Agent du service à la clientèle - City of Ottawa, Ottawa

About the role

The mandate of ServiceOttawa is to improve outcomes for Ottawa residents and businesses when accessing municipal services by providing a consistent and positive customer experience across multiple channels while prioritizing service excellence. Counter Services meets community needs by delivering optimal client services through a centralized one-stop window approach. Counter Services consists of seven client service centres and three provincial offences offices offering diverse services such as pet registrations, marriage solemnization, payment processing, and provincial court services. Counter Services handles over 250,000 requests and manages revenues exceeding 190 million dollars annually for the City.

The incumbent provides clients with information and services pertaining to a wide range of municipal and provincial services, programs, policies, procedures, permits, and fee schedules within a team of agents at the Service Ottawa Centre. Continuity of service is ensured by responding to inquiries and urgent requests from the public, elected officials, internal staff, and other government agencies through various platforms—primarily in person, as well as electronically/web, email, and telephone—in the most efficient and professional manner possible. This role minimizes referrals and transfers to other specialists and ensures follow-up when applicable, operating in accordance with City, Service, and Branch policies, procedures, standards, guidelines, and applicable laws and regulations.

Key duties

• Provide information and services regarding a vast array of municipal and provincial services, programs, policies, procedures, permits, and fee schedules.
• Respond to routine and urgent inquiries from the public, elected officials, internal staff, and external government agencies via in-person, electronic, web, email, and telephone channels.
• Minimize referrals and transfers to other specialists where possible and ensure appropriate follow-up.
• Execute duties in compliance with City, Service, and Branch policies, procedures, standards, guidelines, and applicable laws and regulations while meeting performance and quality assurance standards.
• Determine the appropriate course of action to resolve parking ticket infractions in accordance with the policy and procedures of the first-appearance establishment and established branch service standards.

Skills and experience

• Possess a secondary school (grade 12) diploma.
• Possess at least 3 years of relevant experience gained in a customer service environment providing services to the public in person, by telephone, in writing, and electronically within a multi-service context, such as a call centre or service counter.
• Knowledge of customer service delivery mechanics, practices, and strategies aimed at resolving customer complaints.
• Familiarity with MS Office, Internet/Intranet, and job-specific programs including ICON, IP360, Dynamics, Liberty Recording System, LAGAN, Knowledge BASE, Ottawa.ca, MAP, ITX, VTAX, H2O, ACTIVENet, PRESTO, SAP, and VSTATS.
• Ability to apply and interpret provincial laws and regulations along with City policies and procedures, plus knowledge of relevant health and safety legislation including worker rights and obligations.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills combined with excellent customer service abilities during busy periods, stressful situations, or emergencies.
• Superior writing skills to draft professional, clear, and concise written responses to inquiries.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to multitask, prioritize, and work both autonomously and within a team.
• Exemplary attendance, punctuality, reliability, flexibility, and adaptability for handling varied situations.

Perks and benefits

This position operates under the CUPE 503 - In/Out/NS Sal & Wage affiliation with a 35-hour work week. Initially, employees may receive 95 percent of their starting rate of pay in accordance with the collective agreement. The City of Ottawa promotes diversity and inclusion, offering workplace accommodations upon request throughout the hiring process.