Customer Care Representative - City of Greeley

*This is a term-limited position with the possibility of becoming permanent if additional funding is approved at a later date.  This project is expected to take 18-24 months to complete.  This position is full time benefit eligible.

Salary Range:                    $21.54 - $28.03 Hourly

Job Summary:

This position is part of the Utility Billing team in the Water & Sewer Department.  The successful incumbent will provide high level customer service by assisting customers (both internal and external) by phone, email or in person to meet customer needs by being responsible for receipt and data entry of utility bills, fees, licenses, sales tax, bus passes, loan payments and receivables, set up payment arrangements, direct customers and answer a wide variety of questions, annually assist with the Food Tax Rebate Program (4-month program) accepting and approving applications. Duties involve heavy public contact, providing information to the public about City ordinances relating to licenses, and fees, utility billing, provide direction and processing all payments payable to the City of Greeley. Transactions are done in person and over the phone using cash, checks, credit cards and debit cards. Daily balancing of cash drawer and preparing deposits. Issue pet licenses and bus passes. Edit, calculate, and bill utility accounts; set up new accounts, update current accounts, process work orders, collect delinquent accounts/non-sufficient fund checks, balance system daily and balance weekly to general ledger. Work independently and set priorities for work assignments while performing multiple tasks under pressure with constant interruptions while accomplishing a heavy workload; other duties as assigned.

Experience, Knowledge, and Skills:

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• High School diploma or equivalent
• One (1) year of experience in a high-volume customer service environment
• One (1) year of experience using 10-key calculations by touch
• One (1) year of experience entering data using a keyboard and/or automated accounting system

PREFERRED:

• Coursework in bookkeeping and related accounting practices
• At least one (1) year of experience handling cash and reconciling cash and check receipts preferred
• Bilingual in English/Spanish preferred
• A combination of related education, experience, certifications, and licenses that will result in a candidate successfully performing the essential functions of the job may be considered

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of accounting principles, processes, and best practices
• Ability to handle and maintain sensitive and confidential material
• Ability to maintain accurate and detailed records and record keeping systems
• Knowledge of customer service principles and best practices, including customer needs assessments, meeting quality service standards, and evaluating customer satisfaction
• Customer service skills, including the ability to actively listen, address customer needs, defuse tense situations, and maintain an open, flexible, and friendly demeanor
• Ability to deliver a high level of commitment to customer service
• Ability to respond to requests in a timely manner
• Ability to present oneself professionally in appearance, demeanor, and effort
• Ability to effectively collaborate with team members in-person and remotely
• Ability to prepare reports, briefings, and presentations in a variety of formats (e.g. verbal, written, visual, etc.) 
• Proofreading, grammar, punctuation, and formatting skills, including the ability maintain consistency and be cognizant of and address details 
• Knowledge of the business and organizational structure of Colorado municipalities 
• Collaboration skills, including the ability to work with others from different areas and backgrounds to reach a common goal 
• Computer skills, including the ability to utilize Microsoft Office programs (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.) Adobe, Utility Billing software, and learn and experiment with new software and systems
• Interpersonal skills, including the ability to facilitate interaction, communication, and teamwork between others
• Oral, written, and listening communication skills, including the ability to accurately interpret what others are saying and convey messages, information, concepts, and details accurately and clearly
• Organizational skills, including the ability to set and meet goals and deadlines, manage appointments, create schedules, coordinate, and facilitate meetings, and make decisions 
• Ability to work under pressure, manage multiple concurrent and competing tasks and responsibilities, and adapt to changing priorities while maintaining personal effectiveness
• Ability to prioritize work, meet deadlines, and stay on task when completing special projects and daily assignments
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and reliable professional judgment, as well as collaboratively with a team to achieve desired results
• Ability to maintain a strong work ethic, positive problem-solving attitude, and enthusiasm for the work performed
• Ability to self-start and take initiative in completing daily tasks and special projects
• Ability to focus on activities that have the greatest impact on meeting work commitments
• Ability to establish and maintain partnerships with a variety of internal and external constituencies
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and ages
• Ability to navigate a complex political environment

Essential Functions (Duties and Responsibilities):

