Benefits Assistant - Customer Contact Center (Multiple Vacancies)

Job Responsibilities

The SC Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA) is the administrator and co-trustee of retirement and insurance programs for over half a million active and retired public employees of the State of South Carolina and their dependents.

The PEBA Customer Contact Center serves as the primary point of contact for all telephone inquiries for the agency. New employees begin training immediately upon employment and soon after begin assisting members with their retirement and insurance benefits.

Employees progress gradually through continued training and on-the-job experience. The Customer Contact Center has a unique career path plan which includes the opportunity to receive multiple salary increases over the first three years as we develop you into a cross-trained Benefits Manager in retirement and insurance. Below is a brief description of the work that is conducted at the various levels along the career path.

• Retirement benefits - assist members, retirees, beneficiaries, and employers with questions related to enrollment, eligibility, service purchases, rollovers, refunds, retirement, death claims, and state policies and procedures. Interpret, apply, and explain state policies, procedures, regulations, and statutes to callers with various social and educational backgrounds in layman's terms.
  
  Provide detailed documentation of contact with customers. Prepare benefit estimates and respond to customer requests for written and/or computer-generated documents.

• Insurance benefits - assist employees, retirees, survivors, COBRA subscribers, dependents and employers with questions related to enrollment, benefit design, eligibility, claims, billing, terminations, and state policies and procedures. Interpret, apply, and explain state policies, procedures, regulations, and statutes to callers with various social and educational backgrounds in layman's terms.
  
  Provide detailed documentation of contact with customers. Review and process enrollment documents for customers as needed to expedite customer access to benefits.

Minimum and Additional Requirements

A high school diploma and at least three years of professional customer service experience. A bachelor's degree may be substituted for the required work experience.

The Customer Contact Center is an open workspace that requires the ability to work well within a team. While rewarding, serving customers in a contact center setting requires the ability to multi-task while navigating multiple on-line computer systems, strong analytical skills, patience, professionalism, and clear communication. The effectiveness of the team requires everyone's commitment to a structured work schedule, cooperation, and personal accountability.

Preferred Qualifications

A bachelor's degree and at least two years of professional customer service experience.

Additional Comments

In addition to 13 paid holidays, this position is eligible for comprehensive insurance programs, retirement plans, and a generous paid leave program. Upon successful completion of one-year of service with the agency, employees may be eligible to be considered for a hybrid work schedule with up to 50% remote work.