment and is usually in an area that is adequately heated, lighted, and ventilated.

Other Requirements

Must possess a valid State of North Carolina or South Carolina driver’s license and regularly participate in continuous improvement and education. Must work with the highest degree of confidentiality.