Customer Care Manager (INTERNAL ONLY)

General Description The purpose of this position within the organization is to oversee and coordinate the daily operations of Customer Care, Utility Billing, and related collection functions to ensure accurate billing, efficient revenue collection, and high-quality customer service. This position is responsible for supervising and directing staff, including the Customer Care Supervisor, while maintaining the integrity of customer accounts, resolving complex and escalated issues, and ensuring compliance with all applicable City and State laws and regulations. This position plays a critical role in supporting management in the planning, organization, and execution of billing and collections operations, including utility services and other revenue streams. The incumbent provides leadership and operational oversight to ensure consistency in processes, adherence to departmental policies, and the achievement of revenue and service delivery goals. The position exercises independent judgment in the interpretation and application of policies, the resolution of sensitive customer matters, and the coordination of workflow across multiple functional areas. Work is performed under general supervision, but requires a high level of accountability in decision-making, staff supervision, and operational performance. Duties and Responsibilities The functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this job. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the job as necessary.

Essential Functions:

Supervises and delegates work activities of staff responsible for customer care, utility billing, and collections. Assists in the planning, organizing, and coordination of Customer Care, Utility Billing, and Collections operations. Ensures accurate and timely billing of water, sewer, refuse, and other utility services. Assists in the printing and mailing of utility bills according to established schedules and coordinates with data processing to resolve production issues. Implements and monitors billing procedures and performs bi-weekly edit checks to verify accuracy and identify irregularities in utility usage. Handles escalated customer inquiries, complaints, and disputes; determines appropriate resolutions in accordance with City policies and ordinances. Oversees the research, analysis, and correction of billing errors, including authorizing necessary account adjustments. Coordinates the setup and maintenance of billing arrangements and customer payment plans. Assists in the preparation and execution of delinquent account disconnects and supports negotiation of payment agreements. Supervises staff involved in the collection of current and delinquent revenues in accordance with departmental policies and procedures. Collects, reviews, and ensures proper handling of confidential personal and financial data related to customer accounts. Runs daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports to monitor billing accuracy, revenue collection, and operational performance. Gathers and analyzes data related to utility services to support operational decision-making and process improvements. Assists in process improvement initiatives to streamline billing, collections, and customer payment processes. Coordinates customer service initiatives and projects to improve service delivery and efficiency. Receives and evaluates customer service complaints, determines facts, and ensures proper application of City ordinances. Assists in monitoring employee work hours and productivity to ensure alignment with departmental budget constraints. Ensures compliance with applicable City and State laws, regulations, and policies related to billing and collections. Requests special meter readings for high bills, suspected leaks, or account discrepancies.

Additional Duties :

• Processes utility service applications and ensures proper documentation is maintained.
• Determines and explains service charges, billing processes, and account activity to customers.
• Reviews customer complaints and investigates causes such as usage changes or environmental factors.
• Assists in the creation and maintenance of departmental procedures and budget-related tracking.
• Performs related work as assigned.

Responsibilities, Requirements and Impacts Data Responsibility:

Gathers, organizes, analyzes, examines, and evaluates data or information and may prescribe action based on these data or information. Data Responsibility refers to information, knowledge, and conceptions obtained by observation, investigation, interpretation, visualization, and mental creation. Data are intangible and include numbers, words, symbols, ideas, concepts, and oral verbalizations.

People Responsibility:

Supervises and leads staff by determining work procedures, assigning duties, maintaining harmonious relations, and promoting efficiency while providing customer service to the public. People include co-workers, workers in other areas or agencies and the general public.

Asset Responsibility:

Requires responsibility and opportunity for achieving moderate economies and/or preventing moderate losses through oversight of billing processes, customer accounts, and revenue collection activities. Assets responsibility refers to the responsibility for achieving economies or preventing loss within the organization.

Mathematical Requirements:

Uses addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and/or calculates ratios, rates, and percentages. Mathematics requires the use of symbols, numbers and formulas to solve mathematical problems.

Communications Requirements:

Reads and interprets regulations, procedures, and manuals; communicates effectively with staff, other departments, and the public; composes reports and correspondence using proper grammar and style. Communications involves the ability to read, write, and speak.

Judgment Requirements:

Responsible for frequent decisions affecting staff and customers; works in a moderately fluid environment with established guidelines but frequent variations. Judgment requirements refer to the frequency and complexity of judgments and decisions given the stability of the work environments, the nature and type of guidance, and the breadth of impact of the judgments and decisions.

Complexity of Work:

Performs skilled supervisory work involving established procedures with frequent problem-solving and analysis Complexity addresses the analysis, initiative, ingenuity, concentration and creativity, required by the job and the presence of any unusual pressures present in the job.

Impact of Errors:

The impact of errors is moderately serious - affects the work unit and may affect other units or customers. Impact of errors refers to consequences such as damage to equipment and property, loss of data, exposure of the organization to legal liability, and injury or death for individuals.

Physical Demands:

Performs sedentary work involving walking or standing at times and sustained keyboard operations. Physical demands refer to the requirements for physical exertion and coordination of limb and body movement.

Equipment Usage:

Handles or uses computers and work aids with some latitude for judgment. Equipment usage involves responsibility for materials, machines, tools, equipment, work aids, and products.

Unavoidable Hazards:

None Unavoidable hazards refer to the job conditions that may lead to injury or health hazards even though precautions have been taken.

Safety of Others:

Requires responsibility for the safety and health of others and for occasional enforcement of public safety standards Safety of others refers to the level of responsibility for the safety of others, either inherent in the job or to ensure the safety of the general public.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

Requires a bachelor's degree in business administration, accounting, public administration, or a related field. Requires four (3) years of progressively responsible experience in utility billing, customer service, collections, or financial operations, including at least one (1) year in a supervisory or lead capacity. An equivalent combination of training and experience (as approved by the department) may be used to meet the minimum qualifications.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience working in a local or state government environment. Working knowledge of utility billing software and Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, and Outlook.

Special Certifications and Licenses:

None.