Supervisor of Customer Service

Veolia in North America is the top-ranked environmental company in the United States for three consecutive years, and the country's largest private water operator and technology provider as well as hazardous waste and pollution treatment leader. It offers a full spectrum of water, waste, and energy management services, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery. Veolia helps commercial, industrial, healthcare, higher education and municipality customers throughout North America. Headquartered in Boston, Veolia has more than 10,000 employees working at more than 350 locations across North America.

About the Role

The Supervisor of Customer Service, New York is responsible for the overall environment of the customer service office(s), walk-in payment center(s) and field service operations for the New York Municipal Water Division of Veolia. The role will provide supervision to the New York Customer Service Leader and CSRs, spanning across the call center, collections, billing, revenue integrity, and backoffice/field work. The Supervisor oversees the daily assignments of bargaining unit employees in the New York - West Nyack Office, ensuring all activities are performed efficiently and professionally to maintain set metrics and key performance indicators tracked by the Director of Customer Service and Metering.

This role supports customer operations in other geographies within the New York division and serves as a resource for both customer service office and field functions as needed. The incumbent is responsible for providing an enhanced customer experience by meeting targeted call center, backoffice, revenue integrity, collections, and field service metrics for approximately 127,000 customers. Provides daily direction and communication to employees so customer inquiries, field orders, regulatory complaints, and income controls are handled in a timely, efficient, and knowledgeable manner.

Responsibilities

• Manage customer expectations to continuously improve Customer Satisfaction Surveys and reduce regulatory complaints.
• Maintain adequate call center, backoffice, revenue, collection, and field service metrics as directed by management.
• Schedule and supervise daily collection and service field work, including monthly field visits to ensure safety standards, optimal routing, and work completion.
• Manage call escalations for customers at every level, serving as the first point of contact at the management level.
• Provide daily reporting on key performance indicators to upper-level management via email, tracking spreadsheets, or phone.
• Manage all daily, weekly, and monthly income controls for auditing purposes.
• Work closely with the Non-Revenue Water Management Team to provide input and gather information for various initiatives.
• Cover the Customer Service Department and/or Metering Department in NY and/or Westchester offices or divisionally as needed.
• Manage other initiatives such as CC&B upgrades, web upgrades, or special projects as directed by the Director of Customer Service & Metering.

Managing the Call Center and Walk-in Office

• Ensure customers are responded to quickly and efficiently by staff.
• Schedule daily workloads to meet demands on phones and backoffice exceptions.
• Manage the cash collection process to meet all auditing concerns and ensure timely deposits of cash and checks.
• Respond to customer escalations professionally and respectfully, whether over the phone or at the front counter.
• Ensure staff have adequate supplies and tools to perform their daily workload.
• Perform call monitoring and provide feedback to staff for improvement.
• Develop a friendly office environment to improve staff productivity by providing awards and incentives.
• Update the phone system as needed with emergency main break information, updates on discolored water, or main breaks.

Managing Regulatory and Customer Complaints

• Ensure all regulatory complaints are responded to efficiently with resolutions that follow NYS Public Service Commission guidelines and satisfy the customer.
• Work with the regulator to settle cases, come to agreements with customers, and attend informal hearings.
• Work with customers on a case-by-case basis to reach agreements or resolutions for their issues.

Managing Collections & Field Service

• Provide feedback to staff on top collection candidates for termination of service.
• Develop strategies and plans for collection activities such as additional phone calls and letter campaigns.
• Track accounts receivables with close financial benchmarks.
• Monitor and review write-off reports and Penn Credit reports for accuracy.
• Handle processing of all bankruptcy accounts.
• Resolve customer disputes monthly by working with the meter department on collecting meter test results.
• Review and assign field service work routing daily, weekly, and monthly to ensure customer expectations and appointments are met.
• Provide support to meter department staff in the office and field to ensure work completion rates.

Managing Revenue Integrity and Non-Revenue Water Initiatives

• Review accounts requesting leak adjustments to make determinations and discuss cases with customers.
• Review and monitor "pending bills" in the billing system to ensure timely bill generation.
• Process all back office work timely to avoid estimating bills due to field work (e.g., meter change outs, radio device change outs).
• Conduct monthly reviews of the top 200 users to ensure timely billing.
• Work closely with metering on the Strategic Meter initiative to update the billing system in a timely manner.
• Ensure all new properties receive bills in a timely manner by collaborating with the Planning and Metering Department.
• Test new rates in the billing system and assist the rates department with monitoring surcharges.
• Ensure staff review and work with the metering department on zero consumption, vacant properties with consumption, and consecutive estimate reports.
• Manage bill segment "to-dos" in the billing system to ensure timely completion.

Other Responsibilities

• Comply with all income, regulatory, and tariff processes and procedures.
• Assist with ongoing divisional projects for improving the customer experience (e.g., CC&B upgrades, web upgrades).
• Work closely with local union officials and bargaining unit employees for discipline and disputes.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or 5 years of experience managing a team.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in call center management and/or billing, collections, and metering operations, preferably in a regulated utility.
• Significant technical expertise and experience related to internal control structure, policies, procedures, and compliance.
• Direct supervision of a union workforce.
• Valid Driver's License.

Skills

• Demonstrated ability to deal with customers, clients, and regulators in a courteous, professional, and diplomatic manner.
• Knowledge of cash management operations and field service/metering operations.
• Leadership qualities needed to motivate and direct staff.
• Ability to multitask, handling multiple deadlines and projects.
• Strong oral, written, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to prepare written technical reports and interact effectively with management, bargaining unit employees, regulators, consultants, municipal officials, health officers, customers, contractors, and the general public.
• Familiarity with computer applications such as Excel, Word, CC&B, Mobile Workforce Management, Infor, PeopleSoft, and Google applications.
• Ability to work under stressful conditions and use sound business logic to make quick and concise decisions.
• Knowledge of call centers, IVR & ACD systems, recording systems, NYS regulations, credit and collection laws, and public service law.
• Budgeting for customer service operations.

Pay

$80,000 to $90,000 per year.

Benefits

• Paid time off policies.
• Health, dental, vision, and life insurance.
• Savings accounts.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Paid volunteering.
• Employer-sponsored 401(k) plan.