Organisation: Department of Human Services
Job Title: Team Leader, Contact Centre
Word Limit: Roughly 350-500 words per point
Location: Canberra
Ability to set direction of work priorities and practices in a high contact demand environment to
achieve business outcomes within established resources and timeframes
Within my current role, I not only manage my own workload and set priorities and practices, but
am also responsible for ensuring that staff across numerous sites are allocated an appropriate
workload to keep them productive, but not overwhelmed with work. I monitor this consistently
and top-up work as required, allocating around 80% of the overall workload to a range of sites to
complete. In addition to this, my role includes monitoring the percentage of work completed
within given timeframes and to ensure outputs meet targets. Since working in this role, I have
consistently met requirements and targets and have also successfully worked to support others in
their teams without reducing my own team’s productivity.
My ability to make independent decisions has been demonstrated upon the receipt of complex
enquiries via our service desk. These enquiries are often dealt within by me, particularly in the
absence of a subject matter expert being available. I have demonstrated in this task the ability to
think and work strategically as well as maintaining an excellent knowledge of the BISC
environment. Through this responsibility, I am able to achieve the branch outcomes and
contribute to the overall business outcomes as well.
As a results-oriented person who is constantly looking to improve business processes and
procedures, I am focused on achieving agreed outcomes and manage my work by setting priorities
and deadlines and preparing action plans to monitor progress and completion of my work projects
against the criteria. I maintain flexibility with my plans and allow for changes in priorities, often
resulting in work being reprioritised for urgent matters to be given attention.
During my time in Centrelink I have seen many evolving changes in priorities, such as the
implementation and rollout of the BIIST with which I was intrinsically involved. During the rollout, I
was able to adapt well, working in a team to ensure the project was finalised by the deadline.
My role also includes the allocation of interventions to individual sites based on staff availability
and other factors impacting on each site’s workload availability. Responsible for capturing daily
intervention completions for Earned Income, Unearned Income, Relationships and Tip Off
interventions, I apply my technical skills; implementing and supporting the National Work Load
Management Framework. Maintaining a focus on improving productivity and consistency to
ensure targets are met and the correct resources are fully utilised by the staff in the network, I
have the ability to apply creative solutions to problems as is required in sites nationally.
Over my career within the Department of Human Services, I have performed numerous roles in
direct processing areas, including students, random sample and tax declaration amongst others
and have an excellent understanding of the resources and timeframes required. Deadlines were a
priority when dealing with CAU complaints, where a strict deadline applied as to how many hours
or days it was since the complaint was made and when someone needed to contact the
complainant. Within my current role, I deal with appeals cases and am required to move them on
to be actions in a timely manner, and return those calls within a 5 days period. All of these
examples from my current and previous roles combine to demonstrate my ability to set and
manage direction, achieve deadlines and achieve business outcomes as required.
An ability to use well-developed communication and problem solving skills within and outside
the immediate work environment
Within my current role, the more complex enquiries are passed to me and I use the policy
information to translate and apply them to the situation given by the customer. My problem
solving and communication skills are required for this role and, if for any reason, I cannot answer
the query, I then escalate this to the policy department and feed their response back to the
customer with any further clarification they require. With an extensive background in the
processing areas of Centrelink, I have an excellent understanding of the legislation and policy
governing our work and am confident in my ability to solve problems and apply solutions as
required.
Also within my current role, I gather information and evidence and use it to make decisions on a
daily basis. One example includes the receipt of information that suggests that a review might be
initiated on a customer’s file. This information comes from a range of sources and my role is to
look at the file in question, liaise with the data match team to gain advice and make a decision
about whether a manual review should be undertaken. Within this process, there are numerous
complications that may arise including the number of times (if any) that person’s file has already
been reviewed to avoid constant review of the same files.
Not only can I analyse information, solve problems based on that information and decide what is
important, but I have also coached and trained other staff to further their skills in this area as well.
Examples of this include my assistance with the rollout of Customer First Program where I was first
trained in using the system so I could then provide training for current team members in the
Customer Compliance Branch (CCB). My providing training and assistance to new Workload
Management team members and along with relevant step-by-step task cards to assist them
demonstrates my ability to communicate effectively. I have the ability to analyse data and send
out weekly reports to the team leaders relating to Subject Matter Experts (SME) cases, Work on
Hand reports and outstanding Debts that need urgent action.
Accepting responsibility and ownership for any decisions I make, I am passionate about my own
performance and the standard of my work. I am open to feedback and support, the need to
conduct ongoing assessments with high level communication to be sure that I am on the correct
path. My commitment to the Department is to represent my organisation in public and internal
forums within Commonwealth law. I trust I set a good example for others to commit and follow,
especially my quality of professionalism and communication and interpersonal abilities.
