Customer Service Representative

The Position With supervisor approval, incumbents may be eligible for intermittent remote work; however, they must physically reside within the Sacramento region or have the ability to regularly report to a City of Sacramento physical worksite with little notice. This position supports the Rental Housing Inspection Program (RHIP) by providing front-line customer service and administrative assistance related to registrations, inspections, billing, and program compliance. This position processes a high volume of registration forms, customer communications, returned mail, and maintains accurate ownership and contact information in multiple systems. The position responds to inquiries by phone, email, and in person, assisting customers with program requirements, scheduling needs, and documentation. It also supports inspection operations, outgoing mail production, and public counter services to ensure efficient RHIP workflows and timely processing of program activities. Ideal Candidate Statement The ideal candidate will be an organized and customer-focused individual who communicates clearly across phone, email, and in person interactions. They will work efficiently in a fast-paced environment, managing registrations, returned mail, and data updates with accuracy. The ideal candidate will learn new systems quickly, use good judgment when assisting a diverse range of customers, and adapt well to changing procedures and priorities. To perform a variety of record keeping, general clerical, transaction processing, and public contact and customer service work over the telephone and at a public counter; and direct information requests according to established standards and procedures. This is the journey-level class in the Customer Service series. The Customer Service Representative class is distinguished from the Customer Service Assistant in that the latter is the entry-level class in the Customer Service series where incumbents would lack a complete knowledge of unit procedures and standards, and not yet able to perform the full range of duties without immediate supervision. This class is distinguished from the Customer Service Specialist in that the latter is the advanced journey level class in the series and is considered the technical expert of the series. Positions in this class are flexibly staffed, and are usually filled by advancement from the lower-level class of Customer Service Assistant. Appointment to the higher class requires that the employee be performing substantially the full range of duties for the class and meet the qualification standards for the class. Immediate supervision is provided by a Customer Service Supervisor or higher-level staff. Lead direction may be provided by higher-level staff. The Customer Service Representative may provide lead direction to lower-level staff. Essential Duties and Responsibilities - Perform a variety of duties, including typing, proofreading, billing, checking, filing, record keeping, sorting and retrieving documents and records, mail/correspondence, maintaining alphabetical, index, and cross-reference files; folds, staples stuffs and binds a variety of materials for bulk mailings; maintain general mailing lists, registration and other information. - Represent the City and the department to the public, callers, and visitors in a professional and effective manner over the telephone and at a public counter; take and respond to a high volume of phone calls; follow general customer service policy and procedure; may act as receptionist; provide information on department and division policies and procedures. - Receive and respond to customer inquiries; screen calls, take messages and complaints, refer customers to appropriate persons regarding services and accounts, and department business lines, including fees, licenses, permits and billing information; provide follow-up on inquiries from the public or staff; and refer or assist in the resolution of problems. - Utilize various systems to locate information, retrieve, research and review; find out the status of accounts and conditions; create or make adjustments to service requests. - Create or make adjustments on property/parcels; research and verify correct lot splits, lot mergers, and lot line adjustments; update accounts to provide accurate billing information; update systems and run reports of various computer systems; research and establish correct ownership, change ownership information and deed date; generate inspections; process service records and repair orders received from field crews. - Operate 2-way radio or other telecommunication device; perform non-safety radio dispatch in order to dispatch field staff, equipment or vehicles to locations as needed; prioritize calls; and obtain and record information and keep radio contact with field personnel. - Receive payments, make change, issue receipts and print-out account statements for permits, licenses, citation transactions, taxes and service accounts; issue, receive, type and process various applications, license, permits and other forms; input debit applications and cancellation information to customer accounts; issue refunds, notices and other related documents and information within established procedures; and update service accounts, permit, license and citation information systems. - Receive, open and process mail containing fees for various City services, including licenses, permits, citation payments, and utility payments; process outgoing correspondence and credit card payments. - Gather information from customers and complete appropriate property/parcel forms necessary to establish and stop services; adjust and reconcile records and billing as necessary to reflect changes in service; verify accuracy, waive penalties, and may perform collection efforts on delinquent accounts for City services, fees, licenses, permits and taxes. - Operate standard office equipment such as telephone, calculator, typewriter, teletypewriter (TTY)/ telecommunications device for the deaf (TTD), personal computer, facsimile machine, microfiche and microfilm readers, remittance processors, money counting machines, electronic cash registers, adding machine, and other office equipment. - Perform notary services. - Assist in the training of other employees. - Provides exceptional customer service to those contacted in the course of work. - Other related duties may also be performed; not all duties listed are necessarily performed by each individual. Qualifications Knowledge of: - English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. - Proper public and telephone contact practices. - Basic financial record keeping procedures and methods. - Methods and equipment used in processing payment and other fees. - Modern office practices, procedures and equipment, including filing systems. - Basic mathematical principles and procedures. - Assessing maps, as assigned including geographic information systems (GIS), parcel, subdivision, etc. - Computer operations, including computer software applications and other specialized business applications. - Organization, procedures and operating details of City department to which assigned. Skills in: - Computer keyboard, typewriter and 10-key calculator. - Working as part of a team. - Phone skills and diplomacy. - Computer and Internet searches. Ability to: - Exercise tact, judgment and patience in dealing with the public, staff and client departments. - Be flexible with changes in policies and procedures - Work under pressure. - Operate standard office equipment, including adding machine, personal computers, 2-way radio and other office equipment. - Interpret and apply City regulations and procedures as applicable to billing, fees and collections. - Learn the organization, procedure and operation details of the City. - Use a variety of business software applications in order to complete assigned duties in a timely manner. - Use good judgment in the application of City policies, regulations and procedures. - Work any shift, including weekends and holidays is mandatory for some assignments. - Maintain appropriate records and reports. - Type at a speed of not less than 35 net words per minute. - Perform mathematic calculations. - Understand and follow oral and written instructions. - Work with minimal supervision. - Speak clearly and concisely. - Perform notary services. - Work with a diverse group. - Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work. - Perform concurrently multiple customer service related duties. Experience and Education Any combination of experience and education that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be: Experience: Two (2) years of increasingly responsible experience performing a wide variety of general clerical, reception, public contact, and public service work, providing information and/or directing request over the telephone and at a public counter. Education: Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade. Proof of Education Should education be used to qualify for this position, then proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and degrees should be submitted with your application and will be required at the time of appointment. Unofficial documents and/or copies are acceptable. An applicant with a college degree obtained outside the United States must have education records evaluated by a credential's evaluation service. Evaluation of education records will be due at time of appointment. The Selection Procedure Please note, the City of Sacramento's preferred method of communication with applicants is via e-mail. As such, please ensure you verify the e-mail address on your application, and check your e-mail frequently, including your spam and junk folders. All e-mail notifications can also be accessed through the governmentjobs.com applicant inbox. 1. Application: (Pass/Fail) All applicants must complete and submit online a City of Sacramento employment application by the final filing deadline ; Employment applications must be submitted online; paper applications will not be accepted. Employment applications will be considered incomplete and will be disqualified: If applicants do not list current and/or past job-related experience in the duties area of the "Work Experience" section. Note: Qualifying experience is based on full-time experience (40 hours per week). Qualifying experience is calculated to the full-time equivalent (pro-rated if less than 40 hours/week). Proof of education such as, but not limited to, university/college transcripts and