Telecom Bill Operations Analyst Senior

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How to Apply

A cover letter and resume are required. The cover letter must be PAGE 1 of your resume and should:

1. Specifically outline the reasons for your interest in the position

2. Outline your particular skills and experience that directly relate to this position

Starting salary may vary depending on qualifications and experience of the selected candidate. 

Job Summary

The ITS Infrastructure Billing group is responsible for providing excellent customer service to the University of Michigan campus for small and large unit Infrastructure projects. The Billing group works with the Infrastructure Project Managers, Telecommunication Analysts, Field Service Unit, Foremen, Drafting, Assignments, Facilities/Telephone/Network Engineers, Telephone/Network Operations, and ITS Service Center (including the Network Operations Center team). Together they coordinate installations in campus units using a work order process which effectively invoices and bills units for this work on a time and materials basis. The Billing group is responsible for processing billing and invoices for these projects and work orders. They are also responsible for assisting customers via email, phone, and in person around billing questions and standard billing reports.

A Senior level Analyst leads projects and delegates tasks according to staff experience and skill levels. Performs limited project management, including resource and time estimates. Participates in strategic planning and setting of technical direction for the department. Makes independent decisions that impact operations. Relies on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish assigned tasks and roles. Assignments require originality, ingenuity, assessment of unusual circumstances, and variation in approaches used; use of different and unrelated processes and methods. Works on more than one task at a time and manages work effectively by prioritizing own assignments, schedules, and meetings resulting in timely completion of work. Proactively anticipates and resolve problems, and creates conditions and processes to support change. Demonstrates proficient knowledge of principles, practices, standards, technologies, and procedures. Comprehends and distills issues, identifies problem factors, determines appropriate information, checks assumptions against facts, and generates solutions. Promotes cooperation and effectively manages relationships. Resolves problems and seeks assistance only after own attempts have gone without success. Generally works independently, requiring limited direction from more senior staff or management.

This position will report to the ITS Infrastructure Service Order Manager.

Responsibilities*

Customer Service

• Provide customer service to university faculty and staff, including unit IT and financial leadership via phone and email. Respond to customer billing inquiries and resolve issues and concerns. Serve as back-up for Telecommunication Analyst team, as needed. 
• Answer Billing line and address moderate billing questions, including: investigate detailed billing errors, run billing history reports, investigate challenging billing issues, apply corrective credits that span fiscal years, escalate significant billing problems.
• Engage customers face to face in the event of challenging customer billing issues.
• Answer TA line and handle advanced TA questions, including: provide guidance on services and feature configuration, triage actual configuration to TA group, when available.

Communications

• Communicate effectively with campus customers and internal teams effectively over the phone, in writing, and in person. Apply appropriate grammar, clarity, conciseness, and other effective communication skills.
• Send clear and concise email replies to campus customers and internal partners with advanced details about services and billing. Include reports and data where appropriate.
• Possess in-depth knowledge of all ITS / Infrastructure services and have the ability to answer customer questions about the rate structure and charge codes.
• Communicate billing changes (e.g., rate holidays, reductions) that are out of cycle to customers. Request website updates to reflect short-term changes be posted and removed.
• Review Field Service Unit comments in ITS Incident Management system for complex incidents where it is not immediately clear whether it is billable to customers. Determine if customer communication outside incident is appropriate or other teams need to be consulted. Escalate to Billing Manager, if appropriate.
• Possess detailed knowledge of Service Request System. Be able to walk customers through complex questions about SRS reports.
• Create customer SRS reports for customers.

Partner Across Business Services

• Partner with all Service Order teams including: Project Managers, Telecommunication Analysts, Field Service Unit, Foremen, Drafting, Assignments, Facilities/Telephone/Network Engineers, Telephone/Network Operations, and ITS Service Center (including the Network Operations Center team).
• Manage relationships with key groups and leaders.
• Analyze monthly progressive billing credits for open projects. Apply credits, as needed.
• Coordinate billing close out with Project Managers.
• Train Project Managers on billing close out process.
• Identify challenges between groups and work to resolve.

Work Orders 

• Understand key billing work order and closure business processes and apply them to daily work. Identify challenges. Discuss improvements. Modify processes to reflect changes over time.
• Review Field Service Unit comments in ITS Incident Management system for complex incidents where it is not immediately clear whether it is billable to customers. Escalate to Billing Manager, if appropriate.
• Provide backup for incorrect Department ID work, when needed.
• Apply quality assurance check on advanced work orders. Validate that the charges are accurate for what is requested. 
• Resolve errors on advanced work orders (e.g., apply pre-built SQL queries to identify database inconsistencies).
• Close advanced orders (e.g., larger project orders) with significant labor and material reconciliation. Partner with Project Managers.

