Sarah Williams

I began working for Faneuil as a level 1 customer service agent for a private water and gas utility. Within a year I moved to a team lead position. I also advanced to a specialist position that focused on assisting our customers with investigating the cause of high bills. Often these were caused by leaks, but not always. This position involved sometimes required in depth research, review of historical data, judgement on what reports were necessary and when they were appropriate, as well as calculating appropriate courtesy credits and submitting them for approval on behalf of customers as per the company guidelines. This position was only available to a select few with strong analytical skills, a track record of high quality, and the ability to work with very little oversight. I have recently moved to a completely different department as a utility emergency dispatcher where I communicate with customer service representatives, customers, and the techs who perform the work orders.

My personality allowed me to become a dynamic collections representative due to my knowledge, professionalism, and empathy. The experience I gained in collections allowed me to refine my ability to deal with difficult situations and upset customers, while still getting a positive result for the customer and the company by the end of the interaction. I was progressively promoted to teams of increasing delinquency and, as a result, difficulty in both the complexity of issues that were presented and need for social acumen.

I started as internal support for the collections process, reviewing accounts for the purpose of stopping service due to nonpayment. I moved on to a more challenging position at the local office that gave me the responsibility of reviewing, approving, and inputting credits submitted by the customer service representatives.