I have demonstrated a strong personal commitment to the roles I have held in DHS and Centrelink
through my motivation, pure enjoyment and interest in assisting people. I balance my personal
and work commitments by applying constructive emotions to enhance my own performance and
avoid crisis by staying in control and planning for contingencies. I will often challenge myself to
achieve work goals whilst maintaining absolute integrity, meaning I place great importance in
upholding APS Values and Code of Conduct and displaying my honest, professional and ethical
behaviour in the workplace. Outside of work, I manage multiple investment properties
successfully, without it ever impacting within my work environment.
Demonstrated ability and experience in supporting staff through change whilst continuing to
deliver quality outcomes
Having successfully completed the Trainer Certificates I, 2 and 3, I have demonstrated my ability to
promote effective and productive working relationships as well as lead, motivate and manage staff
to achieve quality outcomes. As mentioned earlier, I have supported and trained staff with the
rollout of the Customer First system after my own training within the Customer Compliance
Branch (CCB). In addition, I have provided training and assistance to new Workload Management
team members and have supported them through being open for issues and questions and by
supplying materials, such as the task cards to make their job easier.
Generally, staff who have been in their positions for some time tend to resist change. During my
acting role as Team Leader within BISC, I demonstrated my ability to impart knowledge to staff,
and manage some challenging staff members through times of change for them. I am able to liaise
and form productive relationships with staff members about requirements and tasks required and
often follow up with email to ensure my direction was fully understood. This approach has worked
well and also gives the staff members something to reference when remembering their
instructions, subsequently, becoming more independent within their roles.
I am confident in my ability to provide guidance and excellent leadership and believe in the
importance of leading by example, providing clear direction and assisting others to develop their
skills. My approach is to focus on achieving quality results by creating a harmonious work
environment where the team can openly discuss issues and subsequently resolve them. I
encourage mutual respect and request collaboration of ideas to improve processes and
procedures and maximise work goals. To nurture productive working relationships within the
organisation, I recognise positive benefits that can be gained from diversity and encourage the
exploration of diverse views. No one person thinks alike and I accept that staff work differently,
have diverse perspectives and uncommon views and all of these differences should be considered
as a factor when training, introducing new work methods/instructions, procedures or policies. I
quite often explore and maintain an awareness of the different personalities within our office,
which helps me to interact at a level that is appropriate and helps them understand the message I
am conveying.
As a Subject Matter Expert within numerous teams throughout my career, I have delivered quality
outcomes through using my skills as an experienced officer to review decisions made by others.
This involved reviewing decisions, having not been involved in the original decision making process
and ensuring the process has been accurate and unbiased. Similarly, I have worked within the
Customer Relations Unit (CRU) where customers can give feedback regarding staff. I have had to
resolve and coordinate the response to the customers after speaking to the staff member, further
demonstrating my ability to deliver quality outcomes.
Demonstrated ability to lead, monitor and coach staff to ensure the team is providing quality
and efficient services to customers
Within my current role of Project Officer Workload Management within the Business Integrity
Support Centre (BISC), I am responsible for providing support to my EL1 manager as well as a large
team of staff on different sites with complex enquiries, prioritising workloads and ensuring
productivity is maintained. This requires excellent liaison and negotiation skills and the ability to
provide quality outcomes to our internal customers.
In providing support to my Manager, I often check in to determine if there is anything I can assist
her with, however the best support I can give is in ensuring my job is performed effectively. With
the ability to step into most of the roles within my office, I have, on more than one occasion kept
the level of productivity to a high standard when staff have had unplanned absences from work.
This was demonstrated recently, where a staff member was away having been diagnosed with
cancer and I stood in for them and managed their portfolio, ensuring the team output was
maintained, all risks were covered and the team could continue to work in a business as usual
fashion. My Manager has often commended me for my ability to maintain productivity in this way.
In addition to this, if a senior staff member is away I am responsible for proviinge data for the
Subject Matter Expert (SME) report and Debt Shell activities.
On a daily basis, I provide support to the Maintenance and Initiation Team Leader with initiations,
error logs and in ensuring the correct information has been sent to the customer. This support
includes coaching and monitoring some of her team members and is important to ensure her
team is following the correct processing procedures and requires tact and negotiation skills to
perform effectively. Through this support, I have developed a relationship with this team leader’s
staff and have taught and learnt a lot from them in the process.
My confident negotiation skills assist me to explain guidelines, rules or legislation to help people
understand the Department’s position in achieving a mutually beneficial outcome, but still within
lawful boundaries. I handle any situations requiring negotiation by planning my conversations
beforehand, clearly explaining the situation and listening to and considering different ideas
attentively. I always approach customers, stakeholders or staff with a clear understanding of the
key issues and reflect on the desired outcome. With that in mind, I can make a convincing
argument to persuade individuals to see the advantage rather than disadvantage in what we are
doing. When I have negotiated certain terms with a customer or staff member, I listen to their
differing views and approach the matter by explaining the situation and then present options that
sound more lucrative and beneficial to them.
