Customer Service Representative - New Accounts Specialist Clerk III

Clerk III

This position is covered under a Collective Bargaining Agreement between the City-County of Butte-Silver Bow and the Federation of Butte-Silver Bow Public Employees, Local no. 4372, MFPE Clerks.

This position is responsible for performing clerical work that involves answering the phone, creating new accounts, collecting customer deposits, processing move in and outs, updating account information, preparing bills, providing billing information to customers, updating a number of spreadsheets and pulling and reviewing a number of reports daily, weekly and monthly. The work is performed under the direction and supervision of the Business Office Manager but some leeway is granted for the exercise of independent judgment and initiative. The nature of the work performed requires that an employee in this class establish and maintain close cooperative working relationships with supervisors, other division employees, and the general public. Direction is provided to employees in the class of Customer Service Representative II. Employees in this class have frequent public contact and high volume production, and the work may be performed under considerable stress.

Examples of essential work include answering questions regarding water service and billing from new water signees, current customers, title companies, and others, over the phone and face to face; meeting with and obtaining the required information necessary for signing a new account, including checking for a previous bad debt or balance on another account, collecting the deposit that is required, entering information into computer system and assigning appropriate billing and rate code, calculating and making adjustment to account if account is a Flat Rate or obtaining a move in read if the account is Metered., knowledge of City-County Ordinance; ensuring new contracts are in compliance; updating accounts for Move In and Move Out putting account Back to Owner when appropriate, coordinating with the title companies on final bill amounts and change in ownership, making appropriate adjustments on Flat Rate accounts and obtaining and entering the Final Read on Metered Accounts; updating Premise Change spreadsheet for Active and Inactive accounts, indicating the flat rate charge and the sprinkling square footage; monitoring the BSB Water email account as well as own, responding appropriately; reviewing the Daily Service Order report, ensuring the correct service order type, turn on or turn off date and adjustment to account if needed was made; entering ACH (direct pay from checking account) information that is received from new signees and current customers into computer system, noting account with date of receipt of information or cancellation of ACH; posting any NSF checks and ACH returns received from bank during the month back to appropriate account along with service fee, noting the account, calling the account holder for payment and sending information to account holder about the ACH if needed, updating the Non-Sufficient Fund spreadsheet with information; entering deposits receipted for day on the Deposit spreadsheet; ordering water shut off for new customer's failing to complete water contract and or provide deposit, as well as current customers calling to have their water shut off by contacting service shop and completing service order for service shop; printing the Daily Adjustment report from Utility billing and entering the appropriate adjustment amounts for debits and credits in Meter and Flat Rate section of Consumer Journal spreadsheet; backing up Front Counter position when person is off, including doing the daily deposit, waiting on customers paying at front counter, opening mail, running batch tapes for cash receipted and posting batches of cash receipted; reviewing the Deposit report weekly and monthly to be sure deposit amounts match between Utility Billing and Consumer Journal; reviewing the Credit Balance report monthly for balances over 30, 60 and 90 days, transferring to a different account when the ownership is the same or requesting a refund; reviewing the Deposit spreadsheet monthly for deposits that are a year old, applying deposit and interest back to the account after a year of good payment history, sending the Last Ten report from Utility Billing transactions to customer, highlighting the application of deposit and interest to their account; reviewing several Reminder Code reports monthly; New Customer, Back to Owner, Final Reads, and others, determining action needed; reminder code removed, follow up with customer, notice to customer, meter read obtained; reviewing monthly, Flat Rate Past Due report for accounts over 90 days, calling customer for payment in full or to set up payment arrangement, account handed off to Credit Specialist for further collection procedures when customer does not respond; attending meetings, conferences and workshops as requested and authorized; performing related work as required.

Required knowledge, skills and abilities include good knowledge of water utility billing policies, practices, and procedures; good knowledge of office and telephone etiquette; good math skills, including proration with ability to make proper calculations quickly and with little or no supervision; good knowledge of office terminology, procedures and equipment; good knowledge of the principles and practices of accounting in a public utility; good knowledge of financial office procedures and practices; ability to make decisions in accordance with established policies and procedures; ability to independently solve problems within assigned areas of responsibility; ability to handle confidential financial information with tact and discretion; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other City-County employees, department heads, and other supervisory personnel; ability to communicate well with public, supervisor and other water utility employees, both orally and in writing, using both technical and non-technical language; ability to prepare accurate and reliable accounting reports; ability to keyboard timely and efficiently; ability to operate a personal computer using Microsoft Office Word and Excel, and other database applications and billing software; ability to use logical and creative thought processes to develop solutions according to written specifications and/or oral instructions; ability to perform a variety of clerical and customer service tasks with accuracy and speed under the pressure of time-sensitive deadlines; ability to quickly learn and use new skills and knowledge brought about by rapidly changing information and/or technology; ingenuity and inventiveness in the performance of assigned tasks; tact, patience, and courtesy.

Acceptable experience and training include extensive experience with customer service; extensive experience with Microsoft office software, especially; Outlook, Excel, Word, databases, basic accounting, and clerical work; high school diploma or equivalent, prefer graduation from an accredited two-year or four-year college or university with a degree or certificate in accounting, finance, business or public administration, or a closely related field; any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the work.

Required special qualifications include possession of a valid Driver's License issued by the State of Montana. Must be a resident of Butte-Silver Bow during employment according to Butte-Silver Bow Ordinance. From and after October 1, 1979, all employees of the local government of Butte-Silver Bow shall be bona fide residents within the boundaries of Butte-Silver Bow during the period of their employment by the government of Butte-Silver Bow.

The City-County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical disability, or veteran status. The job description is only a summary of the typical functions of the job, not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities. Tasks and duties of the employee may differ from those outlined above. The City-County of ButteSilver Bow is committed to providing equal access to employment opportunities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process or participate in the hiring process, please contact us.