Manager of Customer Service
Entegrus Powerlines Inc., a progressive company dedicated to providing the highest level of service and a safe and positive work environment, requires a Manager of Customer Service. The position will be based at the Entegrus Chatham office and reports directly to the Director of Customer Service.
CANDIDATE PROFILE
The Manager of Customer Service provides operational leadership and management to the Customer Service department, ensuring consistent execution of customer service, billing and collections processes across all functions. Responsible for coordinating day-to-day departmental operations, leading continuous improvement and project initiatives including CIS maintenance and upgrades, monitoring performance metrics, and ensuring compliance with Ontario Energy Board (OEB) regulations, company policies and established procedures.
The Manager of Customer Service is accountable for 21-24 staff and manages three direct reports:
- Supervisor of Customer Service & Collections (St. Thomas)
- Supervisor of Customer Service (Chatham)
- Supervisor of Customer Service & Billing (Chatham)
DUTIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES
- Provide leadership and direction to the Customer Service Supervisors responsible for the Contact Centre, Billing and Collections functions, ensuring consistent application of policies, procedures, service standards and performance management practices across all areas.
- Oversee day-to-day Customer Service operations, including workload management, staffing coordination, service delivery and issue resolution, to ensure efficient and effective customer service across multiple office locations.
- Ensure compliance with Ontario Energy Board (OEB) codes, regulations and company policies by overseeing the consistent application of processes and procedures across all Customer Service functions and coordinating the implementation of regulatory changes.
- Manage escalated customer issues, regulatory complaints and service concerns, ensuring timely resolution and adherence to regulatory requirements and company standards.
- Monitor departmental performance metrics, service levels and operational reporting; analyze trends and implement corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives to improve customer experience, productivity and operational effectiveness.
- Lead and coordinate departmental projects, process improvement initiatives, system enhancements and operational readiness activities, including staff training and procedural updates related to business and regulatory changes.
- Develop, implement and maintain standardized processes, procedures, quality assurance measures and training programs to promote consistency, accuracy and efficiency across the Contact Centre, Billing and Collections functions.
- Provide operational leadership for Customer Service systems and reporting, including the analysis of operational, customer and regulatory data, and make recommendations to improve service delivery, resource utilization and departmental performance.
- Collaborate with internal departments, external vendors and service providers to support Customer Service operations, regulatory compliance, project implementation and achievement of corporate objectives.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Education: A university or college diploma in Business Administration, Management or a related area of study or equivalent industry experience.
- Experience: Minimum 8 - 10 years of progressive experience in Customer Service, Billing, Collections or a related utility operations including at least 3 – 5 years of leadership experience. Experience in a rate-regulated environment is considered an asset.
- Knowledge: Knowledge of Ontario's electricity distribution industry and applicable regulatory requirements, including the Retail Settlement Code, Standard Supply Service Code, Distribution System Code and related OEB regulations. Strong understanding of customer service operations, billing processes, collections activities, Customer Information Systems and performance management practices.
- Skills: (i) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communication with employees, the general public and sophisticated commercial/industrial customers; (ii) Strong project management and process improvement skills (iii) Ability to interpret and apply regulatory requirements and operational policies. (iv) Strong computer, systems and reporting skills, and (v) General business acumen. Experience with managing in a union environment is preferred.
KEY ATTRIBUTES & COMPETENCIES
- Leadership and ability to drive change. The Manager of Customer Service will need to have a willingness to lead and influence others. An ability to lead others in an honest, respectful and sensitive manner in order to get them to buy-in to organizational objectives.
- Teamwork that creates progress towards common goals. The Manager of Customer Service will need to deliver work through others. The Manager of Customer Service will need to have the competencies to work together effectively with peers that will have interdependent goals and common values and norms to foster a collaborative environment and drive work completion.
- Communications to build enthusiasm for difficult tasks. The Manager of Customer Service will need to have the ability to articulate ideas and concepts in a way that influences receiving individuals. An ability to respectfully communicate ideas in writing to ensure that information and messages are understood and have the desired impact.
- Management competency to prioritize goals for assigned staff. The Manager of Customer Service will need to have the competencies to listen accurately and understand unspoken, partly expressed thoughts, feelings and concerns of others.
To explore this opportunity further, please email your resume (filename - “Last name, First name - CV”), with “Entegrus Manager of Customer Service” in the subject line, in confidence to Mark Fukuzawa at mfukuzawa@kaihen.ca