311 Customer Service Specialist

311 Customer Service Specialist

The City of Rochester invites applications for the position of: 311 Customer Service Specialist. The City of Rochester is committed to a community where all members feel a sense of belonging. We commit to recognizing the diversity of our community members, listening to ALL voices and providing equitable services to create an inclusive place to live, play and work. We believe EQUITY should be at the center of all our work. We strive to represent our community in our teammates, as we know that diverse and inclusive teams are more innovative, and have an empowering impact on the work, progress and culture of our community. It takes us all working together.

Nature of Work: The 311 Customer Service Specialist provides comprehensive customer service by responding to community member/customer requests. This position requires the ability to manage emotionally charged and highly confrontational situations with professionalism, empathy, and composure. Under the general supervision of the 311 Customer Service Supervisor, this position applies customer service and public relations skills; provides direct service to 311 callers and online/digital inquiries by connecting them to City services, functions, and general information; serves and assists customers and others who interact with the City of Rochester. Performs moderately complex clerical support work that requires knowledge of laws and regulations affecting city-wide departmental operations. Typical duties include but are not limited to performing routine accounting or payroll tasks; entering and manipulating data in computerized systems; maintaining a records retention system for the department; and providing administrative support to multiple City departments.

2026 Starting Rate of Pay $30.58 per hour with advancement to $38.41 per hour.

Duties and Responsibilities

*Provides customer service to community members and others who interact with the City of Rochester:

• Provides customer service assistance to community members, customers, and others who contact City facilities.
• Receives and evaluates internal/external customer calls requesting information or services for all City Departments.
• Monitors and responds to 311 incoming phone calls, email and online inquiries.
• Identifies the type of service being requested by listening, asking questions, evaluating information, consulting available resources and standard operating procedures.
• Provides solution-oriented service accordingly and/or connects to the proper City department via an attended transfer.
• Serves as an informational resource to community members and customers while sharing knowledge about City services, products, functions, and general information.
• Assists community members and customers by problem solving to meet the customer's needs.
• Logs every interaction in the Customer Relations Management (CRM) tool using the provided guidelines for the required demographic and situational details.

*Coordinates with and provides support for City departments:

• Provide City departments with education and information to assist with 311-related problem solving and issue resolution.
• Follows department-specific procedures to create tickets/service requests in the CRM tool.
• Provides clerical support for the City and assists with special projects as assigned.
• Schedule a wide variety of meetings, seminars, training sessions, and other agency events; maintain calendar activities.
• Provide support to agency leadership for written and verbal correspondence and/or communication. Take, transcribe, and/or distribute meeting minutes as needed.
• Process, sort, and file correspondence, documents, or other materials in accordance with established procedures.
• Provide support for open houses, public presentations, department events or initiatives as necessary.
• Accounts Payable: prepare, receive, and code invoices; and submit them to the Finance Department for payment processing.
• Prepares periodic reports. Perform other duties as assigned or necessary.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience: An Associate's degree from an accredited program in business, accounting, administrative support or closely related field AND two (2) years of full-time employment experience OR A high school diploma AND five (5) years of full-time employment experience OR An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job may also be considered.

If this work interests you but you are unsure if you meet all the job requirements listed above, please apply anyway! Your experience is likely more applicable to the role than you think, and the City is interested in candidates who can bring not only technical expertise but a variety of lived experience to the team.

Desirable qualifications:

• Experience working with diverse populations.
• Ability to speak a second language.

Additional Information

Physical and Environmental Criteria: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the following represents the physical and environmental demands for this position. The employee must be able to perform the essential functions with or without accommodation. In consideration of the overall amount of physical effort required to perform this position, the work is best described as Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Physical demands that may be required continuously (2/3 or more of the time), frequently (1/3 to 2/3 of the time), and occasionally (up to 1/3 of the time) are noted below:

Continuous demands: sitting, fine dexterity

Frequent demands: standing, walking, reaching

Occasional demands: stooping, kneeling, crouching, bending

Sensory requirements necessary in the performance of the essential functions of this position include: sight, hearing, touch.

Environmental conditions that may exist in the performance of the essential functions of this job include: NONE

Employee Benefit and Retirement Summary: 01 The following supplemental information may be used as a scored evaluation of your knowledge, skills and experience. Be certain that the choices you make correspond to the information you have provided in your application and resume. By completing this supplemental questionnaire you are attesting that the information you have provided is true and accurate. Any information provided may be reviewed by the hiring manager. Any misstatements or falsification of information will eliminate you from consideration or may result in dismissal. Do you understand and agree with this statement?

02 What is your preferred name? 03 Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B visa status)? 04 Have you worked for the City of Rochester or another government agency? 05 Tell us how your professional, educational and lived experiences would help you be successful in this role. 06 Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed? 07 How many years of experience do you have providing customer service? 08 Which of the following best describes your years of full-time equivalent employment experience providing professional level customer service in a high-volume call center environment? 09 Which best describes the daily volume of customer calls you handle in your current or previous customer service position(s): 10 Please select all of the types of customer service work you have experience with. 11 Which of the following software programs are you at proficient in using (select all that apply): 12 Which of the following best describes your years of full-time equivalent employment experience with accounts payable and accounts receivable? 13 Does your accounting experience include any of the following? (Select all that apply) 14 How many languages are you able to understand and speak other than English? Note: Generally, this does not include taking a language course(s) in a school setting. Answering "yes" indicates that you can fluently communicate in a language other than English. 15 Conditions of Employment: If selected as a finalist, are you willing to undergo a background investigation which may include, but not limited to: verification of employment and educational records, identification verification, driver's license record and a criminal history?

Required Question Employer: City of Rochester, Address: 201 4th Street SE, Rochester, Minnesota, 55904, Phone: (507) 328-2555, Website: https://www.rochestermn.gov/employment