Job Description
Education and Experience: High school diploma or equivalent. Three years’ experience or any equivalent combination of education and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. General bookkeeping or accounting experience preferred.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Excellent customer service, communication, and interpersonal skills necessary to be pleasant and helpful to citizens and vendors and courteous of fellow employees while performing duties. Ability to understand and apply conflict resolution to resolve complex customer service account inquiries ensuring successful outcomes. Ability to work efficiently and effectively in a fast-paced environment. Ability to think logically and solve problems. Skill in planning and managing multiple tasks effectively with constant interruptions. Knowledge and skill with customized and complex methods and procedures. Ability to interpret and understand City Code related to utility charges. Accurate English usage, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary. Standard business arithmetic, including percentages and decimals. Researching, compiling, and summarizing a variety of informational and statistical data and materials. Using tact, discretion, initiative and independent judgment within established guidelines. Organizing work, setting priorities, meeting critical deadlines, and following up assignments with a minimum of direction. Utilizing good interpersonal, written, and verbal skills. Using Microsoft Excel and Word spreadsheets. Researching, compiling, and summarizing informational and statistical data and materials. Excellent problem solving skills. Using tact, discretion, initiative, and independent judgment within established guidelines. Ability to determine the best solution for each individual situation within City Code and department policies. Analyzing and resolving customer questions and billing issues. Skill in handling irate customers. Organizing work, setting priorities, meeting critical deadlines, and following up assignments with a minimum of direction. Multi-tasking skill.
Essential Functions: Assists customers opening, closing and transferring accounts. Answers customer account questions regarding services and billing, meter reading errors and consumption. Assists customers with payment arrangements and delinquencies, assists low income customers with proper paperwork. Researches customers questions and/or complaints and corrects billing issues and by reviewing account information, consumption, meter readings, and service orders. Calculates billing usage using current rates and consumptions to correct customer accounts; calculates leak adjustments and reviews leak paperwork. Corrects account problems by reviewing account information, consumption, meter readings, and service orders. Utilizes appropriate mathematic skills to calculate water and sewer usage for winter/quarter averages, billings, and leak adjustments, etc. Prepares and enters adjustments for customer accounts in computer system. Prepares customer letters for mailing. Assists outside agencies, builders, and other City departments on issues related to utility billing, which includes consulting with internal legal staff related to bankruptcies. Confers with developers, builders, and line maintenance personnel to set up and process new construction meter sets and meter exchanges in utility system for correct billing; works with Planning department on accurate street addresses and units; processes information and service orders for meter setting crew and meter reading personnel. Reviews Certificate of Occupancy reports in order to turn builder accounts into full service. Prepares, processes and reconciles customer ACH payments and transmits to the bank for customer payments each billing cycle. Prepares, processes and reconcile intergovernmental billing for City accounts. Works with revenue to ensure all processes correctly. Performs Utility Billing Specialist duties when required. Assists Billing Supervisor with reviewing billing reports, reviewing customer collection accounts, Winter/Sewer Average calculations, and contacting business’ before accounts are sent to collection. Maintains manual and/or computerized recordkeeping systems; codes, enters, posts, and tabulates data; prepares summary reports; inputs and retrieves data, and generates a variety of reports; proofs data entry work; prepares and submits information for further processing. Maintains files, reports, and other departmental papers; cross indexes and files documents and correspondence alphabetically, numerically, or by other designated classification. Photocopies and facsimiles a variety of documents, correspondence, and forms, etc. Posts account data and changes of account numbers, rates and other related information to create and maintain billing files. Types invoice billing and general correspondence; stuffing envelopes, and posting data. Performs other related work as required.
Mental and Physical Abilities: Ability to maintain regular, predictable and punctual attendance. Ability to concentrate and pay close attention to detail in a potentially noisy environment with constant breaks in concentration associated with answering phones or speaking in person to citizens requiring assistance. Limited amount of physical effort required associated with walking, standing, and lifting and carrying light objects from 5% to 50% of work time, depending upon the specific assignment.
Working Conditions: Works in a normal office environment where there are little or no physical discomforts associated with changes in weather such as rain, cold, snow, or heat.
Additional Information: Final candidates may undergo data entry, Microsoft excel and spelling skills assessments. Selected applicant must pass a background investigation and drug screen.