Call Center Representative, DCSS

THIS IS A REOPENING OF AN EXISTING EXAMINATION.   The scores and dispositions of candidates for this examination will be merged with previous exam participants.  If you are currently on the list and you choose to reapply you will forfeit your current rank and score.  Your new score/disposition will replace your current score and rank.  In order to do this please contact the examination analyst to have your previous application released back to you at samson.gee@acgov.org .  This list may be canceled at any time without notice to candidates.  Please contact human resources if you would like additional information. 

QUALIFIED BILINGUAL PERSONS WHO SPEAK ENGLISH AND ARE ALSO FLUENT IN SPANISH, CHINESE, VIETNAMESE, CAMBODIAN, LAOTIAN, KOREAN, MIEN, TAGALOG, AMHARIC, FARSI, DARI, TIGRIGNA, RUSSIAN, ROMANIAN OR SIGN LANGUAGE ARE ESPECIALLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.  THERE IS AN ADDITIONAL BI WEEKLY COMPENSATION FOR PERSONS IN POSITIONS DESIGNATED BILINGUAL.  Qualified candidates may be tested to demonstrate language proficiency.

Bilingual Spanish-Speaking Option

Those candidates who successfully pass the examination components above and who are looking to establish bilingual pay, must take an additional examination to establish that they have the ability to speak, read and write in Spanish at a level suitable for this position.  Dates of such examinations are to be determined.

Special Requirement: Typing Certificate
A typing certificate with a net typing speed of 40 net words per minute from a temporary agency, employment agency, or community college, printed on original letterhead with the address and phone number of the agency or college must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the last day for filing, Monday, November 4, 2013. 

The typing certificate must be dated within six (6) months of the last day of filing.  The certificate can either be scanned and attached/uploaded to your on-line application (under the resume tab), or emailed to samson.gee@acgov.org. This certificate must be received in our office by the last day for filing, Monday, November 4, 2013.  On-line typing certificates and postmarks will not be accepted.  Failure to submit a typing certificate will result in disqualification.

About The County:
Alameda County, located on the east side of San Francisco Bay, is California’s seventh-largest county.  The County employs 9,080 full-time employees and operates on an annual budget of $2.39 billion.  Oakland, the County seat, is California’s eighth largest city.  One and a half million people call Alameda County home and live in a variety of incorporated cities, unincorporated communities and rural areas.  As a major urban county, Alameda provides a full range of services to its citizens.  The County is a blend of culturally and ethnically diverse communities, and its mixture of cosmopolitan and suburban areas provides the perfect environment for families and their active lifestyles.  The County offers extensive cultural resources, countless recreational opportunities and an array of fine public and private colleges and universities.

The Agency:
The Mission of the Alameda County Department of Child Support Services is to establish paternity, and medical and child support orders and to collect child and spousal support payments in an efficient and cost effective manner while maintaining the respect and dignity of the public we serve.

Any custodial or non-custodial party may request that the Alameda County Department of Child Support Services aid in collecting their court ordered support. Members of the public are eligible for services regardless of whether or not they are receiving public assistance. The Department maintains court calendars at the Hayward and Alameda Court locations.   

The Department has approximately 240 employees consisting of clerical support, call center support, paraprofessional, legal professional, technical, management and administrative staff.  The Department is organized into functional silos: Administration and IT, Court Support, Attorney Team, Pre Order Services, Post Order Services, Client Services, and Office Support.

The Department is located within the Hacienda Business Park in Pleasanton, CA and services the entire Alameda County area.

The Position:
Under direct supervision, provide customer service in a call center environment. This includes greeting customers, establishing rapport, projecting a professional tone, looking up case information in various computer databases and answering questions based on that information. Incumbents record pertinent information in the computer system resulting from the call and complete other related work as assigned.

These positions are located in the Alameda County Department of Child Support Services (ACDCSS) and are supervised by a Call Center Supervisor. Positions allocated to this class series differ from other classifications in that the primary functions of this position are to provide customer service in a call center environment and perform limited clerical or administrative functions, whereas the Child Support Assistant series is primarily involved in clerical and administrative support and requires a wider range of knowledge.

