About the Role
You'll be the first point of contact for pet owners in crisis, handling inbound calls to Vets Now's out-of-hours emergency service across the UK. Based in our Dunfermline Contact Centre, you'll work flexible part-time hours across a range of evening, weekend, and bank holiday shifts, with contracts ranging from 10 to 37 hours per week. Shift patterns vary by your age and preference: under 18s finish by 23:00, while those 18 and over may work until 01:00.
This role is essential to Vets Now's mission. You'll be supporting more than 1,700 partnered veterinary practices and two 24/7 emergency hospitals, making sure pet owners and their animals get the help they need when they need it most. The team values flexibility and genuinely adapts schedules to suit your personal circumstances, whether you're juggling other commitments or building your career.
Key Responsibilities
- Answer and manage incoming emergency calls according to agreed call flow protocols to assess the nature and urgency of each situation
- Offer initial consultation guidance and gather detailed information using judgement and pre-determined algorithms to determine the best course of action
- Explain Vets Now's services and provide customers with essential consultation details: clinic or hospital location, fee estimates, travel time from their location, and arrival procedures
- Use the Helix practice management system to send SMS directions and clinic information to customers
- Accurately log all calls using telephony and PC systems, book consultations, log cases, and alert clinics and hospitals to incoming patients
- Handle personal data securely in accordance with Data Protection Policy and all related legislation, and comply with Information Security policies
Requirements
- Experience working in a customer or client service environment, ideally contact centre experience
- Excellent customer service and communication skills, with the ability to remain calm and diplomatic under pressure
- Computer literacy with knowledge of Microsoft Office packages and comfort learning new systems quickly
- Strong general language skills; able to collate and relay information clearly in both speech and text
- Problem-solving ability and demonstrated resilience in rapidly changing environments
- A genuine passion for delivering service excellence
- Flexibility to work weekdays (18:00-01:00), Saturdays (12:00-01:00), and Sundays and bank holidays (07:00-01:00); weekend and bank holiday working is mandatory
Benefits
- 7 weeks pro rata annual leave
- Birthday as a paid day off
- Health cash plan provided by Simply Health
- Pension contributions: 5% employee, 3% employer
- Up to 50% discounted staff pet care
- Death in service benefit: two times annual salary
- Membership of employee wellbeing programme
- Company sick pay, maternity pay, paternity pay, and adoption pay schemes
- Flexible contract options from 10 to 37 hours per week
- Shifts typically range from 3 to 8 hours
- Hourly rates: £13.45 standard, £15.60 enhanced night rate (23:00-08:00)
About the Practice
Vets Now is the UK's leading provider of emergency pet care, operating 60+ out-of-hours clinics and two 24/7 emergency hospitals. The organisation supports more than 1,700 veterinary practices across the country, delivering exceptional emergency care when pets and their owners need it most. The Dunfermline Contact Centre is the hub connecting pet owners to these vital services.
Vets Now is a Disability Confident Employer and welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds and from underrepresented groups in veterinary care. The organisation is committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.
