Customer Service Representative II, Grade 16

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THIS IS AN INTERNAL "ONLY" JOB POSTING, AVAILABLE TO CURRENT MONTGOMERY COUNTY GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.

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This Position is ONLY Open to Montgomery County Government Employees:

1. Current Montgomery County Government employees;
2. Montgomery County employees who were affected by a reduction-in-force and currently have RIF priority rights;
3. Active Montgomery County local fire and rescue department volunteers with at least 50 points under the length of service award program (LOSAP); or
4. Active Project SEARCH Interns or former Montgomery County Government Customized Employment Public Interns, or Project SEARCH Interns within 24 months of completion of internship.

Please note: The salary range above represents this position’s earning potential. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $57596.00 to $86,330.00, based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience.

WHO WE ARE

The Department of Technology & Enterprise Business Solutions (TEBS) MC311 Customer Service Center (“MC311”) is Montgomery County’s premier source for non-emergency government information and services. With a residential population of over 1,000,000, Montgomery County serves a diverse population. On average, MC311 receives approximately 500,000 calls annually. MC311 is an essential service for residents, offering a variety of information about County departments and services, including solid waste and recycling, taxes, inspections, real-time Ride On bus arrivals, and information about the leaf vacuum program. 

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

MC311 seeks internal candidates to fill two Customer Service Representative II (CSR II), Grade 16 positions. The CSR II position is the advanced journey level within the Customer Service Representative series and is considered the technical expert, providing direction to other staff.

Under the general supervision of a Program Manager, the CSR II performs full-performance-level customer service work in a complex, high-call-volume environment, providing assistance via telephone to customers requesting services from Montgomery County Government in a professional and courteous manner. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Answering the entire breadth of diverse telephone inquiries from the general public for non-emergency county services, independently assessing the customer needs, and providing suggestions and appropriate resolution.
• Accessing County databases managed and maintained by County agencies (i.e., DPS, FIN, HHS) in order to independently and successfully handle complex and escalated incoming customer requests for information and services.
• Demonstrating advanced customer service and communication skills for listening to the caller’s question(s), asking relevant questions for clarification as necessary, evaluating the information obtained, implementing effective de-escalation strategies, and providing the appropriate response and resolution in accordance with specific instruction and training without the need for Supervisory intervention.
• Continually assessing the status and up-to-date nature of Knowledge-Based Articles (KBA’s) via direct customer interactions or independent observation and research (such as trending and emerging topics within the County, changes to the beginning and end dates of programs/services, conflicting information amongst publications) and proactively communicating needs and potential liabilities to management.
• Performing as a model for delivering excellent customer service and consistently meeting metrics and performance expectations for the CSR II level; providing direction and guidance to CSRs for meeting standards.
• Accurately processing, recording, and maintaining records or telephone exchanges in accordance with specific and established procedures. Performing follow-up duties as directed and required.
• Performing after-call work; assigning service requests to the appropriate county department; fulfilling requests from customer calls where work is defined by the Customer Service Center per Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
• Performing similar and/or other job-related duties as assigned.

The impact of the work performed by employees in this class is realized through immediate, prompt responses to and resolutions of citizens’ problems and complaints. The work is evaluated by supervisory assessment of the appropriateness of services provided, the accuracy of information given, performance statistics, and the overall results of assigned projects. The current work environment is recurring telework; however, that is subject to change at any time.

TELEWORK: This position may be eligible for limited hybrid telework, up to two days per week, after the initial training period.

ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEE: The individual selected for this position will be considered an Essential Employee. Essential employees must report to work during a general emergency or on liberal leave.

EXPERIENCE:  Two (2) years of experience providing direct customer service to the public (e.g., Tier 2 queue work), one (1) year of which must have been with the Montgomery County Government. 

• Ability to independently troubleshoot and solve problems in a fast-paced, variable environment.
• Ability to retain and recall large amounts of information, including answers to common questions.
• Ability to read, understand, and communicate complex information while accurately documenting details from callers in sensitive or high-stress situations.
• Ability to communicate effectively and follow verbal and written instructions when assisting a diverse range of callers with varied needs and issues.
• Ability to train and mentor junior staff to ensure high-quality customer service.

EDUCATION: Completion of high school or High School Certificate of completion recognized in the State of Maryland. 

EQUIVALENCY: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

MEDICAL PROTOCOL: This position requires successful completion of a pre-employment limited core-exam medical evaluation, which includes a physical examination and drug screening.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The employee experiences long periods of sitting, listening, and talking, as well as using fingers to operate a multi-button telephone and lifting objects weighing 20 to 50 pounds.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD: Individuals appointed to a position in this class will be required to serve a probationary period of six (6) months, during which time performance will be carefully evaluated. Continuation in this class will be contingent upon successful completion of the probationary period.

PUBLIC SERVICE /ASSISTANCE: Public service and assistance are provided by employees in this class on demand for a short period and involve detailed questioning of callers to determine the nature of assistance required.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work is performed primarily in an office environment but may also be performed in environments with minor discomfort or unpleasantness (i.e., workers may be subjected to some risk associated with office support or call center activities).

All Applicants will be reviewed by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) for minimum qualifications.  Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be rated “Qualified,” placed on the Referred List, and may be considered for an interview.  Preference for interviews will be given to applicants with experience in the following:

• Skill in customer service and results-driven strategies
• Knowledge of CRM systems
• Ability to communicate in writing and orally
• Ability to offer translation services

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.

Montgomery County Government(MCG)  is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at Hiring@montgomerycountymd.gov. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.

This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.