Customer Service Associate - Finance

Job Summary

Reporting to the Supervisor of Customer Service – Revenue, the successful candidate will play a key role in delivering customer service and financial support within the City’s Finance Division. This rotational position involves both cashiering services and responding to inquiries from the public through various channels, including outbound calls, emails, and investigations of property tax accounts.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Processing payment transactions into the POS cash register and providing the appropriate receipts and necessary change to the customers.
• Processing transactions with various methods for City Departments including by-law enforcement, T&W, Corporate Services, Recreation & Parks and United Way, etc.
• Ensuring funds are deposited on a daily basis and that transactions are balanced.
• Sorting and distributing mail for the tax office and other business units within the tax department and external departments.
• Processing payments for tax certificates, local improvement letters, duplicate statements, tax bills and receipts ensuring appropriate fees are processed.
• Ensuring safeguarding of sensitive documents, such as maintaining agent tax files on tax accounts ensuring the integrity of the tax system is maintained.
• Processing payments for parking permits and preparing post-dated cheques deposit to be sent to external cheque processing company (Symcor).
• Monitoring the tax general inbox (including sorting, forwarding, replying).
• Maintaining accounts regarding ownership changes.
• Responding to correspondence received from the public, outside agencies, the Mayor and Councilors' offices, and telephone inquiries regarding municipal taxation.
• Collecting, analyzing and reporting on the performance of unit to gauge success and identify trends, potential issues and opportunities for service delivery improvements.
• Creating and distributing Service Requests for different departments.
• Investigating and researching any inquiries received from Citizen Contact Centre that the Customer Service Agent was not able to respond to due to its complexity.
• Monitoring, sorting and distributing Service Request received from the Citizen Contact Centre.
• Acting as a resource for Customer Service Agents.
• Providing feedback to Citizen Contact Centre to ensure quality control.
• Mailing out for statements, customer numbers, applications, etc.
• Acting as first line of contact for resolving escalations received from the Citizen Contact Centre, and forwarding any unresolved escalations to Supervisor/Manager.
• Processing tax certificates, local improvement letters, duplicate statements, tax bills and tax receipts, ensuring appropriate fees are received and deposited
• Mailing out PTP applications, Tax Rebate applications, Charity Tax Rebate applications, and Taxpayer Indemnity Agreements.
• Mailing out customer number letters and rejection letters.
• Reviewing and investigating returned mail.
• Responding to mailed-in correspondence.
• Creating work orders (Service Requests) through tax info, receipt of email, for emails needing to be processed by other business units.
• Performing administrative functions for Pre-Authorized Tax Payment Plans (add, change, cancellations).
• Processing accounting adjustments (refunds and transfer of funds).
• Processing rebates and assessment applications.
• Reviewing received communications (application forms and indemnity agreements) from residents to ensure identical match with property account information on TXM.

Skills and Qualifications

• Graduation from a recognized post-secondary institution, preferably in Business, Public Administration, Finance, Economics, or related field.
• Minimum three (3) years of related experience in a municipal or other public sector environment.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills with an ability to manage multiple projects and priorities, under pressing deadlines, are essential.
• Microsoft Office application skills required.
• Excellent research and written skills, including reading and interpreting legislation, regulations, and policies/standards required.
• Strong interpersonal, presentation, and training skills required.
• Ability to work as part of a team with a demonstrated ability to collaborate and work in consultation with internal staff as well as external groups, agencies, corporations, and Members of Council.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Must have strong organizational, problem solving and decision making skills. 
• The role requires business and political acumen when collaborating with internal staff and external groups.
• Staying informed of all regulations and legal requirements that may influence financial policy, projects, and initiatives.