Reporting & Monthly Updates 

• Conduct reporting and financial activities in Infrastructure systems and university financial system. Interpret data and manage financial transactions.
• Possess detailed knowledge of service Request System. Be able to walk customers through complex questions about SRS reports.
• Create customer SRS reports for customers.
• Run complex reports. Addressed reports that show activity and financial trends & changes to identify system, service, or other issues. Escalate to management.
• Partner with Infrastructure Systems team to develop special usage reports in partnership with management (e.g., unit requests to evaluate reduced telephone usage and potential cost savings). 
• Resolve monthly Pinnacle billing report issues. Partner with Information Systems team to identify and resolve issues.

Information Systems 

• Understand and use ITS Infrastructure Information Systems (e.g., Service Request System, Pinnacle), ITS Systems (e.g., ServiceNow), and University Systems (e.g., MPathways Financials).
• Identify additional functionality needed in SRS. 
• Interpreting complex SRS reports. Request additional SRS reporting needed.
• Serve as SRS super-user and contact for billing group. Identify requirements. Participate in testing. Assist in upgrades and enhancements. 
• Interpreting complex Pinnacle reports. Request additional Pinnacle reporting needed.
• Serve as Pinnacle super-user and contact for billing group. Identify requirements. Participate in testing. Assist in upgrades and enhancements.
• Create ServiceNow tickets for Information Systems group incident and requests.
• Partner with Information Systems team to resolve high level issues. Identify queries to assist in automation of repetitive tasks.
• Login & monitor team Slack channel.

Billing 

• Respond to customer inquiries about billing discrepancies and errors. Respond to internal reporting and systems which identify discrepancies and errors. Resolve errors for accurate billing.
• Address complex customer inquiries and requests. 
• Manage complex billing changes (e.g., Service Changes, Charge Code Changes, History). 
• Evaluate unit (large scale) customer billing and make suggestions for changes that could save the customer money.
• Partner with Information Systems team to address ongoing errors generated for customers via ChartField Change Converter application.
• Deep knowledge of team resources for billing discrepancies & errors (relationships).
• Review unrated call report daily (generated by billing errors). Address and resolve issues caused by improper service start and end. Write additional orders to correct issues and restore billing to appropriate services. 

Invoicing 

• Coordinate payment of ITS Infrastructure invoices for warehouse / cost of goods sold. Partner with ITS Finance, University Shared Services, and other Financial groups to ensure payments are made in a timely manner. Maintain open Purchase Orders to ensure appropriate available funding.
• Provide coverage in the event of absence.

Required Qualifications*

• 4 years directly related professional work experience.
• Proven customer service experience over the phone, email, or in person. Ability to articulate a customer service philosophy and the importance of strong customer service to business relationships.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively over the phone, email, or in person.
• Demonstrated ability to partner across teams to deliver service, complete work orders, provide reporting, or deliver accurate billing and invoices.
• Demonstrated ability to handle complex work orders to track project billing.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver internal and customer facing billing / invoice reports.
• Proven IT system experience including email, document, spreadsheet, telecommunications, or enterprise financial systems. Experience with Pinnacle, TeamDynamics, and/or M-Pathways preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to work with internal teammates and campus customers to review bills and make suggestions for service changes that might save the customer money.
• Demonstrated ability to process payments for cost of goods sold (warehouse) and labor for IT projects.
• Demonstrated ability to provide advanced email, phone, or in-person support for billing systems.
• Ability to show evidence of how you contributed and collaborated effectively as a member of a highly-functioning and productive team and easily adapted to changing needs and requirements.
• Excellent analytical and independent problem solving skills.
• Proven ability to work independently and assume a broad range of responsibility.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to successfully complete multiple tasks within established and changing deadlines.

Desired Qualifications*

• Experience with Pinnacle, ServiceNow, and/or M-Pathways preferred. 

Work Schedule

• May require on-call availability and may require working during non-business hours and on weekends.
• Punctual, regular, and consistent attendance is required. 

Work Locations

May require travel to various locations on and off university campus.

This position may work with and/or support systems that maintain or process sensitive institutional data as defined by university policy. Successful candidates must comply with federal, state and local law and/or university policies or agreements that require the university to implement specific privacy and security safeguards including, but not limited to: ITAR, EAR, HIPAA and FISMA. Responsible for protecting data and information from unauthorized release or from loss, alteration or unauthorized deletion; and, following applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files, release of data, etc. as stated in a computer access agreement.

Candidate must regularly move throughout the office and building environment, must frequently operate a computer to complete work and tasks and may be required to move equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

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