Manager, Customer Experience

Manager, Customer Experience

Description

JOB SUMMARY:

The purpose of this position is to oversee and manage all SouthStar Energy's customer service vendors' operations supporting over 550,000 customers across 13 LDC's. Various management oversight and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, inbound and outbound sales and customer care calls, messaging, order processing, as well as inbound and outbound correspondence, and email and third-party verification. Additionally, the incumbent will manager SLA's, IVR scripting and call flows, training, forecasting, PCI compliance, business continuity, disaster recovery. The incumbent will also govern each vendor for compliance with policy, procedures, service level performance and contractual obligations.

The incumbent will monitor, evaluate, and manage vendor functions, vendor responses to the functions and work with the vendors to identify and implement improvements to customer service delivery and operational and regulatory compliance. In this position, the incumbent will act as an advocate for the customer and contact center vendors within SouthStar Energy and as an advocate for the customer and SouthStar Energy within the vendors' operations.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES BY COMPETENCY

Functional Expertise:

• Develop and manage the business relationships with various vendors. Share information and maintain communication across multiple channels to ensure vendors remain focused on mutual goals, planning, and investing in order to meet SouthStar's growing needs, ensuring they have scalability to support SouthStar's changing business needs.
• Provide customer support on behalf of SouthStar Energy through internal operations and large and small scale inbound and outbound outsource providers operating in multiple locations.
• Assist in developing and directing SouthStar's strategies, tactics, objectives and initiatives.
• Develop and direct SouthStar's policies and procedures related to customer service delivery by vendor partners.
• Participate in the requirements, design and testing phases of system projects related to or impacting customer service delivery within the organization and various vendors acting as the business or operations owner.
• Ensure that vendor operations are compliant with business rules, regulatory requirements (including state and federal rules) and the SouthStars' Terms and Conditions of Service.
• Carry out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with SouthStar's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

Business Acumen:

• Ensure that contact center operations effectively support SouthStar's goals and objectives.
• Maintain knowledge of regulatory requirements and changes.
• Maintain an advanced working knowledge of business and operations.
• Track and report expenses related to vendors' services and internal operations.
• Provide regular inputs for Customer Operations business and budget planning.
• Track and effectively report results across all levels of the organization.

Engagement:

• Partner with managers and business units to direct the long and short-term planning for issues surrounding internal operations and vendors to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.
• Coordinate with marketing and pricing teams to develop campaigns and segmentation strategies that are attractive to profitable customers.
• Monitor call quality, including adherence with scripting, and provide feedback to all internal stakeholders.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders and manage change within the contact centers.
• Be the voice of the customer within SouthStar Energy and vendors' organizations.
• Be the voice of the vendor within SouthStar Energy and the voice of SouthStar Energy within the vendors' organizations.

Driving Results:

• Track, report and analyze daily, weekly, monthly and yearly operational statistics.
• Create and execute improvement plans based on operational data analysis.
• Identify customer inquiry and feedback trends across various customer segments and work with internal stakeholders to ensure customer needs are addressed.
• Work with internal and external clients to create new programs, improve current programs, and discontinue underperforming programs and vendors.
• Assist in monitoring the overall profitability of various programs and vendors to maximize the effectiveness of Retail Segment dollars.
• Coordinate and report call forecasting inputs from various internal departments to ensure accurate call forecasts are developed in support of SouthStar's efforts.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education, Certifications/Licenses:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Related Work Experience:

Required:

• 8 years of applicable experience

Preferred:

• 5 years of management experience in a call center environment.
• Past experience in consumer services, or B2C related industry is required.
• Past experience in leading and managing a customer-facing team.
• Previous experience in a retail energy industry.
• Past experience managing large-scale BPO agreements incorporating multi-towered services.

Specific Skills & Knowledge:

Required:

• Ability to conduct trending and data analysis.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Microsoft Office proficiency.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills. Ability to communicate in a positive and professional manner with customers, co-workers, employees and vendors.
• Strong organizational and problem resolution skills.
• Ability to coordinate and manage multiple tasks effectively.
• Minimal supervision is required. Must be able to demonstrate working independently yet operating effectively as a team player.

Preferred:

• Operational knowledge of the deregulated natural gas market in Georgia

Working Conditions/Physical Requirements:

• This position requires occasional travel (5-20% travel). Trips may require air travel and/or overnight stay away from home for one or more nights.
• This position occasionally requires prolonged standing or walking.
• This position occasionally requires incumbent to reach above shoulder level.
• The position occasionally requires incumbent to bend, kneel, crouch or crawl.
• This position requires the ability to lift up to 10 pounds.
• The incumbent works in an office environment.

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.

Southern Company Gas provides for the energy needs of millions of U.S. households and businesses. As the largest natural gas-only distribution company in the United States, with more than 150 years of history behind us, we're working to ensure that Americans have access to an abundant, safely delivered supply of natural gas for decades to come. We offer our customers a wide range of energy services under one umbrella: seven regulated utilities as well as non-regulated businesses that offer retail, wholesale and storage services.

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is America's premier energy company, with 46,000 megawatts of generating capacity and 1,500 billion cubic feet of combined natural gas consumption and throughput volume serving 9 million customers through its subsidiaries . The company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric operating companies in four states, natural gas distribution companies in seven states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale customers across America and a nationally recognized provider of customized energy solutions, as well as fiber optics and wireless communications . Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and affordable prices that are below the national average. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, Southern Company and its subsidiaries are inventing America's energy future by developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency, and creating new products and services for the benefit of customers. Southern Company has been named by the U.S. Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military employer, recognized among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by DiversityInc, listed by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the 40 Best Companies for Diversity and designated a Top Employer for Hispanics by Hispanic Network. The company has earned a National Award of Nuclear Science and History from the National Atomic Museum Foundation for its leadership and commitment to nuclear development and is continually ranked among the top energy companies in Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas Utility rankings. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.

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 Type: Standard

Primary Location: Georgia-Metro Atlanta-Atlanta

Operating Company: SouthStar Energy Services

Job Type: Standard

Travel (Up to): Yes, 25 % of the Time

Work Location(s):

Southern Company Headquarters - 30 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd. NW (30ATLANTA)

30 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd. NW

Atlanta, 30308

Req ID: SES2000003