Customer Service Specialist II - Vital Statistics Program
- Summary
Public Health's Vital Statistics Program has two positions available for a Customer Service Specialist. This position involves a variety of detailed tasks and functions in support of issuing birth and death certificates. The program is fast-paced, generating a significant volume of work on a daily basis. Customers are engaged face-to-face, by telephone, via mail, as well as through web-based resources. Customer Service Specialists are required to adhere to State and Local regulations, policies, and procedures governing the maintenance, integrity, and release of vital records. Essential to this position is the ability to work in a fast-paced, multifaceted environment while maintaining efficiency and accuracy. The Vital Statistics Program is co-located with the King County Medical Examiner's Office (MEO) and may engage with individuals who may be distraught, upset, and/or grieving.
As the only county in the United States named after Martin Luther King Jr, one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nations' history, King County is a vibrant community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the artistic and social traditions of many cultures. Together, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence.
We continue to build on an enduring legacy of shared values of equity and social justice, employee engagement, innovative thinking and continuous improvement. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda aimed at advancing regional change and is developing the systems and standards necessary to achieve better outcomes for all of our residents, regardless of their race or income. All of these qualities make King County one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
Public Health- Seattle & King County values diverse perspectives and life experiences. The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, and veterans.
WHO MAY APPLY: This position is open to all qualified applicants.
WORK LOCATION: Downtown Seattle, 908 Jefferson Street, and other Public Health locations as needed.
WORK SCHEDULE: The normal work week is Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week. Working hours may be within 8:15 am - 5:15 pm. This position is subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act and is overtime eligible.
CONTACT: If you have questions regarding this job announcement, please contact Angela Brown, HR Analyst, at abrown@kingcounty.gov
APPLICATION PROCESS: The following completed items are required to be considered for this vacancy:- NEOGOV/Government Jobs on-line or paper application.
- Supplemental Questions with complete, thorough answers. Answers that say "see resume" will be considered incomplete
- Please ensure submitted information is current.
Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the required information in the application. If you reference "see resume" on your application it will be considered incomplete. You must completely fill out the application with relevant skills and experience.
SELECTION PROCESS: Applications will be screened to determine whether candidates meet minimum qualifications. Candidates presenting evidence that they meet or exceed the qualifications noted above may be invited to participate in a test, hands-on exercise and/or panel interview process. For more information on our selection process, please refer to www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/jobs/hiring
JOB DUTIES:- Issue and sell birth and death certificates using database systems, point-of-sale technology, microfiche, micro cards, and archived book and ledger records, while ensuring compliance with State and local regulations, policies, and procedures governing those documents.
- Provide customer service by fulfilling orders and responding effectively to customer questions and concerns. Engage in trouble-shooting to respond to inquiries and work to solve problems while ensuring compliance with established policies and procedures. (Note: customers are engaged face-to-face, by telephone, by mail, and via web-based tools.)
- Follow-up with customers when clarification is warranted.
- Assist funeral directors and families with requests for disposition review.
- Process incoming and outgoing mail, addressing quality assurance and ensuring accountability.
- Perform data entry into a variety of logs and spreadsheets.
- Process over the counter and mail order fees using a POS system following established public health cash handling and accounting procedures. Issue receipts, balance checks and cash with orders, and assist in daily register closeout procedures.
- Respond to potentially sensitive and unpredictable situations regarding medical examiner cases and vital statistics customer inquiries. Work effectively with the public utilizing problem-solving skills to manage situations and deal with people who may be distraught, upset, and/or grieving. Diffuse potentially uneasy situations.
EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS:- Demonstrates ability to work effectively with a diverse range of customers, including those who may have limited English proficiency, be distraught, upset and/or grieving.
- Demonstrates experience in delivering prompt, responsive, detailed, respectful customer service.
- Ability to solve problems in a positive, constructive manner and to maintain professionalism with customers and staff.
- Demonstrates ability to handle difficult situations with confidentiality, discretion and diplomacy while protecting private and sensitive client information.
