Senior Client Support Assistant (three posts)

The incumbent provides proactive support to small and medium sized clients, delivers customer services to applicants and offices, and performs complex processing and examination duties in at least two languages for international patent applications. The role involves analyzing application defects, participating in system development, ensuring conformity with formalities requirements, and maintaining high-quality customer service.

Responsibilities

• Analyze frequently occurring defects in applications, proactively communicate with clients and provide advice as necessary; communicate insights and make recommendations for improvements to the Team Head.
• Participate in development activities relating to the PCT system including IT tools and PCT rule changes.
• Examine in at least two languages formality requirements of complex international applications and related documents and correspondence, ensuring conformity with set standards and timely follow-up as required in customer-oriented way.
• In the case of unusual/contentious formalities issues, forward them to Team Head for further instructions.
• Ensure high level customer services to users, reply to complex queries and find solutions to problems in a timely manner.
• Liaise with PCT users and authorities and provide follow-up as required.
• Foster a culture of providing high quality customer-focused services by identifying varying customer needs, recommending best practices which can improve customer interactions and, proactively addressing potential issues before they impact the customer experience.
• Sort, identify, prioritize and distribute work within the team in accordance with established guidelines.
• Ensure work items are completed within deadlines and make proposals to improve and rationalize workflows and work processes based on quantitative and qualitative targets.
• Follow up as necessary.
• Carry out quality control of applications and publication review and identify and resolve problems.
• Share knowledge on how to address such issues during internal quality control meetings.
• Monitor the late and non-payment of fees and take appropriate action (e.g. block application, send reminder).
• On request, participate in customer support on PCT electronic services.
• On request, participate in testing PCT electronic systems and tools, with a view to proposing improvements and contributing to its further enhancement.
• Participate in presentations on PCT operations practices in missions and meetings.
• Keep abreast of changes in established procedures, rules, regulations, work processes and relevant IT tools.
• Train and coach junior and new staff.
• Perform other related tasks.

Requirements

• Completed secondary education.
• At least eight years of relevant work experience, including in formalities processing of patent applications or comparable work.
• Experience in providing customer service and training (desirable).
• Excellent written and spoken knowledge of one language and a good knowledge of a second language, (one of which is English), among the following PCT publication languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian or Spanish, in accordance with business needs.
• Knowledge of other PCT publication languages (desirable).
• Demonstrated ability to communicate with people from the technical and business field.
• Thorough understanding of the PCT rules and regulations and ability to explain the rules, regulations and procedures governing the area of work.
• Ability to use IT tools and systems used for data capture and transmission, quality control and customer services.
• Client orientation, with the ability to deliver high quality client services with a focus on improving service execution, delivery and outcomes.
• Results-oriented.
• Excellent time management and work organization skills; highly adaptable to new environments, tasks and demands.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Integrity in dealing with confidential and sensitive data.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multicultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
• Ability to instill a customer-focused culture.

Skills

• Formalities Processing
• Patent Application Processing
• Customer Service
• Client Support
• Training Delivery
• PCT Rules Knowledge
• PCT Regulations
• Bilingual Communication
• Technical Communication
• Business Communications
• IT Tools Utilization
• Data Capture and Storage
• Data Transmission
• Quality Control
• Time Management
• Work Organization
• Analytical Skills
• Problem Solving
• Confidential Information Handling
• Interpersonal Skills
• Multicultural Sensitivity

Languages

English