WHAT DOES A CLIENT SERVICE ASSOCIATE DO?
Published: July 17, 2024 - The Client Service Associate enhances client interactions by assisting advisors with documentation and mastering Money Guide Pro software. Play a crucial role in managing office operations, preparing AUM and sales reports, and onboarding new clients. Additionally, develop the team through training, act as a liaison for client feedback, and help improve services.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Client Service Associate
1. Client Service Associate Duties
- Onboarding Management: Own and manage the Onboarding process of new customers across the team.
- Project Management: Can manage multiple ongoing projects and customer-facing communication.
- Support Ticket Resolution: Quickly own and resolve relevant support tickets, explain the breakdown, and suggest process improvements for reoccurring cases.
- Communication: Communicate status updates and next steps by phone and email to internal stakeholders and customers.
- Collaboration and SLA Management: Work diligently and collaboratively with members of other teams to meet or exceed communicated Service Level Agreements.
- Clarity and Consideration: Communicates with clarity against the work they are leading and ensures that the priorities of others are considered.
- Problem Solving: Applies solutions to issues or problems that occur and takes an end-to-end view.
- Judgment and Problem Resolution: Uses judgment to identify and resolve day-to-day problems.
- Data Quality Management: Be responsible for the initial and ongoing data quality of assigned customers.
- Work Stream Management: Prioritize and manage concurrent work streams without supervision.
- Client Support: Work with Trading/ Operations to fully support client needs on campaign delivery.
- Campaign Execution: Learn and execute campaign setup, reporting, and data analysis processes.
2. Client Service Associate Responsibilities
- Trade Execution: Execute mutual fund trade requests and portfolio rebalancing requests with financial clients.
- Investment Advisory Communication: Discuss investment advisory products and platforms with existing and prospective clients.
- Account Setup and Verification: Set up, review, and verify new accounts.
- Account Maintenance Filtering: Filter account maintenance requests for the operations department for setup and input.
- Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Work across various internal groups i.e. Analysts, Sales, and Operations to accomplish daily tasks and ongoing projects.
- Priority Request Facilitation: Facilitate point-of-contact resolution of priority requests and customer problems.
- Client Information Provision: Provide clients and financial advisors with account information.
- Transaction Facilitation: Facilitate timely, accurate, and efficient mutual fund transactions.
- Advisor Collaboration: Work closely with financial advisors to keep them updated on the progress and resolution of client issues/requests.
- Quality Control Assurance: Serve as a quality control point to ascertain that all paperwork, policies, and procedures for customer requests have been adhered to by all compliance requirements.
- Data Management: Use online resources to capture and provide appropriate customer data.
- Departmental Support: Support other departments with campaigns and projects.
3. Client Service Associate Responsibilities
- Systems Utilization: Utilize numerous operational systems to answer customer requests or inquiries regarding financial and non-financial transactions.
- Product Knowledge Maintenance: Continually maintain a working knowledge of all consumer and business products and services, including but not limited to Online Banking and all solutions, Consumer Bill Pay, External Transfers, Consumer MRDC.
- Account Servicing: Handle Account Servicing requests (Stop Payments, Adjustments/Refunds, etc.).
- Customer Recommendations: Make recommendations to customers on products and services offered by the bank.
- Skills Demonstration: Display problem-solving, listening, multitasking, and customer service skills.
- Training Participation: Attend various product knowledge and customer service training classes – both online and in a classroom setting.
- Issue Resolution: Take ownership and ensure timely response and resolution of customer issues.
- Technical Support: Assist customers with technical questions related to our website, browsers, online banking, bill pay, and other self-service customer service options.
- Platform Expertise: Become an expert at using the proprietary audience platform and immerse yourself in the product and technology.
- Internal and External Liaison: Be a liaison between all the internal partners at the company and external clients.
- Reporting: Submit weekly and other related account reports.
4. Client Service Associate Accountabilities
- Client Service Assistance: Assist in day-to-day client service activities.
