The Accounting Assistant provides quality customer service, utility billing, and collection services. This position is also responsible for developing and/or improving customer service processes and procedures which includes defining service standards and techniques for evaluating customer satisfaction. The Accounting Assistant also processes payments, computes and posts utility charges, receives and accounts for cash, performs data entry, files records in established files, posts information into the utilities system, types, and performs other duties as assigned. This position also has frequent contact with the public both in person and over the phone.
Organizational Relationships:
1. Reports to: Asst. Director of Finance
2. Directs: Non-Supervisory.
3. Other: Has frequent contact with co-workers, customers, citizens, outside agencies, vendors, and other city employees.
Essential Job Functions & Other Important Duties
- Responds to customer calls and in-person inquiries about utility billing, water service, leak/policy allowance adjustments, garbage and brush billing, and work orders.
- Work as a cashier receiving utility payments, balancing cash drawer daily. Balances and posts daily receipts for accounts receivable and prepares daily bank deposits; reconciles deposits with computer printout; prepares adjustment entries for accounts.
- Responsible for the monthly retrieval of meter readings recorded on handheld devices.
- Calculates billing based on readings. Process utility bills for current month, in accordance to city ordinance.
- Checks error messages to detect abnormal metering information; compares past consumption patterns and other known conditions to determine need for rereading or investigation; orders rereading or service department investigation where indicated; makes necessary corrections for billing.
- Provides meter location information by street address, physical location and meter route book; assists in maintaining route and meter maps and sets up new accounts and reading routes for new subdivisions.
- Researches and compiles account histories of consumption patterns, past service calls, and similar information to assist in resolving disputed billing or service maintenance inquiries.
- Track, follow-up and resolve customer's outstanding issues in a timely fashion.
- Closes out discontinued accounts and processes final bills for these accounts.
- Advises customers about water usage and water conservation.
- Address delinquent accounts and file liens when needed.
- Prepare notices of past due accounts and prepare cut-off list for public works.
- Required to input other payments, such as franchise, hydrant usage, PID and other miscellaneous payments.
- Cross-train to perform clerical duties in court, such as taking payments.
- Assist directly or route customers to the appropriate personnel for assistance.
- Properly maintains the community center reservation calendar.
- Responsible for daily check destruction.
- Transmit phone & text notifications via our notification system to residents, when necessary.
- Process monthly invoice from franchised garbage vendor for payment.
- Process leak adjustments, per our policy.
- Acquire knowledge of city ordinances pertaining to utility codes and processing.
- Required to work closely with other departments within city hall, including public works, planning/zoning, code enforcement, etc.
- Responsible for using judgment when receiving emergency calls for police and transferring to dispatch.
Other Important Duties
- Attends and remains at work regularly and adheres to policies and procedures regarding absenteeism and tardiness;
- Assists with annual audit; and
- Performs such other related duties as may be assigned.
Job Requirements
Knowledge of:
- English Language: the structure and content of the English language, including the meaning of words and grammar.
- Basic Math: add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly.
- Customer Service: principles and processes for providing customer and personal services including a desire to help customers regardless of their circumstance.
- Customer Service Management: principles and processes for providing customer and personal services including needs assessment techniques, quality service standards, alternative delivery systems, and customer satisfaction evaluation techniques.
- Office Systems: administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word-processing systems, filing and records management systems, forms design principle
- Office Software: current word processing, presentation, spreadsheet, and database programs used by the City.
- Record Keeping: principles and practices for collection and recording of information for use in report presentations.
- Record Management: processes and/or methods for inventorying, verifying, logging, preparing, filming/scanning, filing, and shelving of records.
Skill/Ability to:
- Cooperation: establishing and maintaining positive working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
- Effective Supervision: producing decided, decisive, and/or desired effect in the actions of those under one's direction.
- Typing: accurately enter information using computer keyboard: 45 words per minute.
- Organizational Systems: tracking multiple variables by sorting, grouping, and calendaring.
- Active Listening: listening to what other people are saying and asking questions as appropriate.
- Deductive Reasoning: applying general rules to specific problems to come up with logical answers. This involves deciding if an answer makes sense or provides a logical explanation for why a series of seemingly unrelated events occur together.
- Inductive Reasoning: combining separate pieces of information or specific answers to problems to form general rules or conclusions. This includes coming up with a logical explanation for why a series of seemingly unrelated events occur together.
- Prioritization: selecting, from multiple options, activities to achieve a goal.
- Oral Expression: communicating information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Creative Thinking: using logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weakness of different approaches.
- Fluency of Ideas: develop a number of ideas about a given topic.
- Effective and time management: manage time wisely and productive decision making.
Education and Experience:
Requires an Associate's degree or some college coursework plus at least five years of related work experience.
Or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Certifications and Licenses Required:
Certification as Notary Public.
