Customer Service Representative - Utility Billing

Customer Service Representative

The City of Sunnyvale is looking for a dynamic Customer Service Representative for the Department of Finance. The Customer Service Representative will be part of a small team of representatives that assist Sunnyvale residents and businesses with needs related to water, wastewater, garbage, and recycling services. The candidate selected for this position will be the first point of contact with customers over the phone and in person, not only handling routine transactions such as establishing accounts and placing work orders but also handling complex billing issues requiring investigation and analysis.

In addition to call center duties, the candidate will have regular duties such as processing payments, placing work orders, and answering written inquiries. The candidate must have excellent customer service and organizational skills, have strong attention to detail and know how to thrive in a fast-paced call center/account representative environment.

City of Sunnyvale Benefits:

• CalPERS retirement Pension
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Retiree medical Benefit
• 11 paid holidays
• 30 hours
  * of floating holidays (
  * Prorated based on date of hire)
• Paid Time Off (PTO) accruals
• Employee Wellness Programs

Under general supervision, performs office work in assisting customers with utility services provided by the City of Sunnyvale; investigates and resolves customer complaints; provides customers with verbal and written information and instructions; maintains computerized customer account information; performs related duties as assigned.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Customer Service Representatives work in the Utilities Division of the Finance Department. This classification is distinguished from other clerical classifications by its primary focus on customer service in handling a variety of complex and varied billing and service issues for both residential and commercial utility accounts.

Essential Job Functions:

• Respond to customer inquiries about water, sewer, garbage and recycling services and rates over the phone, in person and in writing.
• Investigate and resolve customer problems and complaints concerning water, sewer, garbage and recycling services.
• Respond to water and sewer emergency calls and dispatch appropriate technicians to resolve urgent problems.
• Explain utility service standards and requirements to residential and commercial customers.
• Understand and analyze customer needs and recommend appropriate solutions.
• Maintain computerized records of utility customer accounts.
• Review and process customer utility payments.
• Review and explain utility bills to customers.
• Handle collection calls and develop customer payment schedules as necessary.
• Process sign-up and cancellation of utility services for residential and commercial customers.
• Input and retrieve utility customer account data using computerized billing and maintenance systems.
• Make calculations and quote billing rates for utility services.
• Prepare billing adjustments to customer utility accounts.
• Review, process, and audit utility bills and materials related to utility billing.
• Compile data and prepare reports.
• Prepare cash receipt vouchers, journal vouchers and documents.
• Compose correspondence.
• Prepare work orders related to utility services for field personnel.
• Perform cashiering functions including processing checks, balancing cash drawer, and verifying daily cash receipts.
• Respond to general inquiries about City services unrelated to utilities.
• Receive, sort and distribute mail.
• Maintain files and records.

Minimum Qualifications:

The minimum qualifications for education and experience can be met in the following way:
High school graduation or tested equivalent, AND

Two years of general clerical experience that includes heavy public contact experience, including at least one year of customer service experience in a call center environment.

Other Qualifications

At least one Customer Service Representative will be designated as bilingual (English/Spanish), and the incumbent must successfully pass the City of Sunnyvale bilingual examination.

Knowledge of:

• Customer service techniques and practices.
• Standard office procedures, practices,…