Customer Service Representative

Location: Hermanus, Western Cape Remuneration: Ranging from R200k to R470k per annum (based on qualifications and experience) Industry: Financial Immigration Services Reports to: Team Leader The Role: The Customer Services Representative (CSR) is a key member of the Sales & Operations team reporting to the Team Leader. The role is responsible for end-to-end delivery of customer outcomes and will facilitate and administer processes necessary to achieve mutually agreed customer outcomes. It will furthermore act as conduit between business and customers (after customer accepts quote for service/s), taking responsibility to ensure information is supplied to the company in a prompt fashion whilst keeping customers informed on progress until outcomes are successfully achieved. The incumbent will liaise with customers, internal staff, external service providers and partners. Key Requirements: It is recommended that the candidate possess any combination of the following: a) Minimum requirement:

• Grade 12 or equivalent.
• Tertiary qualification in Financial Services would be definite advantage.
• Exposure to and/or theoretical knowledge of FAIS and FICA legislation.
• Minimum two years’ experience in a reasonably complex process orientated environment, preferably within the Financial Services industry.
• Knowledge and experience with sales techniques/strategies to meet customer/business needs and objectives.
• Excellent communications skills, verbal & written (Afrikaans & English).

o Ability to write clearly, courteously, and professionally with excellent e-mail etiquette. o Confident communication with clients. o Ability to distil complex issues into succinct and easily understood language to convey key messages.

• Relationship management with various stakeholders (establish, develop, and maintain relationships).
• Strong interpersonal skills coupled within a resilient yet enthusiastic life disposition, including the ability to remain calm in dynamic situations and project with sunny poise and aura.
• Excellent collaboration skills to deliver cohesive outcomes. Excellent networking skills and the ability to interact confidently with stakeholders at different levels.
• Proven ability to be self-motivated and work autonomously, while also working successfully within a team.
• Proven organisational skills including the ability to prioritise work to ensure deadlines are consistently achieved.
• Strong attention to detail and follow-through.
• High degree of initiative and motivation.
• Demonstrated inclusive, collaborative, and engaging approach; including the ability to consult, facilitate, negotiate, and influence a broad range of people at all levels in a medium sized corporate environment.
• An ability to work under pressure in a rapidly changing environment.

Key Responsibilities: Insurance

• Facilitate the surrender of customer retirement annuities held with South African based insurance companies.
• Facilitate the surrender of all other customer held policies with South African based insurance companies.
• Facilitate the transfer of customer section 14 funds and/or Preservation fund solutions and/or transfer of pension to new retirement annuity.
• Obtain final values for financial products (e.g., policies).
• Identify and facilitate cancellation of cessions on customer policies and/or change of ownership.
• Administer paid-up policies.
• Handle communication with bank and/or insurer regarding cession cancellations and paid-up requests.
• Execute retirement claims, retirement investments and deferred pensions.
• Support Financial Planning and Investments specialist to institute new investment/s for customers.
• Support Financial Consultants (FC) to obtain customer specific information regarding the insurance and/or investment products they have in South Africa. Work collaboratively with Financial Consultants (FC) on all matters that will enable value to be realised for the customer and the company alike.

Onboarding and Banking:

• Facilitate the FICA compliance requirements with the customer, identification, and verification of the client in terms of natural person as primary customer.
• Facilitate the opening of the relevant bank account for the customer and process on the Bidvest Bank API system.
• Facilitate and obtain the required source of funds documentation from the customer.
• Follow up and confirm on Bidvest Bank accounts to be funded.
• Facilitate and obtain South African Reserve Bank approval as required.
• Facilitate and obtain the required Tax Residency Certificate from the customer. The certificate of tax residency from the foreign revenue authority or a letter from the authority that indicated that the customer is regarded as a tax resident in that country is required by SARS to withdraw from a Retirement Annuity Fund.

