Customer Service Specialist

Customer Service Representative

Under the direction of the Customer Service Manager, this position provides initial and frequent contact with the public by phone and in person. Considerable tact and persuasion are required in dealing with customers who may be or become distraught, difficult, probing, or irate. The main responsibilities of the Customer Service Representative are data entry of customer payments, providing information of an interpretive or procedural nature, handling the initial contact with customers, and providing assistance to existing customers regarding billing questions.

Essential duties and responsibilities include:

• Bilingual skills highly preferred
• Data entry of customer payments with extreme accuracy and timeliness, and balance cash receipt batches daily.
• Receive payments via the counter, incoming mail, and night deposit box.
• Collect cash for payments, count for accuracy, and issue receipts.
• Answer customer questions on existing accounts. Confer with customers by telephone or in-person in order to provide information about services, make service requests, and attain complaint details.
• Receive mail returned for incorrect address and obtain the correct address.
• Distribute various JCSUD service applications and forms at the counter.
• Orally provide general information to the public and customers regarding JCSUD.
• Operate office equipment including copy machine, calculator, computer, phones, facsimile machine, and all other office equipment.
• File and retrieve information regarding physical customer files.
• Create and update records and necessary work materials to ensure that information is correct. Keep records of customer interactions and transactions, recording details of inquiries, complaints, and comments, as well as actions taken.
• Access, navigate and perform updates to customer accounts.
• Demonstrate continuous effort to improve customer service, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly with co-workers and other departments to provide quality, seamless customer service.
• Assist others within the department as necessary and other essential or marginal functions as determined by Supervisor.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Qualifications to perform this job successfully include:

Education and/or experience: One year of experience in a customer service atmosphere, performing varied office/clerical tasks and data entry. High School Diploma. Bilingual preferred.

Knowledge, skills & abilities: Communication verbal/written to exchange, inform and interpret procedures. Establish positive working relationships with staff, Department Heads, Board Directors, vendors and public. Computer skills; 10-key by touch. Organizational and problem-solving skills. Knowledge of and ability to read and interpret policy and procedure manuals. Knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Word.

Language skills: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business practice. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from Department Heads, clients, customers, and the general public.

Mathematical skills: Knowledge of basic cash handling procedures for payments and balancing cash drawers.

Reasoning ability: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Physical demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions for this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Work environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate and is a standard office environment.