- Documentation Assistance: Assist advisors in the preparation of client documentation.
- Software Mastery: Mastery of firm software programs.
- Software Utilization: Use of Money Guide Pro (planning software) for assigned clients.
- Relationship Strengthening: Strengthen business relationships with current clients.
- Reporting: Prepare monthly AUM and sales pipeline reports.
- Office Management Assistance: Assist directors with general office management.
- Client Onboarding: Responsible for the onboarding of new clients.
- Team Development: Develop a high-performing team of Associates through training, coaching, and mentorship.
- Client Advocacy: Act as the clients' champion across BlueWave, channeling feedback to BlueWave teams, and translating business needs and product requirements into new solutions for clients.
- Client Engagement: Help drive client interviews, references, and case studies.
5. Client Service Associate Functions
- Global Program Management: Running global programs in support of a Client Service Project Manager.
- Process Mastery: Learning and executing our end-to-end process to support and delight our clients.
- Quality Assurance: Pro-actively assuring client and coach of event quality and feedback.
- Client Communication: Professional, informed, and timely responses to initial prospect or client inquiries.
- Coach Coordination: Coordinating with our network of coaches for timely and informed feedback.
- Trust Building: Building trust with clients to identify and create up-selling opportunities.
- Special Project Support: Supporting special projects that might include specific sales and marketing initiatives.
- Administrative Support: Providing administrative support for office, project, logistics, and team coordination.
- Client Hospitality: Managing client hospitality and service for in-office meetings and learning delivery events.
- Relationship Development: Developing multi-level relationships throughout client organizations, serving as a trusted advisor.
- Strategic Alignment: Deeply understanding client's community solar investment strategies to align our services and support their business goals.
6. Client Service Associate Job Description
- Client Interaction Handling: Handle all inbound client services calls, emails, and web inquiries from initial touch-point to resolution.
- Sales Opportunity Identification: Identify sales and up-sell opportunities for the business.
- Product Training Provision: Provide clients with product training and ongoing product support.
- Client Engagement: Provide ongoing proactive outreach to accounts and end-users to drive client engagement and customer satisfaction.
- Subject-Matter Proficiency: Maintain subject-matter proficiency of all data product offerings and associated value propositions.
- Usage Data Analysis: Review product usage data to uncover trends and themes in data usage.
- Product Development Input: Provide product development recommendations based on direct experience.
- Contract and Invoice Management: Prepare investment contracts for clients and issuance of invoices and receipts.
- Email and Report Management: Handle multiple emails/queries from clients and prepare monthly reports for clients.
- Issue Resolution: Ensure client issues are resolved quickly, escalating to resources across BlueWave.
- Client Portal Promotion: Drive client adoption of the BlueWave Client Portal.
- Account Growth Collaboration: Partner closely with BlueWave's Business Development team to grow client accounts.
7. Client Service Associate Overview
- Inquiry Response: Answer user inquiries via phone and email regarding software operations and medical billing questions to address client inquiries/needs or resolve problems.
- Claims Management: Rebill claims, update insurance coverage for claim processing, and provide status information regarding claims or outstanding A/R.
- Problem Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot and research problems through reading Knowledge Base Articles, reading Technical Manuals, conferring with other Technical Support Representatives, Team Leaders, or Managers.
- Client Follow-up: Follow up promptly with status updates to clients.
- Record Maintenance: Maintain records daily of each customer case in communication tracking software.
- Knowledge Base Contribution: Contribute to Knowledge Base Articles for sharing with other technical support reps.
- Communication and Documentation: Ability to communicate, write clearly, and document problems/issues to co-workers and clients.
- Proposal Management: Receive Request for Proposals and produce digital media plans that adhere to company guidelines and Key Performance Indicators from clients.
- Pre and Post-Sale Management: Manage day-to-day pre and post-sale activities to ensure successful planning and launch of all integrated marketing programs.
- Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Work with cross-departmental colleagues to problem solve and implement best practices for marketing programs.
- Client Communication Management: Manage day-to-day client communications.
- Marketing Reporting: Provide regularly scheduled reporting with marketing insights.
8. Client Service Associate Details and Accountabilities
- Meeting Preparation: Initiate and prepare for client meetings while maintaining client communication.
- Account Opening Coordination: Coordinate the account opening process, including assembling and organizing account information/documents and establishing required banking documentation.
- Account Management: Oversee account processing and management including maintaining records, reviewing daily transaction reports, and managing daily workflow.
- Financial Transactions: Prepare remittances, wire transfers, bill paying, and/or receipt transactions with proper transaction and tax codes.
- Email Response: Answer client emails in a fast-paced environment, including questions about nutrition and health.
- Product Upselling: Work to up-sell and cross-sell clients on new Sakara products and programs.
- Issue Resolution: Resolve issues by clarifying the customer's complaint and determining the cause of the problem.
- Solution Implementation: Explain the best solution to solve the problem and follow up to ensure the resolution.
- Client Experience Enhancement: Provide feedback and communicate with internal departments to enhance the client experience.
- Campaign Management: Manage campaigns to meet or exceed client KPIs and internal benchmarks.
- Billing Coordination: Provide end-of-month billing to the finance team for collections and reconciliation.
- Billing Liaison: Act as the point of contact for all billing matters as it relates to the finance department.
9. Client Service Associate Tasks
- Operational Support: A key member of the day-to-day functioning of all processing and operational servicing of the organization.
- Account Servicing: Primarily focused on support, TOAs, and existing account service requests.
- Operational Requests Handling: Handle all operational service requests from advisors' books of business.
- New Account Processing: Responsible for all new account processing and all paperwork for existing clients.
- Operations Assistance: Assist the Operations Manager in handling all operational service requests from advisors and other associates.
- Flawless Execution Maintenance: Maintain flawless execution for processing and service items.
- Account Distribution Processing: Process all account distribution requests for existing client accounts, as well as for all new client accounts.
- Resource Leveraging: Leverage available resources to meet daily service targets, improve customer satisfaction, support projects, and manage high-risk exposure items.
- Rejection Correction: Review, assess, and correct any rejections and/or issues.
- Efficiency Identification: Help identify opportunities to create efficiencies within all aspects of the operations department.
- Operational Setup Assistance: Assist with processing and operational setup for all associates and any new financial advisors.
10. Client Service Associate Roles
- Relationship Management: Develop and maintain client relationships.
- Onboarding Management: Onboard all new starters within the Client’s SLA, providing a positive experience and ensuring the accuracy of contractor setup including rates, awards, agency margin, client, worksite, and client contact details.
- Document Collection: Communicate with contingent workers to obtain mandatory documents before the contract agreement, e.g., Sub-contractor Statement and Work rights.
- Documentation Coordination: Coordinate and properly escalate outstanding documentation to complete CXC and client requirements after contract agreement, e.g., WHS, Induction, Policies, LHLD, Deedpoll, etc.
- Background Check Oversight: Ensure background checks are completed and any adverse findings are escalated to the Specialist.
- Discrepancy Management: Coordinate with the AU Specialist or Client any discrepancy on RFS/AWE/FG Work Order.
- Extension Management: Manage the extension process ensuring delivery of a quality, consistent and timely service in line with contracted SLAs.
- Rate and Tax Adjustment Facilitation: Facilitate rate changes, tax structure changes and/or other requests impacting contractors and ensure liaising/notifying Specialist.
- Communication Management: Ensure details are well communicated to the contractor, client, or both before revision/amendment.
- Service Leave Coordination: Ensure all contractors eligible for Long Service Leave are flagged to the Specialist/CSM before proceeding with the extension request.
- Offboarding Management: Manage the offboarding process, updating contractor records and proper notification to all parties involved.