Administrative Assistant

General Duties
* Conduct in-person and telephone interviews and review written submissions from utility customers for the purpose of initiating a complaint investigation against a utility service provider or responding to a customer's question about their utility service, Department policies and programs, or NYS laws, rules, and regulations regarding utility service.
* Gather and record information required to respond to a customer complaint or inquiry using a customer relationship management system; identify errors in billing, rates, timeliness, and adequacy of service or improper practices; and instruct the service provider to produce information and records and take appropriate action.
* Advocate for customers who may need assistance paying bills and negotiating deferred payment arrangements.
* Negotiate and mediate the resolution of disputes between utility providers and customers.
* Communicate with customers to inform them of the determination of the complaint investigation and advise them of what further steps may be taken to pursue their case.
* Correspond with utility customers by mail, email and phone to acknowledge receipt of their complaint and to convey information requests about and decisions of their complaint.

Minimum Skills and Qualifications
* These tasks can be addressed by administrative assistants with some ability to understand and interpret New York State statutes and regulations.
* Strong interpersonal and oral and written communication skills.
* Basic computer skills including data entry and use of the Microsoft Office suite.
* High School Diploma or equivalent.

Desired Skills and Qualifications
* Experience investigating customer inquiries and complaints as a customer service representative or responding to customer inquiries in a call center environment.
* Experience conducting investigations involving energy, telecommunications, or water service.
* Experience using a customer relationship management system.
* College degree (Associates or Bachelors).