Customer Relations Specialist I-III (Career Path)

Job Title

The purpose of this classification is to provide optimal front-line services to customers and citizens performing billing and collection activities for various billed services. Employees in this classification are eligible for noncompetitive career path advancement to Customer Relations Specialist II after meeting the established career path advancement requirements.

Essential Functions

Professionally greet the public, actively listen, and take care of customer's needs by providing and delivering prompt, professional, helpful assistance to customer requests, concerns, needs, and complaints regarding their utility services.

Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with employees, supervisors, city officials, and the general public.

Review customer accounts, file documents, distribute utility billing mail/correspondence, service related requests and work orders daily.

Handles customer inquiries in accordance with the company's guidelines and policies.

Maintains and updates billing system records through daily work activities.

Prepares utility accounts for monthly billing, this includes analyzing reports for exceptions, and taking corrective action to ensure proper billing.

Perform other work as assigned.

Answers the phone and provides assistance at the front counter by answering questions and providing information, researching billing or other data. Accurately and expeditiously receives and dispatches messages and information to the appropriate individuals via radio communication device.

Ability to understand and discuss billing questions, complaints and concerns with customers in a professional, polite, and calm manner.

Utilizes Property Appraiser system and other resources or records to verify addresses, map locations, to verify ownership, service area, and services needed. Processes lien searches for outstanding balances.

Familiar with basic aspects of customer service including billing, payments, credit arrangements, adjustments, service requests, meter information, rate schedule changes, engineering, sanitation collection and construction activities.

Uses utility billing and other computer programs to research problems concerning customer account balances and water consumption.

Performs clerical work as needed including typing correspondence, completing forms, filing, inquires on returned mail, and contacting customers.

Efficiently utilizes the software system to update customer information, generate work orders. Accurately and expeditiously receives and delivers printed documents into the Laser Fiche software system utilizing scanning hardware.

Ability to communicate information tactfully and impartially, to employees, other departments, contractors, engineers, utility companies, vendors, outside agencies, the public, and other individuals using our e-mail platform.

Coordinates the set-up of new service accounts; processes initial deposits.

Reviews customer account applications, service changes, delinquent accounts and work orders.

Prepares adjustment requests to credit and debit customer accounts.

Processes lien searches for outstanding balances.

Dispatches calls for water leaks and other utility system investigations; assists field staff with questions and account information.

Utilize software system to check status of Solid Waste routes.

Listens to and understands customer concerns. Receives work orders identifying problem or issue. Contacts or meets with customers regarding sanitation services. Resolves customer complaints within operational and code requirements. Coordinates resolution of all customer service complaints regarding waste containers.

Utilizes the GIS mapping tool to look up sanitation service days and inform residents.

Provide guidance and information to the general public as it pertains to transfer station locations, how to dispose of hazardous material, and/or dispose of debris themselves.

Performs other related duties as required.

Dispatches field requests related to water leak, wastewater backups, unknown utility situations, sink holes, flooding, shut off requests, odor complaints, trip hazards, meter reading audits and other Utility related field investigations. Keeps records on dispatch events within the system for follow up and historical tracking to identify areas of infrastructure concern.

Work order management system updates. Monitors work order management system to ensure supervisors throughout the department are responding to public requests within three days; reassign requests as needed; enters phone requests into system and closes with resolution; reports issues and request changes to software admin.

Receives and routes mail and packages delivered to the Utility Administration building; ensure outgoing parcels and mail are picked up.

Monitors Public Records requests via GovQA for the Utility Department. Enters, routes, responds, and closes public records requests. Ensures supervisors throughout the department are responding to public records requests within the appropriate time frame. Provides public record requests for as-builts to the locator crew and sends as-builts back to the customer through the system.

Supports Utility Supervisors and field staff with location tickets for projects requiring them to dig in an area; creates ticket in Sunshine 811 software. Monitors system for responses and companies who have service in the area.

Scans documents into Laserfiche, maintains proper folder structure, clears out old files as needed.

Under the direction of management or supervisors sends road closure notifications.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Four (4) years of previous customer service, call center related work;
• Excellent communication and telephone skills;
• Skilled in use of office equipment, including computers, printers, copiers, and multi-line telephones;

• Possess [or obtain within fourteen (14) days of hire] and maintain a valid State of Florida Driver's license.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with the Central Square governmental sector CIS Module and meter reading database; principles and practices of utility billing.
• Associates degree in Public Administration, Business Management, Communications or a closely related field

Supplemental Information

COMMUNICATION COMPETENCIES

Effectively communicates with supervisor, employees, other departments, contractors, engineers, utility companies, vendors, outside agencies, the public, and other individuals as needed to coordinate work activities, review status of work, exchange information, or resolve problems.

Accurately, consistently and expeditiously receives and delivers messages and information to the appropriate individuals.

Ability to prepare accurate and thorough written records and reports.

Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions and to complete assigned tasks with minimal supervisory direction.

Ability to understand and quickly and accurately follow brief oral and written instructions on moderately complex matters.

Ability to establish and maintain harmonious relationships with Supervisor, customers, other employees, other departments, other governmental and regulatory agencies, and the general public as needed.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

General KSA's

Basic knowledge of monthly billing processes/cycle billing, and fees associated with the monthly bills. Can distinguish the various categories of billing, and the differences, including inside and outside City limits, the services provided, the rate differences, usage rates and flat rates.

Basic knowledge of all that entails billing based on consumption; Understands the concepts of usage rates and tiered rate structures.

Basic knowledge of Palm Beach County Property Appraiser records filing, searches, and policies, and what data is available.

Basic knowledge of utilities and the implications on properties, whether commercial or residential, understanding the existence of various statutes related to public utilities and responsibilities.

Ability to provide consistent optimal customer service in a respectful and courteous manner.

Ability to work independently and to adhere to established policies and procedures.

Ability to conduct basic bill investigations on delinquency and debt accumulation, payments, and on consumption investigations using various software in the division.

Ability to effectively and accurately share knowledge of duties with coworkers.

Ability to work under steady pressure with frequent interruptions in a high degree of public contact by phone or in person.

Basic knowledge of mathematic and accounting principles with attention to accuracy.

Ability to consistently comply with policy, process, and procedural changes with accuracy.

Ability to use proper phone etiquette to respectfully engage with customers and efficiently handle a multi-line telephone system or call center software.

Customer Relations KSA's

Basic knowledge of the various avenues of acquiring property; is able to identify common ways to transfer property ownership.

Basic knowledge of delinquency and debt accumulation as it pertains to property, demonstrates understanding between owner balances and tenant balances, and when each one can be collected.

Basic knowledge of account change over; demonstrates the requirements when account changes are requested.

Basic knowledge of when to terminate and initiate an account for a property and how to produce the appropriate paperwork.

Basic knowledge of real estate practices and property ownership; awareness of the responsibilities and