Utilities Customer/Revenue Service Specialist - Pre Bill

Department: Charlotte Water Department

Salary: $25.67 - $40.10 Commensurate with Experience

Welcome to the City of Charlotte

Charlotte is America’s Queen City, opening her arms to a diverse and inclusive community of residents, businesses and visitors alike. Here you will find a safe, family-oriented city where people work together to help everyone thrive. The mission of the City of Charlotte is to deliver quality public services and promote the safety, health, and quality of life for all residents.

Our guiding principles include:

• Attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce

• Valuing teamwork, openness, accountability, productivity, and employee development

• Providing all customers with courteous, responsive, accessible, and seamless quality services

• Taking initiative to identify, analyze, and solve problems

• Collaborating with stakeholders to make informed decisions

SUMMARY

Under the general direction of the Meter Services Supervisor, responsible for ensuring accurate monthly billing of approximately 325,000 meter readings for residential, commercial, and industrial water and sewer services countywide. Responsible for analyzing uploaded meter readings, processing daily meter reading exceptions for consumption calculations based on historical consumption patterns, unauthorized usage, tampering, field service order discrepancies, mobile missed readings, and high/low/negative/zero usage anomalies. Will require that each account has a reading acquired to ensure monthly charges are generated by use of issuing work orders to the field or estimating usage to provide continuity in reoccurrence of monthly billing. Produces meter reading data reports from uploaded files to review and interpret inconsistencies in usage patterns, declining meter performance, and non-operating metering equipment. Strictly adheres to the meter reading and billing schedules to provide quality assurance and timely entry corrections to meet days of service billing period.

Salary:

The salary for this position is $28.87-$32.07, Commensurate with Experience

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30AM - 4:30PM

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

 

• Performs meter reading file uploads to the billing system for previous days' reading collections.
• Performs next day’s download of meter reading files to mobile collectors.
• Reviews and evaluates each meter reading exception and applies appropriate action to resolve these exceptions from both the meter reading upload files and incoming field service orders.
• Performs thorough review and analysis of large commercial and industrial water services that include multiple meters, private deduction meters, fire line, and irrigation services.
• Performs analysis on zero consumption by seasonal variances, conformance of metering equipment, inactive accounts, residency vacancies, whereby the read instructions are reflective of the service address features to wells, occupancy, stop meters, meter location, damaged equipment, etc.
• Generates field service orders to field technicians to investigate water meter usage, metering equipment performance, metering information accuracy (serial numbers), pictures of equipment, and operational compliance.
• Runs and acts on various reports regarding meter reading exceptions, service order completion codes, high consumption, account activation/deactivation, and out-of-cycle billing.
• Completes pre-bill consumption adjustments and refers all monetary post-billing adjustments to appropriate departments.
• Performs daily import of completed service order work to validate incoming investigations of meter readings, metering equipment information/performance, and any exceptions from those orders. 
• Identifies and reports any field staffing errors, mistakes, or other discrepancies to team supervisors on a routine basis.  Provide root cause analysis.
• Works closely with the Utility Management Services team for system performance, software update testing and feedback, and recommendations on system process improvements.
• Adheres to established processes in all job tasks, monitoring and resolution requirements.

• Acts in a pre-emptive manner in all aspects of work and provides continuous improvement feedback.

• Performs other duties as required by the section supervisor.

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Minimum Qualifications:
High School diploma or equivalent and 3 year(s) of relevant experience; or 2 Year College degree and 1 year(s) of relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, GIS, and mapping systems, utility Customer Information Systems, Meter Reading Systems, and Mobile Field Work Order Systems.
• Knowledge of utility billing cycles and meter reading routes.
• Knowledge of the Charlotte City code and other policy documents as those documents relate to customer service, field operations, and engineering functions.
• Skill in professional communication, including emails, in-person interactions, phone calls, and general interactions.
• Skill in organization and time management.
• Skill in operating computers, software, and technology.
• Skill in analysis and problem-solving.
• Skill in mathematics and statistics.
• Skill in providing exceptional customer service
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to follow directives and instructions.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Required to have a flexible work schedule and availability to work overtime, weekends, and holidays.   

 

Physical Demands:

The work is sedentary and requires exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally to move objects. Additionally, the following physical abilities are required: balancing, crouching, feeling, manual dexterity, grasping, handling, perceiving sounds at normal speaking levels, distinguishing among sounds, kneeling, lifting, mental acuity, reaching, repetitive motion, speaking, standing, talking, visual acuity in data/color/equipment/ inspections, and walking.

Work environment:      

Work is performed in a dynamic environment that requires sensitivity to change and responsiveness to changing goals, priorities, and needs.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

The City’s Background Check Policy requires background checks to be conducted on final internal or external candidate(s) applying for any position with the City of Charlotte. The type of information that will be collected as part of a background check includes, but is not limited to: reference checks, social security verification, education verification, criminal conviction record check, and, if applicable, a credit history check, sex offender registry and motor vehicle records check.

Background checks must be in compliance with all federal and state statutes, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The checks must be consistent with the guidelines set forth by these laws requiring organizations to obtain a candidate’s written authorization before obtaining a criminal background report, motor vehicle records check or credit report; and to properly store and dispose of information derived from such reports.

Final candidates must pass a pre-employment drug-screening test and physical examination. During the selection process, candidates may be asked to take a skills test, and/or participate in other assessments.

The City of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or on the basis of actual or perceived gender as expressed through dress, appearance, or behavior.

Our culture is to serve the community honorably.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online.

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job.

You are welcome to visit the City of Charlotte Human Resources Department lobby, where self-service application kiosks are available. They are located in our office at 700 East 4th Street, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28202. We are open Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EST), excluding official City holidays.

For questions about your application or the hiring process, please email Careers@ci.charlotte.nc.us

The City of Charlotte is committed to making our services and programs accessible to all. Upon request, auxiliary aids, written materials in alternate formats, language access, and other reasonable accommodations or modifications will be provided. To make a request, please fill out the Innovation & Technology ADA request form or call 704.336.4120.

BENEEFITS

The City of Charlotte provides a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees.

Click here to learn more about the City of Charlotte’s benefits.

The City of Charlotte is a drug and alcohol-free workplace.