- Demonstrates ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, to a diverse range of customers and staff in a respectful, non-judgmental, culturally sensitive manner.
- Demonstrates a high level attention to details
- Demonstrates ability to work effectively in a stressful, fast-paced work environment with competing demands and frequent interruptions, while adapting to rapidly changing circumstances.
- Demonstrates ability to process a large volume of customer orders, received through various means, while adhering to regulations, policies, and procedures governing the release of those records.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a team or independently.
- Demonstrates ability to adhere to standard office principles and practices, program-specific requirements, and to engage in positive conflict resolution techniques.
- Demonstrates ability to work in a Windows environment and use Microsoft Office products to complete assigned tasks, including: Word, Outlook, Excel, and Access.
- Demonstrated ability to operate other standard office equipment such as computers, copiers, fax, scanners, and multi-line telephones.
- Proficiency in math and basic accounting procedures.
DESIRED SKILLS:- The most competitive candidates will have experience with Vital Statistics regulations and policies and have cash handling experience.
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:- Applicants should be committed to working with diverse populations throughout King County to provide excellent customer service to a broad range of cultures, in accordance with the King County Equity and Social Justice Ordinance and the King County Strategic Plan. This position supports and advances King County's values for fair and culturally competent service delivery, innovative, effective and efficient application of resources, building a culture of performance, and expanding opportunities to seek input, listen and respond to industry and residents.
- This selection process may include but is not limited to: evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, testing and interviewing. For more information on our selection process, please refer to http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/jobs.aspx
- Staff may be required to play a role as a first responder in the event of a Public Health emergency.
NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:- The selected candidate will be required to pass a thorough background investigation.
- Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
- Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time.
UNION AFFILIATION:
This position is represented by PROTEC Local 17.
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage: King County pays 100% of the premiums for eligible employees and family members
- Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
- Retirement: King County employees are eligible to participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
- Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
- 10 paid holidays each year (plus 2 personal holidays)
- Generous vacation and paid sick leave
- Paid parental leave, family and medical leaves, and volunteer leave
- Flexible Spending Account
- Wellness programs
- Onsite gyms and activity centers
- Employee giving program
- Employee assistance programs
- Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
- Training and career development programs
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails. Also, in the event of any incorrect information in this document, applicable laws, policies, rules, CBAs, or official plan documents will prevail.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
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01Do you have experience working in a multifaceted fast-paced environment?
- Yes
- No
02If you answered "yes" to question #1, provide details below, including: the position(s) held; the work environment(s); and, your role(s). If you answered "no" please explain how you would handle working in a fast paced environment?03Do you have experience using Microsoft Office software?- Yes
- No
04If you answered "yes" to question #3, provide details, including: software utilized, types of work performed, and frequency of use. If you answered "no", write NA for your response05Do you have experience in providing genuine and detailed customer service?- Yes
- No
06If you answered "yes" to question #5, please share what your experience has been providing genuine and detailed customer service including: the type of service(s) performed and what made it genuine and detailed, the work environment(s), and your role(s) serving customers. If you answered "no", please share what you think genuine and detailed customer service means and how you would deliver this service.07Do you have experience working with upset or grieving person(s), and/or defusing tense situations?08If you answered "yes" to question #7, please provide details of the experience including: what made them upset, how did you diffuse the situation, what was your role in the situation. If you do not have this experience, please share how you would handle this situation. Please do not list experiences where the solution was issuing a refund.09Do you have the ability to move items weighing up to 20 pounds, and to sit, stand, bend, and stoop frequently during the course of a day?- Yes
- No
10On a scale of one to ten, how detail oriented are you? Can you give an example?11The information provided in your application must support your selected answers in the supplemental questions. The information you provide will be verified and documentation may be required. Please be as honest and accurate as possible. You may be asked to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in a work sample or during an interview. By completing this supplemental questionnaire you are attesting that the information you have provided is accurate. Any misstatements, omissions, or falsification of information may eliminate you from consideration or result in dismissal. "See resume" is not an acceptable answer to the questions.- AGREE
- DISAGREE
Required Question