Financial Services Client Care Specialist - Financial Services

University of Wisconsin Stout•Whitewater, WI

About The Position

Financial Services in the Division of Finance and Administrative Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is seeking a Financial Services Client Care Specialist (Financial Specialist II, FN007). The specialist is one of four staff members assigned to Student Financial Services, which oversees student billing, payment activities, and campus cashiering. Duties rotate according to office needs and the academic and fiscal year, and may include customer communications, counter service, cashiering, loan processing, collections, refunds, and third-party billing. The position requires knowledge of FERPA requirements for confidential information, document imaging and storage, cash handling, State and UW System collection requirements, and UW System and campus policies and procedures. The role reports to the Associate Bursar and works standard customer service hours of 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The University does not provide H-1B or other work authorization visa sponsorship for this position; candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States at hire and maintain that authorization throughout employment.

Requirements

At least one year of experience in customer service, administrative support, or retail cash handling, or an educational equivalent.
Demonstrated exceptional customer-service aptitude and ability.
Demonstrated exceptional interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills for working with staff, students, parents, and the general public.
Keen attention to detail and understanding of adequate supporting documentation for transactions.
Ability to multitask and meet deadlines.
Ability to work with individuals from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds.
Willingness and ability to actively follow applicable safety rules and regulations, including required training and drills.

Nice To Haves

Experience with banking, cash handling, and reconciliations.
Knowledge of accounting and bookkeeping principles, practices, and processes gained through experience or formal training.
Previous experience working with federal regulations and developing and implementing procedures to comply with them.
Knowledge of collection policies, practices, procedures, and laws, along with analytical and negotiation skills.
Proficiency with computers, including Microsoft Word and Excel and Adobe; specifically, experience with pivot tables and mail merges.

Responsibilities

Manage incoming phone calls and other communications, follow communication procedures and policies, verify FERPA requirements before disclosing confidential information, listen to and resolve customer concerns, research customer needs, provide accurate information, and maintain records of interactions in WINS and/or Workday.
Follow up with campus departments and staff as appropriate; assist and monitor student employees at the customer-service window, provide window service when needed, and help train student employees.
Coordinate daily cashiering processes, serve as a liaison with the bank for ACH information, apply funds to ledger accounts, research discrepancies, review general-ledger output, and follow up on variances.
Process department deposits and provide guidance on deposit policies, accounting codes, sales-tax reporting, tender types, and cutoff dates.
Provide bookkeeping and check-writing services for student and faculty organizations; prepare monthly reports, open and close accounts, report sales tax, and train faculty advisors and organization officers on account use.
Review student refund edit reports, resolve discrepancies, process student refunds, and balance daily cash, checks, and other tenders against register reports; complete checkout reports and ensure supporting documents are imaged.
Research miscellaneous checks and electronic wires, enter scholarship information in the scholarships log and route it to Financial Aid, train staff in cash handling, coordinate cash-handling audits, and maintain accurate custody-of-funds information.
Process bank communications, including non-sufficient-funds items, peer-transfer payments, stop payments, voided checks, bounced electronic refunds, and stale-check payments.
Audit and submit Federal Perkins loan data to the ECSI loan-servicer system; maintain debtor communications and loan records; monitor loan data transmissions, balances, and collections; and support promissory-note processes and federal-loan entrance counseling.
Review loan-servicer records for accuracy, approve accounts for legal action or bankruptcy, monitor collection agencies, and assign accounts to the Department of Education when appropriate.
Administer nongovernmental and governmental third-party billing, collect student authorizations, coordinate pending benefits with the Veteran Services Coordinator, create and adjust student-account contracts, prepare courtesy bills and invoices, and image authorizations.
Review past-due third-party obligations, contact organizations about payment, process external payments, and work with Financial Aid when invoicing for disbursing aid item types.
Conduct collection follow-up on defaulted accounts; schedule and direct delinquency and default notices; refer currently enrolled students’ special-consideration requests to the Bursar; and make authorized account adjustments and release holds.
Arrange and confirm payment plans with former students, track payments and debtor communications, enter past-due debts into Wisconsin’s Tax Refund Intercept Program, and reconcile program balances with student accounts.
Prepare accounts for legal action, including bankruptcies, judgments, and garnishments; establish transcript holds and registration stops; and conduct collections with third parties such as DVR, private agencies, school districts, and military benefits programs.
Liaise with collection agencies, process payments received from them, discuss collection issues with students, parents, and staff, and work with University police on worthless-check collection procedures.
Coordinate and document mass student communications, maintain and review the collections database, update Student Financial Services webpages, recommend customer-experience improvements, and retain communications and documents according to regulations.
Prepare publications and materials for students and campus departments, present student-account information at orientation and preview sessions, and participate in Hawk Squad and peer-mentor training when requested.
Support the Student Financial Services team, maintain current procedures and forms, coordinate unfinished work when assignments change, keep document imaging current, process enrollment-deposit refund requests, participate in software and application testing, and complete other duties as assigned.