The Ideal Candidate:
In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated below, the Call Center Representative, DCSS will posses the following critical attributes:

• Work under pressure in a high volume call center environment
• Use a multi-line, call center, phone system
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, peers, other agencies, and the public
• Maintain confidentiality
• Prioritize calls to meet individual and team goals
• Evaluate and control problematic situations and offer solutions
• Diffuse hostile client callers
• Listen, understand, follow and communicate oral and written directions and apply them effectively in a variety of situations
• Use sound judgment when evaluating a wide variety of information. Identify alternatives from diverse sources and choose the best solution from several options, then initiate appropriate actions within prescribed guidelines
• Effectively communicate verbally while using excellent telephone etiquette skills
• Effectively communicate in writing; including accurate spelling, proper grammar, punctuation, and correct vocabulary

Education:

Graduation from high school, or possession of a certificate of proficiency issued by the California State Board of Education, or possession of a G.E.D. certificate

AND
Experience:
Either I

The equivalent of six months of full time experience in the class of Clerk I or in an equivalent or higher level-clerical class in Alameda County classified service (Non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts). This experience must have been in a position in which the majority of duties involved direct customer service to the public, either in person or over the phone.

Or II

The equivalent of one year of full time experience in a call center position

Or III
Experience:

Any combination of training, education and experience that will provide the knowledges and abilities listed below.

Special Requirements:

Must be able to type at a minimum of 40 words per minute from clear copy

A typing certificate with a net typing speed of 40 net words per minute from a temporary agency, employment agency, or community college, printed on original letterhead with the address and phone number of the agency or college must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the last day for filing, Monday, November 4, 2013.  The typing certificate must be dated within six (6) months of the last day of filing.  The certificate can either be scanned and attached/uploaded to your on-line application (under the resume tab), or emailed to samson.gee@acgov.org. This certificate must be received in our office by the last day for filing, Monday, November 4, 2013.  On-line typing certificates and postmarks will not be accepted.  Failure to submit a typing certificate will result in disqualification.

A thorough background investigation, including fingerprinting will be conducted of all candidates who have accepted a conditional offer of employment to ensure they are suitable for Child Support related work. A felony conviction will be disqualifying

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

Knowledge of:

• Modern office practices and procedures including the use of standard computer programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Business arithmetic
• Laws, regulations, and codes governing the access to, and use of, confidential information and legal documents
• Legal terminology applicable to child support documents
• Techniques and practices for dealing with individuals from various social-economic and ethnic groups, in person, via telephone, and through correspondence (including stressful contacts with irate and hostile individuals)


Ability to:

• Work under pressure in a high volume call center environment
• Use a multi-line, call center, phone system
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, peers, other agencies, and the public
• Maintain confidentiality
• Learn specific operations and procedures of job
• Contribute to the overall team effort to meet and exceed call center performance goals (this includes quantitative and qualitative goals which are set by the department)
• Prioritize calls to meet individual and team goals
• Respond to customer inquiries within established turnaround times
• Evaluate and control problematic situations and offer solutions
• Diffuse hostile client callers
• Listen, understand, follow and communicate oral and written directions and apply them effectively in a variety of situations
• Use sound judgment when evaluating a wide variety of information. Identify alternatives from diverse sources and choose the best solution from several options, then initiate appropriate actions within prescribed guidelines
• Respond to a constant influx of telephone calls
• Effectively communicate verbally while using excellent telephone etiquette skills
• Effectively communicate in writing; including accurate spelling, proper grammar, punctuation, and correct vocabulary

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF the following steps: 1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements and submission of a typing certificate that shows a net typing speed of 40 wpm. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process. 2) A written test which will be weighted as 50% of the candidate's final examination score. Those candidates scoring highest on the written test will move on to the next step in the examination process. 3) An oral interview which will be weighted as 50% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.  CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.  We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit.  Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position.  Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position.  Other recruitments many be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.   To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Applicants will be informed via e-mail with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

  

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN:

Deadline for Filing: Review of Minimum Qualifications: Written Exam: Oral Interviews:	5:00 pm, Monday, November 4 , 2013  November 8, 2013 TBD TBD

 

*WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN*

 

The Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination process to accommodate qualified individuals with mental and physical disabilities, and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and Alameda County Resolution No. R-83-773.  To request an accommodation due to a disability during this or other phases of the selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement before the final filing deadline. Alameda County Human Resources Services will require documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a permanent disability pursuant to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's statute of the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, as amended, and/or the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) Act.

 

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

• Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
• Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
• Vision
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
• County Allowance
• Health Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
• Long Term Care Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Group Auto/Home
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

**Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

 

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the bulletin for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Sam Gee
Personnel Services Manager
Human Resource Services Division-County of Alameda
510-267-9492
www.acgov.org