What Does an Intake Specialist Do?
An intake specialist is the first person to greet customers or patients, directing them where they need to go. It is important for intake specialists to have strong communication and organizational skills to succeed in this position.
Intake specialists are usually found working in health clinics, legal offices, and social services agencies. They are primarily responsible for taking care of administrative duties for their organization. This includes checking patients in, obtaining their personal history and emergency contact information, coordinating schedules, and processing paperwork.
An intake specialist is the perfect entry-level administrative job. In working this position a candidate will expand their skills and experience by supporting customers and performing simple bookkeeping tasks. Creating a friendly environment for staff and employees will help intake specialists to advance into other administrative positions, such as administrative coordinators or managers.
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National Average Salary
Intake specialist salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. Click below to explore salaries by local market.
The average national salary for an Intake Specialist is:
$44,155
Intake Specialist Job Descriptions
It’s important to include the right content in your job description when hiring an intake specialist. The following examples can serve as templates for attracting the best available talent for your team.
Example 1
[Your Company Name] is searching for an experienced and charismatic intake specialist to join our team. We are looking for someone who is experienced in customer relations and understands the key role that you would play in being the first face that our clients see when walking in. An intake specialist is responsible for making customers feel immediately comfortable and helping kickstart their positive experience with us. This initial interaction will set the tone for our customer’s entire visit and is crucial in our company’s success. If you have exceptional people skills and enjoy meeting new people then becoming an intake specialist may be a perfect fit.
Typical duties and responsibilities
- Screen incoming calls and emails to the law firm
- Review and record potential clients’ claims by phone and email
- Submit claims to the attorney for review
- Schedule appointments between potential clients and legal staff
- Process and file necessary paperwork from the client and legal staff
- Coordinate schedules for clients, lawyers and staff
- Obtain signatures and other essential qualifiers from clients
- Serve as a “friendly face” and “friendly voice” of the firm
Education and experience
This position requires a high school diploma or GED, but many law firms prefer candidates with a bachelor’s degree in data management, criminal justice, behavioral science, or a similar field.
Required skills and qualifications
- Proficiency using Microsoft Office Suite
- Strong listening and interviewing skills
- Proficiency using standard office equipment
- Ability to console and advise distressed callers
- Excellent customer service skills
- Ability to multitask and organize in a fast-paced environment
Preferred qualifications
- Bilingual Spanish
- Associate’s degree in behavioral science, data management, or related field depending on the company
- Bachelor’s degree in behavioral science, data management, or related field depending on the company
Example 2
As the Intake Specialist, you are the first point of contact for potential clients who are seeking Social Security Disability (SSD) and/or Social Security Income (SSI) assistance. In a call center environment, you will guide potential clients through a screening process (triage) to determine eligibility for SSD/SSI and if eligible, invite them to become a client. You will assist clients in the completion of initial applications as well as addendums and updates for submission to the Social Security Administration.
In this role you will:
- Build the initial client relationship and confidence in our firm with every prospective client interaction
- Take 150 – 200 calls per day in a professional inbound/outbound call center environment
- Sign up 4 new cases per day to the firm
- Be expected to meet occupancy and adherence goals
- Be expected to maintain a minimum call quality score of 90%
- Consistently build the client relationship and confidence in our firm with every client interaction while proactively contacting clients to ensure the relationship is maintained
- Solve problems and maintain confidentiality
- Keep updated records and detailed documentation of client interactions, concerns, and complaints in a paperless database system
- Use good judgment to discern what issues may be urgent and need a manager’s or director’s attention immediately
To be successful as an intake specialist you will need:
- High School Diploma; Degree preferred; or equivalent combination
- Call center and customer service experience
- Strong people skills
- Excellent telephone, communication, and active listening skills
- Ability to meet performance standards whether in the office or working remotely from home
- Knowledge of computer technology and the Internet (MS Office, Outlook). Including the ability to learn new programs easily
- Minimum 40 WPM typing speed
- Multitasking skills and the ability to work well under pressure
- Detail oriented
- Excellent spelling and grammar
- Problem analysis and problem-solving
- Self-motivated, self-disciplined, and able to work with little supervision
- Reliability and dependability
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to work in a confidential environment always maintaining client confidentiality
- Has a professional manner and high energy level, exhibits a positive attitude
- Strong organizational skills
- Good time management skills
- Accepts new ideas and challenges and is highly motivated
- Ability to work well with others as a team
- Ability to work remotely from home as needed per business needs (see remote requirements)
- Sales experience a plus
- Fluent Spanish is a plus
Example 3
ABC Company is hiring a full-time Intake Specialist. Duties and responsibilities include performing telephone and walk-in intakes with prospective clients, attending staff meetings, preparing correspondence, and providing backup support to our administrative staff and other projects on behalf of the agency.