Learning and development: • Being available and willing to learn existing and new processes that may be added to the company’s suite of products/services from time to time. Compliance: • Comply with all company standard operating procedures (SOPs), policies, guidelines, and procedures. Key Performance Indicator’s (KPI’S): Proficiency in this role may be measured using some or all the stated KPI’s; but, also not limited or restricted to those indicated in below table.

• Contact all allocated customers within set time frames - Measured through various tools relating to productivity, turn-around times, and quality conversion rates.
• Revenue contribution & TAT - Number of completed cases and compliant clients within turnaround times.
• Customer service feedback - Number of complaints, compliments, and cancelled services.
• Quality of communication and interaction with ‘Advisory & Customer Services’ staff - Qualitative measuring.
• Quality of client interaction and communication - Peer and management review to determine the quality of customer communication and interaction.

Key Relationships: Internal and external relationships; level of interaction and purpose. Internal (Primary)

• Team Leader – to seek advice, direction, and guidance on delivery of successful customer outcomes.
• Advisory & Customer Services’ team members – to ensure customer requirements are met within the expected timeframe and quality standards.
• Financial Consultant/s (FC) – to ensure customer needs and requirements are well understood and changes in customer circumstances are acknowledge and appropriately actioned and dealt with.

Internal (Secondary)

• Salesforce support – liaise with subject matter experts to guide continuous improvement to ensure more effective processes and data integrity (where relevant).
• Business Intelligence & Reporting – cooperating with subject matter experts to enhance customer insights.
• Risk and Compliance – to consult and seek advice on financial / business risks, controls, mitigating actions and response.

External

• Customers.
• Brokers and Broker Agencies.
• Advocates and potential advocates.

• SARS.

• Insurers.
• Bidvest Bank.

Core Competencies: We have identified the competencies that are required to be successful. These competencies help define how we do our role and recognise the behaviours that we need to display daily. The required competencies for this role are:

• Managing relationships - Works to build and maintain warm, friendly and constructive relationships with colleagues and business partners; is responsive to the needs, feelings and opinions of others.
• Ability to plan and organize - Able to prioritize and plan multiple tasks and yet be flexible and adaptable in revising plans and priorities on short notice to achieve objectives.
• Sense of urgency - Able to cope with pressure and show ability to deal with urgent matters.
• Action orientation - Initiates action to achieve objectives within set deadlines and pro-actively takes responsibility for achieving work objectives and shows willingness to go the extra mile.
• Decision-making - Able to reach a conclusion or decision, whether it be to further an investigation or for purposes of recommendation / escalation to management.
• Resilience - Able to tolerate and persevere in a reactive environment. The tolerance to deal with conflicting information. Displaying the perseverance, energy and drive to persist, despite interruptions and unforeseen / unexpected changes until tasks have been successfully completed. Able to deal with ambiguity.
• Systems knowledge - Familiar and proficient with MS Office (Outlook, Word and Excel). Sound understanding and proficiency with the employer’s CRM system (Salesforce).
• Product knowledge - Advanced knowledge of the products and/or services the employer offers to their customers locally and internationally.
• Adaptability - Willingness to learn and adjust to a changing work environment.
• Co-operation & teamwork - Co-operative in planning and striving to see that the goals and objectives of the company are being realized.

Additional Information:

• Employment Engagement - This is a one-year fixed term contract position with a three-month probation period. The incumbent will be employed under an employment contract with specific employment terms and conditions including salary.
• Workplace Health and Safety - The incumbent must comply with workplace health and safety requirements.
• Risk and Compliance - The incumbent will be responsible for the risks undertaken in the department within the confines of the overall risk control framework of the company. This will include the identification, analysis, escalation of risks and facilitate an understanding of risk management processes within your department. Implement approved risk treatment procedures to ensure adherence to relevant regulatory requirements within your division. As part of the normal performance review cycle, you will also encourage and reward open and transparent reporting of errors and behaviours which contribute positively to the desired risk and compliance culture.

This description is a general statement of required major duties and responsibilities performed on a regular and continuous basis. It does not exclude other duties as assigned.