The purpose of this position is to supervise daily operations of multi-functional, unionized Customer Care Center in support of Southern Company Gas regulated utility, Nicor Gas. The Supervisor in this role is responsible for achieving and maintaining operational efficiency within the Customer Experience (CX) organization. The Supervisor is also responsible for all customer contacts and responds to service requests; questions, complaints, billing and general inquiries; and is responsible for providing service delivery with the highest degree of courtesy and professionalism to resolve customer issues with one call resolution.
The incumbent is responsible for a high volume, fast paced, and multi-tasking environment of inbound customer contacts (commercial and residential) via telephone, online, fax, and email and serves a customer population of more than 2 million. The Supervisor also provides support and leadership to contracted providers of inbound call handling. Their responsibilities also include ensuring compliance with applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and ordinances; meeting and measuring key performance indicators, internal and regulatory service levels, and labor relations. Their responsibilities also include direct supervision, development, coaching and mentoring of hourly employees. They maintain overall responsibility for 20-25 direct reports within a 24X7 operation of the Customer Care Center handling emergency and escalated calls from internal and external customers, 911, Field Operations, Resource Management, Southern Company leadership, etc. The Supervisor role maintains on-call responsibilities throughout the day and after hours to address unforeseen issues or concerns related to callouts, inclement weather, disaster recovery, gas outages, system/technical issues, etc. in a quick manner. The Supervisor must be able to make sound judgement and decisions in a swift manner while assessing the impacts and risks to the overall operations. The Supervisor in this role must be able to clearly communicate both written and verbally along with present information timely to stakeholders. Additionally, Supervisors are responsible for budget compliance and workforce administration within budget.
The Supervisor consistently partners with CC leadership and other stakeholders for ongoing business continuity planning such as contingency support from other markets/areas, interflow support between the contact centers, etc.
This position requires the incumbent to be onsite at our Naperville, IL location.
Functional Expertise:
• Monitor and measure operational performance against established goals and metrics (service level, productivity, quality)
• Respond to customer inquiries in accordance with established service level agreements within assigned operational companies (respond to marketer emails)
• Communicate and administer policy and procedure and ensures compliance within work team
• Maintain regulatory compliance (intra-company and extra-company accountability)
• Supervise employee activity (work management, delegation) to ensure attainment of work goals
• Identify, respond to, and resolve service disruptions (vendor, systems, process)
• Provide resolution to customer issues through direct contact or guidance to subordinates
• Collaborate with training department to document workflow and processes (intra-company and extra-company accountability)
• Adhere to established policy, procedure and quality standards within service standards or metrics for work performed
• Track related work activity for business process reporting & workload management
Business Acumen:
• Develop and manage operation plan including contingency planning for core activities within assigned area of responsibility (based on strategic objectives)
• Align work processes in compliance with customer care policy and processes (customer contact handling, staffing and retention, workforce management, employee relations)
• Influence business decisions through root cause analysis, process validation, best practice research, and timely communication
• Implement best practices to improve the customer experience
• Analyze and interpret business data and information
Engagement:
• Accountable for staff selection, development and retention for employee groups
• Leads monthly meetings with peer groups and upper management to discuss trends and performance in the customer experience functions
• Lead monthly communication forums within employee group to ensure information exchange and participation in decision making processes
• Leads morale building activities
• Manage peer relationships
Driving Results:
• Accountable for employee performance management, employee development and coaching
• Drive self-serve migration and other Customer Care Center strategic initiatives
• Monitor and evaluate verbal, written, and system skills of employees
• Develop action plans for the business and operation needs of the organization
• Develop training baseline for employee group
• Responsible for driving results, setting expectations, prioritizing work, evaluating results and taking corrective action as needed
• Must meet KPI and service level targets on a consistent basis
Qualifications
Education, Certifications/Licenses:
Required:
• High School Diploma or GED
Preferred:
• BA/BS degree
Related Work Experience:
Required:
• 2 years leadership or supervisory experience
Preferred:
• 2-3 years utility experience
• 3-5 years customer care leadership experience
• Project management experience
Or Equivalent academic education and work experience
Specific Skills & Knowledge:
Required:
• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Interpersonal
• Planning and organization
• Time and task management
• Analytical
• Proficient in Microsoft Office products
• Proven decision-making skills
Preferred:
• Strong technical acumen
• Understanding of Customer Care Center to include staffing, scheduling and daily management of resources to balance Service Level objectives across multiple channels
• 2-3 years utility experience
• Ability to successfully manage teams in remote locations
• Bilingual is a plus
Working Conditions/Physical Requirements:
Some business travel (5 – 20% travel): The incumbent will be required to travel to the various company sites and to conferences and meetings. Trips may require air travel and/or overnight stay from home for one or more nights
Disclaimer:
This information describes the general nature and level of work performed by employees in this job. The description is not designed to be a comprehensive inventory of duties, responsibilities and qualifications required in the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to qualified disabled individuals for performance of essential duties and responsibilities.
About Southern Company Gas
Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America’s premier energy company. Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.2 million natural gas utility customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states and approximately 600,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas. Other nonutility businesses include investments in interstate pipelines and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit southerncompanygas.com .
Southern Company (NYSE: SO ) is a leading energy provider serving 9 million customers across the Southeast and beyond through its family of companies. Providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy with excellent service is our mission. The company has electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy solutions provider with national capabilities, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, resilience and sustainability, we are taking action to meet customers' and communities' needs while advancing our goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and are the key to our sustained success. We are transforming energy into economic, environmental and social progress for tomorrow. Our corporate culture has been recognized by a variety of organizations, earning the company awards and recognitions that reflect Our Values and dedication to service. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com .
Southern Company invests in the well-being of its employees and their families through a comprehensive total rewards strategy that includes competitive base salary, annual incentive awards for eligible employees and health, welfare and retirement benefits designed to support physical, financial, and emotional/social well-being. This position may also be eligible for additional compensation, such as an incentive program, with the amount of any bonus/awards subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable incentive plan(s). A summary of the benefits offered for this position can be found here https://seo.nlx.org/southernco/pdf/SOCO-Benefits.pdf . Additional and specific details about total compensation and benefits will also be provided during the hiring process.
Southern Company is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant's qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.
Job Identification: 18181
Job Category: Customer Service
Job Schedule: Full time
Company: Nicor Gas
Pay Range: $77,258.00 - $121,405.90 USD Annually: Base salary varies depending on a wide array of factors, which may include but are not limited to the specific office location, role, skill set, and level of experience. As required by local law, and at the time of this posting, this is the reasonable salary range for this role.
