Supv, Consumer Relations at Southern Company in Atlanta, GA

Job Summary

The Consumer Relations Supervisor plays a crucial role in upholding SouthStar Energy's customer experience goals. Leading a team of Consumer Relations Specialists, the Supervisor ensures the efficient resolution of escalated customer inquiries, complaints, and feedback across various service channels.

The Supervisor manages customer escalations across multiple jurisdictions, regulatory bodies, consumer advocacy groups, and Company executives through diverse communication channels. They identify feedback trends aimed at enhancing the customer experience and ensuring regulatory compliance. Acting as a bridge between customers and the Company, the Supervisor is committed to addressing all customer complaints and concerns promptly and effectively.

Job Responsibilities & Accountabilities by Competency

Functional Expertise:

Oversee the precision and efficiency of customer inquiry responses, ensuring adherence to established service level requirements across multiple channels (phone, email, letter, call center, social media, LDCs).
Guarantee that all service level requirements for various regulatory channel complaints are consistently met and surpassed.
Uphold a premium, white-glove experience for customers and internal stakeholders throughout the resolution process, keeping them informed about progress and expected resolutions.
Manage the workload effectively for SSE B2B and Mass markets customer support.
Provide insightful feedback to department leadership on recurring customer issues and maintain comprehensive reports for deeper analysis.
Ensure 100% compliance for the Consumer Relations team with business rules, regulatory requirements (including state and federal rules across multiple jurisdictions), and all applicable retail business segment's Terms and Conditions of Service.

Business Acumen:

Ensure that the Consumer Relations team aligns seamlessly with the strategic goals and objectives of SSE.
Demonstrate expertise in regulatory requirements across all jurisdictions and adapt to any related changes.
Provide critical customer complaint insights to department leadership for enhancing customer service.
Monitor and meticulously report customer complaint insights to department leadership on a weekly and monthly basis.
Oversee customer interactions to ensure strict compliance with company policies and standards.

Engagement:

Collaborate with department leadership and other business areas to support customer issues related to internal operations and vendor applications.
Supervise, performance manage, and lead a team of Consumer Relations Analysts, SMEs, and Team Leads. Provide training, guidance, and support to ensure high performance and professional development. Conduct regular team meetings and performance reviews.
Act as a liaison between the Consumer Relations team and other departments within the company to ensure smooth communication and coordination.
Coordinate effectively and timely with Regulatory, Legal, and other business areas to resolve customer issues and deliver high standards of customer retention.

Driving Results:

Identify and report trends in customer inquiries and feedback across various customer segments and communication channels, collaborating with internal stakeholders to address customer needs effectively.
Ensure compliance for self and the Consumer Relations team with all required regulatory training.
Adopt a hands-on approach with department workload and complaint management processes.
Manage escalated customer complaints from state regulatory channels or the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
Continuously evaluate and improve the escalation process, crafting and presenting strategies to department leadership to minimize future customer issues, complaints, and escalations.
Develop and meticulously manage the Consumer Relations team's KPIs, ensuring they are directly aligned with enhancing the customer experience.

Qualifications

Education, Certifications/Licenses:

Required: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

Related Work Experience:

A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience.
Proven experience in consumer services or a B2C-related industry.
Demonstrated experience in leading and managing a customer-facing team.
Preferred: Over 3 years of management experience in a call center environment.
Preferred: Previous experience in the retail energy industry.

Specific Skills & Knowledge:

Proficiency in conducting trend analysis and data interpretation.
Superior analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Expertise in Microsoft Office applications.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage positively and professionally with customers, colleagues, employees, and vendors.
Strong organizational and people management capabilities.
Ability to effectively coordinate and manage continuous change.
Demonstrated ability to quickly learn and thrive in a highly dynamic, multitasking environment.

Working Conditions/Physical Requirements:

Position occasionally requires prolonged standing or walking.
The role sometimes necessitates reaching above shoulder level.
The position occasionally involves bending, kneeling, crouching, or crawling.
The role requires the ability to lift up to 10 pounds.
The incumbent operates within an office environment for 4 days and working remotely for 1 day, subject to future changes.

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 responsibilities47.