Customer Service Representative

Somerville is a city that upholds progressive principles for both employees and residents alike. If you are looking for a culture that embraces innovation, empowerment, and collaborative involvement, Somerville not only embraces these talents, but encourages them. Creative, hands on collaboration with passionate dedication are at the core of the City’s workplace culture.  Challenging and fast paced, Somerville also offers a generous benefits package that embodies a strong work life balance. Not only is it a “Model City”, as termed by The Boston Globe, but it is also a model employer.

Statement of Duties
As an essential employee, the Customer Service Representative answers all incoming requests in a friendly manner, responds to routine questions and takes complaints from both City staff as well as the general public; inputs and/or logs information received into the contact center’s Customer Relationship Management system; directs requests to the appropriate department or agency for further action; assisting constituents with the resolution to problems, questions and concerns.
Maintains a professional relationship and demeanor with internal and external customers providing all services with accuracy, courtesy and patience by gathering information, creating work orders, dispatching work to specific departments, responding to routine questions, taking and reporting complaints and contacting other departments and customers as needed  to ensure that work was completed.
Must be able to retain specific knowledge of related computer software systems required to perform duties and operations relating to issuance of work orders and and/or information requests. Fulfills all other customer service duties inside the City in-person welcome desk and telephone contact center; provides assistance and information related to departmental procedures, services, fees, forms, or other issues; responds to routine questions, complaints or requests for service; initiates problem resolution.
Assists with other contact center duties, such as; emergency operations, special projects, and training responsibilities or other similar tasks.

Essential Functions:
The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Initiate transmission on and respond to all telephone calls, emails, social media posts, facsimile transmissions, face to face interactions from residents in a professional and timely manner.
• Create and maintains requests in the Customer Resource Management System for constituents and employees
• Create databases and reports as needed.
• Categorize issue types for both internal and external use.
• Provide assistance to residents for DPW, Traffic and Parking, family advocacy referrals and other issues of concern.
• Monitor social media sites, local newspapers and television stations for upcoming local events and be aware of issues that may directly impact customers on a daily basis.
• Attend community and other city-sponsored events providing information about the City and 311
• Refer to departmental operating procedures, administrative policies, regulations, standards, and/or reference manuals and other sources in performing assigned job duties.
• Ability to deal with and relate to people beyond simply giving and receiving instructions. Must be able to adapt to and perform under moderate stress when confronted with an emergency.

Minimum Qualifications                                                              

Education and Experience:
High school diploma or GED required; one–three years’ experience in communications, call center and/or customer service operations or a related field required, or any equivalent combination of education, experience, and/or training which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this job. Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree is a plus.

Special Requirements

 Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license or the ability to get to and from job even during in climate weather and holidays.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill

Knowledge: Knowledge of MS Office programs; experience with telecommunication systems; experience working in a call center.  Requires basic knowledge of arithmetic, English, and grammar.

Ability: Ability to meet and interact with the public effectively and appropriately; ability to handle problems and emergencies effectively; ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing; ability to operate a computer; ability to maintain confidential information; ability to maintain, manage, and organize records; ability to deal appropriately with City employees, City officials and the disgruntled members of the public. Ability to call on life experiences to resolve problems.  Ability to communicate in Spanish, Portuguese and/or Haitian Creole both verbally and written is strongly preferred.

Skill: Excellent organizational skills; excellent data processing skill in the use of personal computers and office software including MS Office programs, specifically Word, Excel and PowerPoint; experience with TTY to communicate with the hearing impaired; experience working in a call center a plus.

Work Environment
The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements.  Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant.  Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours in response to attend evening meetings or complete work assignments.

Physical and Mental Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Physical Skills
Little to no physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing.  May also be some occasional lifting of objects such as books, office equipment and computer paper (up to 30 lbs.)

Motor Skills
Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone, personal computer and/or most other office equipment including word processing, filing and sorting of papers.

Visual Skills

Visual demands require constantly reading documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.

Send your resume and cover letter by June 18, 2018 to:

City Hall Personnel Office
93 Highland Avenue
Somerville MA 02143
Fax: 617-666-4426
TTY: 1-866-808-4851
Email: employment_opportunities@somervillema.gov

City of Somerville residents are especially encouraged to apply.

The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request.

Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Somerville or to attend meetings, should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Nency Salamoun, at 617-625-6600 x2323 or NSalamoun@somervillema.gov.