“My day to day life at Telefónica”, by Yolanda Castellanos

I'm Yolanda and I'm delighted to be able to share a little bit of my day to day life in the GGCC Fixed Business Billing CGR (Claims Management Centre) of SECTORS.

I wake up every day with enthusiasm and passion for my work. Like Heidi, I live in a town far away and I take advantage of my train journey to check my mail, answer simple questions, check my diary and To-Do to plan my day and, if I have time to spare, I take the opportunity to watch a training session, review operations or catch up on Workplace, and take part in the employee raffles.

My start of the day

After logging in to Bookker, SSFF, SUR, Genesys, etc., I start my working day at DT with a coffee with my colleagues. This moment not only gives me the opportunity to recharge my batteries, but also to share experiences and strengthen friendships that go beyond the professional. For me, familiarity in the workplace is fundamental and is what makes every day special. After that coffee, back at the workplace, I apply the GTD (Getting Things Done) method in my own way.

The first thing I do is a review of the SUR (Unified Complaints System) work tray where all the complaints previously opened by the CGC at the initiative of the client, RoW or COLLECTION in most cases appear.

The complaints that appear in my work tray are grouped and sorted and I only have access to the ones I have assigned to me, so I can organise myself:

• If I notice that a document is missing, or it is not clear to me what is being claimed, I send the claim back to the personal advisor so that he/she can correct it.
• If it is clear to me that the claim is not appropriate or requires a simple procedure (for example, a prior consultation with another department, such as Special Projects, Special Agreements, Procedures to regularise discounts that have not been applied), I send the claim there, so as not to add up time and so that, in my view, the customer's claim is resolved -within the complexity of GGCC invoices- as soon as possible.
• If I consider that the claim is simple, I resolve it ipso facto.

The next step, after this screening, is to organise myself, including unforeseen events and emergencies that arise on a day-to-day basis: If I have claims that are complex, I try to schedule time at the beginning of the day, which in my case is when I have the most active mind and there are usually fewer interruptions. And I reserve the last part of the day for important, but not urgent, administrative tasks (for example: issuing manual invoices for claims that have already been closed, sending e-mails to inform certain departments of the steps they have to take because the corresponding claim is already being closed, making accounting entries -VNF Miscellaneous Non-Fixed, and/or Positive or Negative Adjustments- that will be applied to future customer invoices).

How a claim is handled

The life of the complaint in the segment I serve and in the "ideal" world of CGR begins with the opening by the personal advisor, after analysing it (observing if there are objective reasons and if the root cause is resolved) it may happen that we have to launch some consultation or ask other departments to intervene to regularise discounts, once we see that there is objective cause and that the root cause is resolved, what we do is to draw up billing reports. We then make calculations and proceed to reimburse incorrectly invoiced amounts, which, depending on the type of invoicing, will vary in form.

In the CGR, to resolve complaints we have to be a bit like MacGiver and use our intelligence by taking advantage of the relevant tools/applications. It is useless to have access to many applications if we don't know which one is the most appropriate for the claim, and that's what experience gives us.

My tools

I have organised the applications I use frequently in five folders, which is what I find most convenient and intuitive:

• Auxiliary database: where I access data query applications (such as BDCC, Order, TES to see approved offers, Sherpa to see different versions of discounts, DT codes in force, Commercial Channel e-vita@ (to see RtR contracts, penalties), ARIES, to see the Intelligent Network plant, Infranet, to see the customer data plant, Elypse to consult operations and marketing conditions, communiqués… and HORUS among others. From these databases, what I usually check is if there is an objective cause (if there is an offer/opportunity) and if the root cause has been resolved (if the error that is being claimed has already been corrected in the systems).
• Billing applications: The first of these is B2B, where all the company's invoices appear, FAST to see those that are going to be issued, FZ to consult certain data of past invoices that no longer appear in B2B, and the link to Various Non-Fixed (to incorporate amounts to subsequent invoices, both charge and refund), STG to issue manual invoices, web de facturables for occasional registrations, Shuttle, MiInforme (through the InfoEmpresas website) which is a database of invoices….. And access to the shares point for tariff customers (those with personalised prices), for example. Here what I do is, after analysing the customer's invoicing situation, obtain data to calculate the amounts to be refunded, mainly.
• Maintenance applications: where I have direct access to the share point of supply to see operations and use cases, Odisea, to see a customer's breakdowns, breakdown calculator, which we use for breakdown compensation, etc. Well, although it is a minimal part, we also deal with provisioning and care/performance claims.
• Orders: Odin, Midas, Heco… to see how and when an order has been placed and in what situation it is in, as the CGR in order to be able to act in addition to having an objective cause needs the root cause to be resolved.
• Complaints: Where I have direct access to SUR, to TELCO to deal with shared payment claims (discounts to groups), depending on the type of invoice claimed, it is resolved by a Legacy (SUR) or TELCO (TELCO) system.

