Advocate
: Job Details :

TITLE Contact Center Advocate I POSITIONContact Center Advocate I LOCATIONAdmin Building FULL-TIME/PART-TIMEPart-Time SHIFTWeekends DESCRIPTION Position Summary: The Contact Center Advocate provides the first, and often only, contact that many people experiencing intimate partner and sexual violence (IPSV) have with House of Ruth Maryland (HRM). HRM is proud to offer 24/7 survivor and community access to live support, education, safety planning and connection to services through phone and chat, as well as in person. The Contact Center Advocate is part of this team, and is responsible for ensuring that every contact - both victims and community members supporting victims - are offered the support, information, referral, crisis intervention counseling, and safety planning consistent with HRM standards. When individuals contact HRM, they present as scared, hopeful, worried, angry, concerned, and hurt. The Contact Center Advocate assesses each victim's situation relative to lethality and service needs to provide appropriate referrals. The Contact Center Advocate is a creative, energetic problem solver who exercises initiative to help each contact, and is a skilled professional with excellent crisis intervention and customer services skills. The Advocate is responsible for developing an excellent working relationship with other HRM programs and its staff, to ensure the timely, effective and seamless provision of services. This is a part-time position and the schedule is Saturday and Sunday 8 am - 5 pm. The Contact Center Advocate is required to work every weekend. Primary Responsibilities: Primarily responsible for live responses to hotline calls during designated shifts, taking the majority of incoming calls, and providing excellent customer service and trauma-informed support. Shares responsibility with other Contact Center staff members for live response to hotline calls, chat contacts, and triage of walk-in contacts during designated shifts. Ensures that all communications are answered in a timely manner, with minimal or no abandonment. Offers support, information, referrals, crisis intervention counseling, and safety planning consistent with House of Ruth Maryland standards. Attends internal and external meetings and trainings to ensure up to date understanding of agency and community resources and response strategies. Communicates openly and honestly, working as a team with other staff, and demonstrating a positive, solution oriented attitude when working with contacts and colleagues. Assists Contact Center Manager in facilitating trainings and call listening sessions with new staff. Works with Contact Center Manager to ensure all Contact Center resources are accurate and up to date; specifically, with program partners and external vendors. Provides compassion, support, patience, information and referral to all victims, families, friends, professionals, donors, and other individual contacts during designated shifts. Provides crisis intervention, empathy and immediate safety planning to contacts at risk of serious injury from intimate partner violence. Uses critical thinking skills to effectively triage user needs. Provides relief and back-up coverage in emergency and urgent situations between essential assigned sites if required. This includes occasionally acting as the primary staff person in HRM's 24 hour shelter program. Performs timely data entry related to each contact, as well as other administrative tasks as-needed for essential Contact Center or site functions. This may include filing call reports, organizing call center spaces, responding to voicemails, etc. Participates in Contact Center Team meetings. Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Pay: $19 - $22/hr Authority: Makes decisions and facilitates connections to HRM programs and services. Works collaboratively with Residential Program to provide crisis intervention to residents and rare emergency front desk coverage. Locates and shares information on community resources. Makes recommendations to Lead for material and financial assistance in accordance with agency guidelines. Accountable for all aspects of caller requests. Accountable to the Contact Center Manager for direct supervision. Insures that all calls are answered in a timely manner, with minimal or no abandoned calls Responsible for collection of data from volunteers. Measures of Success and/or Accountability: Meets program quality and service targets; including collection of data from volunteers and meeting deadlines for data entry efforts and reports. Callers are well educated on intimate partner violence and all available services. Callers are connected to services that are culturally appropriate and sensitive in a timely and efficient manner. Ensures all overnight callers who need follow up service are appropriately referred for that service. Experience/Requirements: One year paid or voluntary experience in either call center, customer service, retail, hospitality or work with vulnerable populations required. Phone or chat based experience highly preferred. Demonstrated ability to work quickly and calmly in a crisis required. Demonstrated ability to make decisions which de-escalate conflict and/or resolve a crisis effectively required. Excellent oral and written interpersonal skills with a strong ability to relate to a diverse range of individuals including victims, children, donors, business leaders, human service providers. Particular emphasis on communication over the telephone. Demonstrated ability to work independently and juggle multiple competing tasks and timelines required. Must pass Criminal Background Check. House of Ruth Maryland offers a comprehensive Total Rewards Package that will include but is not limited to medical insurance, prescription plan, dental insurance, vision insurance, paid time off, life insurance, 403(b) retirement savings plan, and Employee Assistance Program. House of Ruth Maryland upholds the mission of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by being an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment and will not be excluded because of color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status or age. EOE STATEMENTHouse of Ruth Maryland upholds the mission of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by being an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment and will not be excluded because of color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, or age.