• Issues pet licenses and bus passes
• Directs incoming deliveries for incoming mail and packages to assigned area
• Edits, calculates, and mails billing statements. Analyzes accounts for accuracy, identifies potential problems such as leaks, misapplied payments, credits, issues work orders as needed and processes refunds. Calculates bills, prints and sorts to send to customers. Enters work orders into system on any account that appears to be incorrect due to meter functions. Creates final read lists, processes bills to title companies and tenant/owner requested finals. Annually processes winter quarter ceiling to set maximum sewer charges for coming year, applies Raw Water surcharges to customer accounts, updates billing messages. Identifies and updates accounts as warranted.
• Handles cash, collects fees and charges, credits accounts correctly and provides appropriate receipts and balances a cash drawer daily, prepares deposits and ensures compliance with those policies and procedures. Assists with the resolution of issues that arise in the cashiering function. Responsible for receipts and data entry of utility bills, fees, licenses, sales tax, bus passes, loan payments and receivables. Transactions are processed in person and over the phone using cash, checks, credit cards and debit cards.
•  Processes payments including downloading lockbox, bill-pay, and e-bill files from bank, editing, making corrections to files, uploading files into system for posting and correcting payment errors. Creates ACH file, uploads to bank and posts ACH payments. Downloads payment files from several billing sites and creates payment batch. Posts cash receipts to the accounting system.
• Customer Service – heavy public contact in person, by phone and email (both internal and external). Assists customers with questions on their accounts, complaints, changes to accounts, turn on and offs. Set up new service for new homeowners/tenants. Interacts with a wide variety of customers whose behavior may range from pleasant to threatening and abusive.  Establishes new accounts from information provided by the Water department. Determines if customer qualifies for payment arrangements and develops appropriate arrangements within established guidelines. Adjusts accounts for errors, leaks etc., if warranted. Make decisions regarding customer requests on an individual basis with some guidelines. Reviews e-Bill reports including enrolled, unenrolled, inactivated, recurring payments and updates customer accounts accordingly. Handles sensitive and confidential information with tack and diplomacy, greets the public and provides clear and accurate information. Provides direction to customers and communicates with other City departments. Works with outside agencies regarding utility billing.
• Collections on utility accounts -- Prepares delinquent door tags. Determines which customers should receive disconnect notices, produce door tags, checks for payments, and creates a shut off list. Checks payments after shut-off; adds fees to accounts and processes a final bill if necessary. Researches returned checks, reasons for return and posts NSF checks to accounts, applies fees if needed, sends notice to customers, and discontinues service, if warranted.
• Processes work orders, updates meters, corrects readings. Updates work orders that have been processed by meter shop. Changes meter and transponder numbers, add reads, corrects any problems on an account. Sends out leak letters as needed, determines if winter quarter ceiling needs to be adjusted if leaks are fixed.
• Completes account changes due to sales of property or changes of tenants. When title companies return transfer of ownership after the sale, ownership is changed in the account, and all fields in the account are verified for accuracy for the new owner. Tenant changes will either be a new tenant or changed back to the owner.
• Balances utility adjustments in Utility Billing Applications software to Financial Applications software daily. Compiles billers’ adjustment sheets and interfaces to the Financial Applications software, verifies all information and adjustments are completed properly.
• Communication: determines the nature or purpose of contact, addresses any issues on customer account by phone, email or in person. If guidance is needed, refers to the supervisor (Or an Accountant if supervisor is away). Addresses issues, follows-up on projects with a monthly meeting. Communicates daily on any delinquent tags, final reads and shut offs that will be processed for the day and communicates any payments to the meter technician as they are received. Communicates daily with other departments throughout the city for deliveries, payment processing questions, and water service updates or questions, work orders for customers requesting verification that a meter is functioning properly.
• Problem solving and decision making: Incumbent is expected to solve a variety of problems in situations where there are substantially diversified procedures, specialized standards, and only limited standardization. Changing priorities or differing situations require the incumbent to consider which among many procedures should be followed in what sequence to achieve the required job results. Requires reasoning to produce a practical course of action within the established process. Choices fall within the range of specified, acceptable standards, alternatives, and technical practices. Example(s): Dealing with an upset customer and making the decision to give the customer other options to avoid a shut off, one’s own judgment to determine if that is the right decision.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements:

• Light to moderate physical effort that includes frequent standing or walking or maintaining arms and hands in the same position for repetitive tasks. Frequently works with light objects and light hand tools.
  • Example(s): Can be asked to pick up bills from another department, the box of bills may weigh up to 15lbs. Once a year all files are taken to the storage area and are filed accordingly, boxes may weigh about 50 lbs.
• Safe to minimal hazards that are typically found in general office environment where there is rarely little or no exposure to injury or accident.
  • Example(s): There are no significant hazards associated with this position.

EOE Statement: The City of Greeley provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

ADA Statement: We are committed to an inclusive and barrier-free search process. We provide accommodations for applicants requesting accommodation through the search process such as alternative formats of this posting.  Individuals with disabilities in need of accommodations throughout the search process should contact the ADA Coordinator at: HR@Greeleygov.com.

Conditions of Employment: Candidates must successfully complete all pre-employment screenings and employment eligibility verification. Pre-employment screenings include a drug test, a background and national sex offender search, a motor vehicle record search, and for some positions, a physical demands evaluation. For more information about City policies and practices during the recruitment process, including but not limited to EOE, Reasonable Accommodation, and pre-employment screenings, please visit our career page HERE.