Customer Care Associate

As a Customer Care Associate at Sona Pharmacy + Clinic, your primary responsibilities include providing exceptional customer service, assisting patients with prescription pickups, managing cash register transactions, maintaining an organized workspace, and ensuring HIPAA patient confidentiality. You'll be the first point of contact for patients, addressing inquiries and referring them to pharmacists when needed, all while creating a warm and welcoming environment.

To succeed as a Customer Care Associate at Sona Pharmacy + Clinic, you should ideally possess excellent customer service skills, attention to detail, and prior cashier experience in a community pharmacy setting. While a background in pharmacy operations is beneficial, having key emotional skills such as optimism, curiosity to learn, a drive to improve, and empathy are paramount to thriving in this role.

The Customer Care Associate role at Sona Pharmacy + Clinic is a full-time position, with a guaranteed 40 hours per week. The typical work schedule includes Monday to Friday shifts with a rotating weekend schedule, where common hours are from 8 AM to 5 PM, 9 AM to 6 PM, or 11 AM to 8 PM, including a one-hour unpaid lunch break.

Sona Pharmacy + Clinic looks for Customer Care Associates who possess four key emotional skills that are essential for success: optimism, curiosity to learn, a drive to improve, and empathy. These innate qualities, combined with a willingness to go above and beyond, ensure that you can genuinely connect with and support our patients throughout their healthcare journey.

At Sona Pharmacy + Clinic, we are committed to providing our Customer Care Associates with a comprehensive benefits package. This includes competitive compensation, a 401k plan with company match, flexible payment options, health plans (medical, pharmacy, vision, and dental), wellness programs, paid volunteer days, and generous vacation and sick leave, all aimed at promoting a positive work-life balance.

When dealing with a difficult customer, it's essential to remain calm, listen actively, and show empathy. Acknowledge their concerns and maintain a positive attitude, seeking solutions by offering assistance or involving a pharmacist if necessary. By prioritizing the customer's needs and ensuring they feel heard, you can often turn a negative experience into a positive interaction.

A great way to answer this question is to share a specific story that highlights your skills. Describe a situation where you went above and beyond to assist a customer, such as resolving an issue with a prescription or providing guidance to a patient. Focus on the actions you took and the positive impact it had on the customer’s experience.

Important qualities for a successful Customer Care Associate include excellent communication skills, empathy, attention to detail, and the ability to work well under pressure. These characteristics enable you to provide exceptional service while efficiently handling various tasks in a busy environment.

Skills in prioritization are crucial for a Customer Care Associate. When faced with multiple tasks, assess which ones have immediate deadlines or are most critical to patient care. Utilize techniques like to-do lists or organizing tasks based on urgency to ensure you manage your responsibilities effectively while maintaining quality service.

Share your passion for engaging with the community and healthcare. Discuss how Sona Pharmacy + Clinic's mission aligns with your values and interest in providing compassionate care to patients. Express enthusiasm for being a part of a team that prioritizes personal connections over just dispensing medications.

To maintain confidentiality, always adhere to HIPAA guidelines and ensure that patient information is only accessed and discussed in appropriate settings. Engage in secure practices, such as logging off computers when not in use and ensuring that sensitive documents are properly secured and disposed of.

Staying organized is vital in a customer service role. Utilize tools such as checklists and planners to keep track of daily tasks. Keep your workspace tidy and regularly declutter to enhance efficiency. Additionally, develop systems for managing inventory and patient records to streamline processes.

Provide an example where teamwork played a crucial role in achieving a goal. Describe your specific contributions, how you communicated with your colleagues, and how collective efforts led to positive outcomes for customers. Highlight your cooperative spirit and ability to support your teammates.

Building rapport involves actively engaging with customers, using their names when addressing them, and showing genuine interest in their needs. Personalize your interactions by asking questions and being attentive to their responses, which helps create a trusting relationship and encourages patients to return.

Emphasize your commitment to lifelong learning by discussing practices such as seeking opportunities for training, staying updated on industry developments, and asking for feedback from colleagues. Highlight that your curiosity drives you to expand your knowledge and skills, which ultimately benefits the patients and the team.