Member Service Representative

State Universities Retirement System of Illinois•Champaign, IL

6d•$24 - $29•Hybrid

About The Position

Serve in a Member Service Representative role in one of the following SURS departments: Call Center, Counseling, Death & Disability, Employer Services, Insurance, Pay Benefits, PREP, Retirement, Retirement Savings Plan. SURS’ Member Service roles rely heavily on strong customer service, communications, critical thinking, and mathematical skills. Certain departments are more customer service-focused while others focus more on claims processing and analysis. Openings are available in multiple departments. Must be a current Illinois resident to apply.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Any one or combination totaling three (3) years (36 months) from the categories below:
College coursework in Business Administration, Communications, Public Relations, or a closely related field as measured by the following conversion table or its proportional equivalent:
30 semester hours equals one (1) year (12 months)
Associate’s degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen months (18 months)
90 semester hours equals two (2) years (24 months)
Bachelor’s degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years (36 months)
Work experience in customer service or office administrative support
Applied knowledge of computers.
Skill in verbal and written communication.
Ability to learn and apply the rules, policies, and practices of the retirement system and other state and federal governmental agencies.
Ability to work with a diverse member base.
Ability to deal with the members, annuitants, and agencies in a friendly manner to achieve positive customer service.
Ability to work well with others during conversations, projects, meetings, or other collaborations.

Nice To Haves

Strong analytical thinking skills
Detail-oriented
Mathematical background
Excellent phone etiquette
Strong written and verbal communications skills
Desire to learn, grow, and contribute to the team and organization
Desire to assist others during important life transitions
Ability to appropriately handle confidential or sensitive information
Self-motivator
Strong organizational skills

Responsibilities

Provide exceptional customer service to SURS members, employers, and outside entities regarding SURS benefits.
Serve as a process liaison between the Call Center and other departments.
Bring a desire to continuously learn and assist others.
Counsel members on all SURS benefits with a focus on retirement.
Calculate and explain estimated benefits, as well as the costs of service purchases.
Conduct educational presentations and seminars for large groups of members.
Bring a desire to regularly interact with and help others.
Process, calculate and approve the following claim types: Death, Survivor, Disability, Disability Retirement Annuity (DRA)
Interact regularly with SURS employer representatives to facilitate efficient processing.
Bring a keen awareness to the importance of assisting membership during difficult life changes.
Act as a liaison between SURS staff, members, and employers.
Communicate daily with representatives from SURS’ 61 campuses.
Assist in receipt and processing of employer transactions.
Troubleshoot employer processing issues.
Provide individual and group education to SURS employers on SURS’ benefits and processes.
Act as a liaison between the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) and SURS members.
Maintain check-writing files as it relates to insurance premiums.
Investigate and resolve premium discrepancies.
Process benefit payments including completion of pay benefits records and payment for the following: Separation refunds, Finalized retirements and preliminary estimated payments, Disability claims, Death and Survivor benefits, Beneficiary annuities, Reversionary annuities, Survivor refunds, Excess service waivers, Disability retirements
Update and maintain member demographics and bank files.
Approve daily ACH transfers and maintain check-writing files.
Calculate and approve refunds, service credit purchases, and preliminary estimated payments.
Prepare cost estimates of service credit purchases.
Interact regularly with SURS employer representatives to facilitate efficient processing.
Process, calculate and approve retirement claims.
Calculate and approve employer bills.
Participate in the daily administration of SURS defined contribution plans.
Process daily transactional and error reports.
Process death claims, non-retirement eligible distributions and retirement eligible distributions.
Serve as a liaison and resource for SURS staff, RSP services providers, and SURS employers.
Conduct customer service-related activities with SURS members.