In addition, we often have to access MIGA (TPX), where, when B2B fails, or to view certain billing data, we can access FX00, for what B2B does not show, and good especially to consult in BJ00 everything related to Ibercom, NGN and the CoIP .

Sometimes we receive queries from other areas that do not have access to MIGA and BJ, without a claim, and from the CGR we respond to the doubts or queries they make, because with this management we understand that not only do we help a colleague, but we often avoid a future claim or that this has less impact on the future invoice. Due to the experience we have with past complaints, we can also provide guidance in resolving the incident that caused the billing problem.

These may seem like a lot of applications, but they are not all the ones we access, although they are the ones we use the most.

In my role as a claims advisor I encounter a variety of situations and I always strive to maintain open and transparent communication with the RoO, personal advisor and usually work as a team with other departments to find effective solutions (Cash Assurance, Quality, Processing, Manual Billing…).

The resolution of claims must not be forgotten that it is subject to various tax and accounting rules (in addition to internal operations), and therefore it is not uncommon for us to have to consult the legal advice department which, apart from helping us to resolve the specific claim, for me in particular, helps me to continue learning and growing professionally.

Nor should we forget that unresolved or poorly resolved complaints can lead to financial losses for the company, either through refunds or compensation to customers that do not correspond, or through the loss of income due to the loss of customers. Precisely in order to maintain sound financial management, it is common for the CGR to work closely and in coordination with Cash Assurance and Revenue Assurance, and sometimes the resolutions of complaints that we deal with require approval and review at Committee meetings. In these cases, which occur when the amount to be reimbursed exceeds sixty thousand euros in the GGCC segment, we also have to prepare a series of reports to explain what errors the company has included and why the resolution is favourable to the customer, as well as explaining how the error has been resolved or corrected in an exhaustive manner.

All these tasks that we perform in the CGR I suspect that they are a challenge for the department in charge of implementing robotisation in our area, and it is precisely that human touch and the application of common sense in certain situations that makes the difference when resolving complaints, but no doubt little by little some of the tasks will be robotised and this will help us CGR advisors to focus on tasks that require unique human skills, and I am convinced that it will lead to an improvement in innovation and creativity when resolving complaints.

The best thing about my job

The most rewarding part of my job is being able to help our customers and ensure they receive the best possible service to build long-lasting relationships with Telefónica. Sometimes this involves explaining disputed bills, or explaining the resolution of complaints to customers. Knowing that my job makes a difference to the customer experience is what motivates me to do my best every day. It is very much embedded in me that customers who feel their problems are taken seriously and properly resolved are more likely to stay with the company in the long term and I believe that the way we resolve billing complaints can affect Telefonica's reputation, so my focus is on customer satisfaction and making a quick and fair resolution to complaints while adhering to the rules.

Training and personal development

I always take time out during the week for training and personal development. My managers are a constant source of inspiration and support in my career. Their exemplary leadership and commitment to excellence motivate me to excel every day and to do my best in everything I do.

I am currently happy that I am participating in a Talento Femenino programme, where I have the opportunity to learn and grow, personally and professionally, alongside inspiring women. During the year, I always try to participate in the Foundation's volunteering activities, which motivate me and make me grow on a personal level, as well as establishing links with colleagues from other departments.

In short, I love what I do and I feel privileged to be part of such a committed team. I am excited about what the future holds for the company.

Every day, as I immerse myself in my work, I am inspired by Telefónica's history and legacy.

I'd like to tell you more juicy details about our adventures in resolving billing claims, but you know that confidentiality and data protection are pillars of our company. As they say in the spy movies: "my mouth and lips are sealed", but I can assure you that these are very exciting claims and situations we experience at the CGR!

Thank you for allowing me to share part of my day to day life.

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