Modern Apprenticeship – Business Administration (Collections)

Castle Water works together with GP Strategies to provide “Apprenticeship” opportunities across our company. An “Apprenticeship” takes on average 6-18 months to complete. During your working week we will set aside 3 hours for you to work specifically on your apprenticeship, and you will also be required to attend weekly meetings with your GP Strategies appointed assessor.

The Collections Department is central to our activities and provides an opportunity to use a range of relevant skills. The main responsibilities include accurate reporting of customer queries using ServiceNow, our CRM system and responding to customers in a timely manner. Undertaking any administrative Tasks assigned pertaining to customer debt queries, which could include updating customer contact information, any changes to customer’s data, setting up direct debits, processing customer card payments, posting of card transactions on Sage 200, producing mini-statements of accounts and addressing balance and payment queries and negotiating and setting up of payment plans with a strong focus on Customer Service.

Reporting to the Collections Team Leader, the role will collaborate with all areas of the business, requiring an understanding of the wider business as well as the role of the Collections team. The role involves communicating with customers both via email and over the phone and potentially webchat.

The role will require enthusiasm and would suit people who are confident, enjoy problem-solving and can work as part of a team and under their own initiative.

We can promise you a hardworking and lively environment that will equip you with skills that could be used across many areas of the business. You can expect to be part of a collegial and supportive team, with a strong emphasis on knowledge-sharing, continuous learning, mutual respect, and personal development. We will ask a lot of you, and in return, opportunities for advancement in our company are available for those who put in the effort. We value our people and love to watch them develop and advance in their careers with us.

• Understand, generate and review customer accounts queries, taking ownership of customer queries and following them through to resolution.
• Work collaboratively with team members to ensure more complex customer queries are investigated and resolved. Assisting and collaborating with all other area of the business when required, supporting them with debt queries.
• An understanding of all aspects of the business and the water industry.
• Identifying opportunities for automation and improvement of business processes.
• Manage workload effectively, ensuring all tasks are completed within given timescales/KPI’s.

After training, specific requirements of this role include:

• Review and resolve customer queries.
• Generating correspondence to customers using canned responses as well as bespoke account specific communication.
• Maintain and update Customer data on CSM.
• Verification of customer data, legal entities, billing addresses, email addresses and contact information.
• Follow up on overdue accounts as and when required.
• Process and amend telephone Direct Debits or send via DocuSign.
• Liaise with customers regarding cancelled direct debits and/or missed payments.
• Calculate, negotiate and process payment plans.
• Take card payments via the phone and post to Sage 200.
• Administration tasks required for escalations to third-part debt collection agencies
• Raise Tasks for other departments for either processing of information, payment traces, remittances, disputes, LPC/LPI queries, Quotes, Contracts etc.

• Communication Skills: Clear verbal and written communication is essential for conveying information effectively, whether it’s through emails, phone calls, or in-person interactions.
• Organisational Skills: The ability to prioritise tasks and manage time efficiently.
• Attention to Detail: Being meticulous and thorough ensures accuracy in tasks like data entry, document preparation, and record-keeping, minimising errors and oversights.
• Problem-Solving Skills: The capacity to identify issues, analyse situations, and propose solutions is valuable for resolving challenges that may arise in day-to-day operations.
• Teamwork and Collaboration: Working well with others, being cooperative, and contributing positively to team dynamics fosters a productive and harmonious work environment.
• Adaptability: Flexibility and openness to change enable you to adjust to shifting priorities, new tasks, and evolving business needs effectively.
• IT Proficiency: Basic proficiency in using common office software such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint is often necessary, along with the ability to quickly learn new software tools.

Qualifications

• Minimum Nat 5 Maths and Nat 5 English preferred