BPS Helpline Specialist

REPORTS TO: BPS Helpline Manager

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Founded in 1647, Boston Public Schools (BPS) is the oldest public school district in the country. With approximately 49,000 students from over 114 different countries, more than 10,000 employees, and an annual budget of $1.2 billion, BPS is the largest school district in Massachusetts and is one of the most diverse as well. BPS has been recognized as one of the top urban school districts in the United Students and was recently awarded the Broad Prize for Urban Education as the most improved urban school district in the nation.

Customer service is an important priority for the BPS. As such, the District has launched the BPS Helpline, a centralized information and complaint resolution system designed to provide our constituents – parents, students, community members and more - with a singular point of contact to ensure a more efficient, coherent, and equitable communication system. The BPS Helpline is part of the Division of Family and Community Advancement. The Helpline serves as a hub of information, communication, problem resolution and system access for those who have questions, concerns, or issues in need of resolution. The Helpline is staffed by BPS Helpline Specialists (BHS) skilled at providing superior customer service to constituents by phone, email or in-person.

The new BPS Helpline provides direct support to families, partners, and other collaborators, working across departments and schools to provide information, directly resolve issues, or escalate complaints as needed. Successful candidates will support the BPS Helpline by providing exceptional customer service, exercising excellent resource navigation skills, and utilizing a technology-based, ticketing system to ensure accountability at each step of any resolution process among other talents.

POSITION SUMMARY :

The BPS Helpline Specialists (BHS) play an integral part in the critical trust-building process - providing stellar and thorough service to everyone who connects with the Helpline, including those who call, email, or stop in. The BHS is the primary point of contact for stakeholders, answering not just the Helpline but also calls and emails made to the Superintendent’s Office. The role requires a professional demeanor and the ability to assess constituent’s needs, provide accurate information about district protocols, policies, initiatives or events, navigate timely resolution and, independently determine when to successfully connect with additional departments and school staff to help resolve cases for the constituent. This is not an operator or switchboard position, but rather a true customer service position, supporting constituents to and through the point of issue resolution. CSRs are trained and regularly updated on all BPS programming and services in order to build a strong knowledge base and skill set to navigate stakeholder needs. Successful candidates will be those who demonstrate their ability and/or experience thriving in a fast paced, multi-lingual, multi-cultural environment in which continuous learning and improvement is seen as key to their success.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

• Manage in a professional manner a heavy volume of inbound and outbound calls,emails, 3-1-1 referrals and potentially in-person visitors, in a timely manner with linguistic and cultural appropriateness.
• Be well-versed on all aspects of BPS, especially family-facing protocols and policies.
• Build relationships with the various BPS department contacts, school superintendents, operation leaders, school leaders and others to support our services to families, students, partners and others for effective navigation.
• Actively engage with all stakeholders to understand and address concerns within BPS.
• Participate in daily briefings and be prepared to respond to timely topics (safety incidents, capital projects, pandemic related issues, etc.)
• Triage constituent needs and:
• Provide information as requested;
• Research more complex issues and provide responses;
• Provide recommendations for solutions and utilize a decision tree for complaint resolutions, as needed; and
• Ensure each ticket has a resolution and is closed successfully.
• Document in real time all interactions with constituents utilizing our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
• Meet call metrics and other service level agreements on a daily basis.
• Attend and actively participate in staff meetings, trainings, BPS working groups and professional development.
• Actively participate in outbound calls as necessary for mission critical support (i.e. waitlist calls, summer program calls, etc.) and be willing to support other outreach activities as needed.
• Support critical incidents effectively as a member of the response team in adherence with emergency response protocols when activated.
• Contribute to monthly performance reviews with Team Leads.
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS-REQUIRED :

• Minimum of a high school diploma or High School Equivalency (HSE) credential (prior customer service experience may be substituted)
• Multilingual; fluent in English and one or more of the following languages: Spanish, Cape Verdean, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Chinese, Somali, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole
• Strong phone and verbal communication skills
• Strong active listening skills, with demonstrated patience and empathy
• Experience working with constituents from a diverse array of backgrounds and needs
• Collaborative focus on work, while able to work independently and manage one’s time
• Strong writing skills with a focus on clarity, accuracy and brevity
• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to stay calm in high pressure situations
• Adaptable problem solving - able to generate creative and innovative solutions, while maintaining the integrity of BPS policies
• Ability to analyze and communicate complex issues effectively, both verbally and in writing
• Curious learner who asks questions and seeks out answers
• Ability and desire to go the extra step to ensure understanding
• Demonstrated follow-through
• Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment

QUALIFICATIONS-PREFERRED :

• Experience working as a family advocate, in a resource center or call center
• Demonstrated ability to provide high quality customer service
• Demonstrated skill and comfort with technology
• Demonstrated experience with compliance or regulatory standards
• Post secondary degree or relevant certification related to work

TERMS : City of Boston Residency is Required.

The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate in its programs, facilities, employment, or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), disability, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics or military status and does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals’ dignity or interferes with their ability to learn or work.