Customer Service Representative

When working at Vera Water and Power, you have the opportunity to be part of a community-owned utility. We serve approximately 25,000 residents within the Spokane Valley, Washington. Our job as a publicly owned, not-for-profit utility is to deliver safe, reliable electricity and water at the lowest price possible while responsibly managing our resources, our employees, and our environment.

Being a part of our team means comparable wages and an exemplary benefits package.

We are committed to providing a beneficial work-life balance and empowering our people to make the community better through professional development and ensuring our staff is well equipped to do the job at hand.

Standard operating hours are Monday-Friday, with shifts falling between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.

The Customer Service Representative position is a two-person team that works together to ensure that the job is executed at the highest level of service for our customers. This position requires committed team members who are comfortable with both repetitive daily tasks and adjusting to fluctuating needs as they arise while utilizing all communication skills.

Come join us as we continue to grow and maintain our reputation as one of the top public utilities in the region!

Interested applicants should submit their resume and cover letter to:
https://verawaterandpower.com/about/careers/
This position is OPEN UNTIL FILLED and applicants are encouraged to apply immediately.
What We Offer:

- Comprehensive health insurance plan
- Defined benefit plan with Washington State Public Employees Retirement System
- 457 Plan
- VEBA Plan
- Continuing Education
- Drug-Free Workplace
- The annual salary range for this position is $40,000 to $45,000, dependent on experience.

General Duties/Key responsibilities:
- Serve as an initial contact to customers and the public by providing friendly, helpful, and professional service at all times.
- Receive and accurately process payments from customers at the front counter, by mail or electronic file, answer, or direct customer inquiries, monitor or facilitate call center messages.
- Answer incoming phone calls using a pleasant tone of voice and excellent listening skills. Take messages and direct calls.
- Balance Cash Drawers
- Maintain professional relationships to effectively collaborate with internal and external customers.
- Answer customer questions on billing, credit or closings.
- Sort and distribute mail, processing return mail.
- Monitor and facilitate call center messages.
- Assist Front Office Team in additional tasks as needed.


JOB REQUIREMENTS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed must be representative of the knowledge, skills, minimum education, training, licensure, experience, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Qualifications
Education:
- Requires High School diploma or valid GED
- Includes occupationally significant combination of: vocational education, apprentice training, in-plant training, on-the-job training, or essential experience in less responsible jobs which lead which lead to the higher job or serving in other jobs.

Experience:

- Requires special knowledge in accounting and/or computer processing.
- Two years of analytical work experience preferred.
- Valid Washington State Driver's License and is insurable to drive District
Vehicles.

Skills

- Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
- Manage multiple phone lines.
- Handle customer requests in a cordial manner.
- Have proficiency in using computers and ten key machines.
- Proficient in word and excel.
- Requires math development sufficient to be able to: Add, subtract, multiply and divide all units of measure.
- Must have developed language skills to the point to be able to speak clearly and distinctly with appropriate pauses, emphasis, and correct pronunciation. Read instructions, rules, looking up unfamiliar words for meaning, spelling and pronunciation.
- Write sentences, using legible handwriting, proper end punctuation and employing adjectives and adverbs.
- Use personal judgments and known facts to make decisions and deal with problems.


Relationships to Data, People and Things
- Data - Compiling: Gathering, collating, or classifying information about data, people, or things. Reporting and/or carrying out a prescribed action in relation to information is frequently involved.
- People - Speaking/Signaling: Talking with and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes giving assignments and or directions to helpers or assistants.
- Things - Precision Working: Using body members and/or tools or work aids to work, move, guide or place objects or materials in situations where ultimate responsibility for the attainment of standards occurs and selection of appropriate tools, objects or materials and the adjustment of the tool to the task require exercise of considerable judgement.

Physical Requirements
- The employee is frequently lifting and/or moving up to 20 pounds, and occasionally carries articles of 20 lbs. such as small tools, equipment, computer components and paper.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to grip, handle, push keys on keypads, or feel; and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, or twist torso; pull, push, or exert force; and perform repetitive hand or arm motion.
- Requires sitting to a significant degree in front of a computer screen.
- See small print and figures on computer screens.
- Seeing, Hearing, Speaking.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
- Subject to pre-employment physical, drug test and skills test.

Work Environment
- Inside: Protection from weather conditions but not necessarily from temperature changes.
- This job is considered “inside."