The successful candidate should have strong written and oral communication skills and be able to establish and maintain effective professional relations with clients, co-workers, and other agencies. This position requires a mature, flexible individual who can work as a member of our administrative team. Good computer skills are important. The successful applicant should be organized, outgoing and comfortable working with the public.
- Provides general/routine administrative and office support that includes a broad range of duties
- Focuses on completing work effectively, efficiently, and in a timely fashion
- Understands how the assigned and/or routine tasks integrate with others in the team
- Impacts the efficiency and accuracy of own work and begins to impact the work of others
- Uses existing procedures to solve straightforward problems and perform tasks/activities.
Minimum qualifications
- A high school diploma or equivalent and at least 6 months of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired are necessary.
Other information
- Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.
Example 4
The Intake Specialist is a developing professional role that integrates in-depth specialty knowledge with a solid understanding of industry standards and practices; demonstrates a good understanding of how the team and area integrate with others in accomplishing the objectives of the sub-function/job family. Applies analytical thinking and knowledge of data analysis tools and methodologies. Breaks down information in a systematic and communicable manner. Developed communication and diplomacy skills are required in order to exchange potentially complex/sensitive information. Moderate but direct impact through close contact with the business’s core activities. Quality and timeliness of service provided will affect the effectiveness of own team and other closely related teams.
Responsibilities:
- Responsible for supporting teams with compliance and control; partners with operations, risk, compliance, legal, and other entities to ensure the accuracy and validity of published procedures
- Drafts communications, including content for alerts, emails, collaborations, newsletters, etc. ensuring that training and communications are meaningful and easy to understand.
- Documents policy and procedure within regulatory requirements in addition to Information Security policies and procedures
- Works with businesses to coordinate deliverables required for internal and external audits
- Updates project tasks regularly and accurately
- Prioritizes and completes deliverables timely
- Facilitates conference calls
- Appropriately assess risk when business decisions are made, demonstrating particular consideration for the firm’s reputation and safeguarding ABC Company, its clients, and assets, by driving compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations, adhering to Policy, applying sound ethical judgment regarding personal behavior, conduct and business practices, and escalating, managing and reporting control issues with transparency.
Qualifications:
- 2-5 years of relevant experience
Education:
- Bachelor’s/University degree or equivalent experience
Candidate Certifications to Look For
- Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS). This certification is geared towards candidates who will work on medical billing and coding. They must be 18 years old and obtain a high school diploma. It helps candidates translate medical diagnoses and symptoms into the codes in order to file a reimbursement claim. Renewal is required every 2 years.
- Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM). This certification proves that candidates are highly knowledgeable in all the areas needed to be successful. For example financial management, time management, risk management, facility management, and medical record keeping.
- Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA). This certification is a great one to have for this line of work. This proves that candidates have the ability to keep a healthcare office running correctly and efficiently. They are able to achieve clerical duties.
- HIPAA Professional (HIPAAP). This certification helps candidates be more familiar with the HIPAA terminology, administrative simplification provisions, and procedures needed for organizations to comply with security and privacy standards.