Job Description

Head of Customer Services

Job Title

Head of Customer Services

Department

Customer Services

Reports To

Group Operations Director

Job Purpose

The Head of Customer Services is responsible for leading and enhancing the overall patient experience by overseeing all customer-facing services across the hospital. This role ensures the delivery of exceptional service standards from the patient’s first point of contact through the completion of their care journey. The incumbent provides strategic and operational leadership for Front Desk, Patient Registration, Information Desk, Customer Care, Call Center, Patient Experience, and Concierge services while ensuring compliance with UAE healthcare regulations, accreditation standards, and organizational policies.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

• Develop and implement the hospital’s customer service strategy aligned with organizational goals.
• Foster a patient-centric culture across all customer-facing departments.
• Lead, coach, and develop Customer Service Supervisors, Front Office Managers, and departmental teams.
• Establish service excellence standards and ensure consistent implementation across all facilities.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance patient satisfaction and operational efficiency.
• Participate in hospital leadership meetings and contribute to strategic planning initiatives.

Front Office & Patient Access Operations

• Oversee the daily operations of Front Desk, Reception, Registration, Information Desk, and Concierge services.
• Ensure efficient patient registration, appointment management, insurance verification, and admissions processes.
• Monitor patient flow and collaborate with clinical and operational departments to minimize waiting times.
• Ensure appropriate staffing levels to maintain service quality during peak operational hours.
• Standardize front office procedures across all hospital locations.

Patient Experience

• Design and implement initiatives that improve patient satisfaction and loyalty.
• Monitor patient feedback, complaints, compliments, and service recovery activities.
• Ensure timely investigation and resolution of patient concerns.
• Analyze patient satisfaction surveys and develop action plans for continuous improvement.
• Lead patient experience committees and quality improvement projects.

Call Center & Contact Centre Management

• Oversee inbound and outbound call center operations.
• Ensure service levels, response times, and call quality meet established KPIs.
• Improve appointment conversion rates and reduce abandoned calls.
• Monitor customer communication across telephone, email, website, social media, and digital platforms.
• Implement customer relationship management (CRM) best practices.

Service Quality & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), Joint Commission International (JCI), and other applicable regulatory standards.
• Develop and maintain departmental policies, SOPs, and service protocols.
• Conduct regular audits to ensure adherence to service standards.
• Implement corrective and preventive actions arising from audits and patient feedback.

Operational Excellence

• Monitor departmental KPIs and prepare executive reports.
• Optimize patient flow and resource utilization.
• Identify opportunities to automate and digitize customer service processes.
• Lead service transformation initiatives to improve efficiency and patient convenience.
• Collaborate with IT to enhance digital patient engagement platforms.

People Management

• Recruit, train, mentor, and evaluate customer service employees.
• Establish departmental KPIs and performance objectives.
• Conduct regular coaching sessions and performance reviews.
• Promote employee engagement and a culture of accountability.
• Develop succession plans for key positions.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work closely with Medical, Nursing, Operations, Finance, Marketing, HR, Quality, and IT departments.
• Coordinate with insurance companies regarding patient service improvements.
• Support marketing initiatives related to patient engagement and community outreach.
• Represent Customer Services during accreditation surveys and regulatory inspections.

Financial Management

• Develop and manage departmental budgets.
• Monitor operational costs while maintaining high service standards.
• Identify opportunities to improve revenue through enhanced patient service and appointment optimization.
• Evaluate departmental productivity and resource utilization.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Overall Patient Satisfaction Score
• Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Patient Complaint Resolution Time
• Number of Complaints Escalated
• Front Desk Waiting Time
• Patient Registration Turnaround Time
• Appointment Conversion Rate
• Call Answer Rate
• Average Speed of Answer (ASA)
• Call Abandonment Rate
• First Contact Resolution Rate
• Patient No-Show Rate
• Employee Engagement Score
• Staff Turnover Rate
• Audit Compliance Score
• JCI/DHA Compliance Outcomes

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Hospital Management, Business Administration, Hospitality Management, or a related field.
• Master’s degree is preferred.

Experience

• Minimum 8–10 years of progressive experience in customer service, patient experience, or front office operations within a hospital.
• At least 4–5 years in a senior leadership or management role.
• Experience within a JCI-accredited healthcare organization is preferred.
• Experience managing multi-disciplinary customer service teams.

Knowledge

• Hospital operations and patient journey management.
• UAE healthcare regulations and standards.
• Health insurance processes and patient access workflows.
• Patient experience methodologies.
• Service excellence frameworks.
• Healthcare quality improvement principles.
• CRM and hospital information systems.
• Risk management and complaint handling.

Skills & Competencies

Leadership

• Strategic leadership
• Change management
• Decision-making
• Coaching and mentoring
• Team development

Operational

• Customer service excellence
• Process improvement
• Patient flow optimization
• Performance management
• Budget management
• Data analysis and reporting

Interpersonal

• Excellent communication skills
• Conflict resolution
• Negotiation and influencing
• Stakeholder management
• Emotional intelligence
• Cultural awareness

Technical

• Hospital Information Systems (HIS)
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems
• Business intelligence and reporting tools

Key Working Relationships

Internal

• Executive Leadership
• Medical Staff
• Nursing Services
• Operations
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• Quality & Patient Safety
• Marketing & Communications

External

• Patients and families
• Insurance providers
• Regulatory authorities
• Community partners
• External service providers

Authority

The Head of Customer Services is authorized to:

• Lead and manage all customer-facing operational teams.
• Develop and implement customer service policies, procedures, and service standards.
• Allocate staffing resources to meet operational demands.
• Approve departmental schedules, leave, and performance evaluations in line with company policies.
• Recommend service improvement initiatives, technology enhancements, and budget requirements.
• Escalate operational, patient safety, and service quality issues to executive leadership as appropriate.

Success Profile

A successful Head of Customer Services is a strategic leader who combines operational excellence with a genuine commitment to patient-centered care. They inspire high-performing teams, build a culture of service excellence, leverage data to drive improvements, and ensure every patient interaction reflects the hospital’s commitment to quality, compassion, and professionalism.