Within previous roles within the Department, I have been responsible for the quality assurance of
staff’s work to ensure they applied attention to detail when they were assessing customer records
and processing and to ensure quality decision making was being made based on the customer
information. I then was responsible for providing feedback to staff based on my monitoring to
assist them in producing better results ongoing.
Previous experience and/or ability to perform in a contact/call environment
Although, I don’t have direct experience working within a call centre, I have serviced customers
within a processing environment through my roles in student processing, tax declarations and as a
random sample file review officer. This experience has given me a great deal of experience within
a pressurised and customer centric environment and I am confident of my ability to perform in a
contact call centre environment. During this time, I was required to service customers who had
been escalated by APS 3 and 4 positions to assist them in finding a solution to their problems.
My ongoing attitude to working with and leading others in the workplace is to always treat them
the way I would like to be treated. This is something I carry with me at all times and believe it is
the key to developing quality and productive working relationships across the board.
I have had occasions where I can see that some staff members are not going to meet their KPI and
targets for the period and have developed a range of ways to approach this issue over time. One
such example is to approach the staff member and ask them how they are going getting through
their work, and reiterating the need to have that work processed by a particular time. If I feel it is
required, I will stress that I really need to have that work completed and ask them to directly let
me know when it is done. This is often followed up by an email to ensure understanding from the
staff member. I have found that by using this fair, but firm approach, the work gets done and I
have generally maintained my relationship with the staff members as well.
During my processing work, if a Customer Service Officer couldn’t meet a requirement, it meant I
would give them assistance to ensure the KPIs were met. I bring experience, organisational
knowledge and a mature and seasoned approach to my work which will be an asset within this
environment.
Within my current role, I deal with CAU complaints which require a deadline driven approach, as
well as working within KPIs and ensuring quality outcomes. This environment, along with my
process team experience dealing with deadlines, means I can make a positive contribution within
this environment.
Demonstrated experience in the conduct and management of complex: • compliance •
assurance • project management
COMPLIANCE
Within the compliance part of my current role, I am required to make sure we provide the right
payment to the right person at the right time. Our main priority is to work with people and help
them comply with their payment requirements and other obligations. This means educating
people about what they need to tell us and how to avoid debts. To achieve this we provide
information through various communication channels including letters, our website, mobile device
apps, and the media.
Another key element of our compliance model is to quickly identify and contact people who need
to update their circumstances or may have received overpayments. We check information to
ensure there are no discrepancies in the details people give us. If there is a discrepancy, we
contact people to help them comply. As a result, we may stop payments, change the amount of
payment and/or recover a debt.
ASSURANCE
Payment Correctness is the key principle behind the National QOL Standards. Payment
Correctness relates to the elements that underpin the integrity of program outlays that Centrelink
delivers on behalf of the government. Payment Correctness is defined on the basis of four
elements, called pillars, which are: the right person; the right program; the right rate, and the right
date. The idea is that Payment Correctness will be achieved when all four pillars are met.
QOL questions appear within the frame of the QOL Check Tool and are almost exclusively
concerned with identifying errors in Payment Correctness. There are also Minimum Standards
questions which are linked to the Getting It Right (GIR) strategy to ensure that the Minimum
Standards are adhered to. The questions are linked to the specific screens in which updates are
made, along with a generic set of questions which align with the System, Benefit and/or Activity
being actioned.
All Payment Correctness (PCR) and Minimum Standards questions in QOL are mapped as 'Return
Errors' and will default to 'Return for Correction' at the end of the QOL Check. My inherent
knowledge of this system demonstrates my ability to manage and conduct assurance in alignment
with policy and process.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Along with the completion of my Certificate IV in Project Management Practice in 2014, I have
been intrinsically involved in the rollout of Customer Compliance Branch, a branch responsible for
the delivery of compliance reviews and interventions within the Business Integrity Division. Where
possible we embrace new techniques and technologies to maximise timely customer interaction.
Some of my responsibilities within this project have included: overseeing and administering the
Customer Compliance functions within the Network; monitoring and distributing Customer
Compliance work across the country; creating innovative work practices to produce the most
effective and efficient environment for Customer Compliance functions; contributing to the
development and maintenance of partnerships and close working relationships with key
government agencies and other areas, and aiming to continue to use and develop new
technologies that will both increase our ability to prevent debt, while also allowing for a more
positive customer experience though the use of alternate customer contact channels.
