Customer Services Representative, Department of Child Support Ser

THE AGENCY

Alameda County Department of Child Support Services (ACCSS) believes that all parents should be fully engaged in supporting the wellbeing of their children. To meet our Vision, ACCSS is committed to serving the children and families of Alameda County in ways that are innovative, responsive, efficient, compassionate and in tune with the rich diversity of our community.

Our customers are mothers, fathers, caregivers, children, community partners and the residents of Alameda County. ACCSS’s core business is to provide assistance to families through establishment of parentage, the establishment of child support orders for monetary and medical support, and through the enforcement of child support orders. To carry out this Mission, our employees are dedicated and talented people who leverage their skills and passion for public service to meet customer needs. Through coordinated efforts and collaboration with community partners, ACCSS collects and distributes important child support, enhancing self-efficiency and the well-being of families throughout Alameda County.

Alameda Child Support Services’ culture and business operations are shaped by the following key principles:

• Family Focused: Partner with families to eliminate barriers to providing reliable child support to their children.
• Dynamic Workforce: Attract, retain, and develop a highly skilled and engaged workforce.
• Operational Excellence: Focus on the highest level of performance and efficiency in our service delivery.
• Innovation: Meet the needs of families through creative solutions.
• Collaboration: Partner with the community to create an ecosystem of support services.

For more information about Alameda County Child Support Services click HERE.  

For more information about the State of CA Child Support, click HERE.

THE POSITION
Customer Service Representatives provide first line customer service in an inbound/outbound customer contact center; initiate and respond to inquiries utilizing available information, resources, and programmatic knowledge through a variety of communication channels, including in person, over the phone and through remote; record pertinent information from customer interactions into computer databases; and perform related duties as required.

Click HERE to view the full job description for Customer Service Representative, DCSS.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated below, the ideal candidate will possess the following:

• Shares the Department's core values of providing excellent and efficient service.
• Values teamwork, open to change, resilient, and can adapt and shift priorities.
• Demonstrates sound judgment and thrives in a high-volume customer service environment.
• Is goal oriented, self-motivated, and can work independently.
• Quickly learns and applies new policies and procedures on the job.

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 the Alameda County classified service   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 or customer contact environment including experience with online, chat, and social media.              

Or III

Experience:  

Any combination of training, education and experience which would provide an applicant with the required knowledge, skills and abilities listed below.   Substitution:  A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in business management, public administration, or a closed related field may be substituted for six months of the required experience in pattern II above.  

Special Requirements:  

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

A thorough pre-employment background investigation, including fingerprinting will be conducted for all candidates who have accepted a conditional offer of employment to ensure they are suitable for Child Support related work.  Any felony conviction will be disqualifying. Upon employment, subsequent background investigations will be conducted on a periodic basis to determine ongoing suitability for Child Support related work.  

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

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:
Knowledge of:  

• Customer service principles
• Modern office practices and procedures including the use of standard computer programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Familiarity with using social media platforms.
• 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 providing effective customer service to individuals from various social-economic and ethnic groups, in person, via telephone, and through correspondence (including contacts with irate individuals)
• Techniques and practices for effectively managing interactions with disruptive and confrontational people.               

Ability to:  

• Work under pressure in a fast-paced customer contact 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 the job
• Contribute to the overall team effort to meet and exceed team performance goals (this includes quantitative and qualitative goals which are set by the department)
• Prioritize work to meet individual and team goals
• Respond to customer inquiries within established turnaround times
• Evaluate inquires and offer appropriate solutions  
• 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 customer service 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 and typing certificate to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.

2) A review of candidates’ Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best-qualified applicants to continue in the process. Those candidates considered the best qualified will move on to the final step in the examination process.

3) An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% 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 may 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 email 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:

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

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 & Well-Being

• Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees) 
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Group Auto/Home Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• 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.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @jobaps.com, @acgov.org, Noreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org and Noreply@jobaps.com 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 ensure 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 boxes Noreply@jobaps.com and noreplyalamedacountyhr@acgov.org are routed to unmonitored mailboxes. 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 job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Erika Beams, Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services, County of Alameda
Email Address Link: Erika.Beams@acgov.org | Phone: (510) 272-6393 

Disaster Service Worker

All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law.  Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.