Payments Customer Service Contractor

The Role

We're hiring a Payments Customer Service Contractor.

This is a 6-month contract role providing direct capacity to our payments team, handling customer engagement on email and phone so our permanent team can focus on automating and improving the processes behind it. You'll be the frontline for customers who haven't paid recent invoices, are struggling to pay, or need the consequences of non-payment explained clearly and fairly.

You will:

• Work tickets as they come into the payments inbox, keeping response times fast and consistent.
• Reach out proactively by email and phone where a customer needs chasing or a payment plan discussed.
• Set up payment plans for customers in genuine difficulty, and clearly spell out consequences for those who are able but unwilling to pay.
• Handle manual, currently unautomated tasks that support the wider payments process.

You will report into James Harrison-Dunn, Payments Lead.

Responsibilities

Customer Engagement

• Respond to tickets in the payments inbox, working towards a sub-1-hour first response time .
• Make outbound calls and send outbound emails to chase unpaid invoices or follow up on open cases.
• Set up and manage payment plans for customers experiencing financial difficulty.
• Clearly and fairly communicate the consequences of continued non-payment where required.

Case Handling & Systems

• Navigate multiple internal systems at once to build a full picture of a customer's account and history before engaging.
• Complete manual data entry and process tasks currently done by hand, accurately and on time.
• Use AI tools where useful to work through volume more effectively without losing quality.

Process Awareness

• Flag friction, inefficiencies, or repeat issues to the permanent team as they're spotted.
• Suggest better ways of handling recurring situations, even where you're not the one implementing the fix.

Requirements

Must haves

• Energy industry background - non-negotiable, this role needs someone who can hit the ground running from day one.
• Experience in a debt, collections, sales or complaints team, or as an escalation point in energy customer service.
• Hands-on experience with a CRM such as Zendesk , Intercom, or Kolleno.
• Comfortable working across multiple systems and teams at once to drive the best outcome for our customers.
• Resilience to handle a high volume of difficult conversations without it affecting quality.
• Genuine care for supporting customers in payment difficulty, be able to advocate for the customer, while balancing the commercial need of the business.
• Self starter, takes responsibility for developing their skills and working across different areas to meet the needs of the business.

Bonus points

• A keen eye for all things “Operational Excellence” , not just working the problem but making suggestions to prevent it happening in the first place.
• Comfortable using AI tools to work faster and more effectively.