National Response Center Call Agent

Purpose	The American Red Cross Response Center Enterprise is a 24 x 7 nationally available emergency contact center which provides relevant information, referrals and relief support to individuals and American Red Cross units affected by disasters and community emergencies. The Response Center Enterprise is responsible for providing quality support to our clients, the majority of whom are actual disaster victims. Since the Response Center Enterprise is often a client’s first point of contact with the American Red Cross, it is imperative that Response Center Enterprise call agents conduct business in a compassionate, respectful, helpful, and timely manner. To ensure these qualities are maintained on every call, significant time and resources are devoted to not only training call agents in all facets of the American Red Cross but also in collecting and collating pertinent information that will be essential to clients. When a disaster occurs, it is critical that Response Center Enterprise call agents ensure the effective use and dissemination of this information.
Key Responsibilities	In providing ongoing quality support to our clients, the Response Center Enterprise call agent serves multiple purposes by: Capturing and recording the client’s immediate, emergency needs to ensure they are addressed in timely and professional manner Providing a “triage” function by screening and prioritizing client needs Providing the client with accurate and timely disaster relief assistance and information such as: locations of shelters, feeding sites, service delivery sites, bulk distribution sites, FEMA Recovery Centers Providing the client with educational and preparedness information Providing the client with appropriate referrals, as needed
Relationships	Reports to Department Supervisor
Qualifications	In order for any Response Center Enterprise agent to effectively interact with the client, the following basic skills are required: Basic understanding of ARC services, policies and procedures, and types of assistance Ability to work with Chapter Team Lead/Supervisor to ensure teamwork and consistency Strong interpersonal skills Compassion, understanding, empathy and professionalism Ability to communicate effectively both verbally, and in writing Ability to prioritize time-sensitive/critical issues Good phone skills including: customer service/listening/interviewing skills. Headset to be used Working knowledge of Word and the World Wide Web Ability to understand and utilize all Response Center Enterprise applications and tools i.e. the On-Line Resource Book, Disaster and Welfare Information Case Create, Rockwell Convergence, VPN (if applicable) and Client Assistance System (CAS, if applicable) and potential other applications as they apply, and are needed Ability and knowledge to multi-task i.e. perform data entry while interviewing the caller Ability to create a complete and informative case history in the narrative section of Disaster Case Create
Training	Orientation to American Red Cross On job training
Appointed by	Volunteer Support Services Department
Reports to or Partners with	Department Supervisor
Length of Appointment
Time Commitment	The prospective volunteer will work a possible 4-12 hour shift, in conjunction with, the assigned Response Center Network Chapter’s hours of operation as part of the RCE partnership. Call agents will report directly to the assigned Chapter Team Lead and/or Supervisor and, in unison, dial “1100” via the Rockwell for additional help, as needed. All other applicable point of contact (POC) numbers for direct assistance will be provided during or after Response Center Enterprise Training.
Development Opportunities	Be a valued team member of a Red Cross service that helps promote the mission and services of the Red Cross.