This page contains frequently asked questions about Customer Care opportunities with Accenture Utilities BPO Services. Click here for questions about the online application process. Q - What is Accenture Utilities BPO Services? A - Accenture Utilities BPO Services is part of Accenture, one of the world's leading management consulting, technology services and outsourcing companies. We're the largest provider of customer care to utilities across North America, serving clients such as BC Hydro, Enbridge Gas Distribution, Terasen Gas, Direct Energy, and Source Gas. Q - Is this a telemarketing job? Will I be calling and bothering people during their dinner? A - No. Our Customer Care team handles incoming calls from existing customers. These calls may involve explaining everything from Budget Billing Plan to merchandise contract inquiries and discussing current billing and collections activity. Service inquiries may involve meter work, customer moves, inspections, gas emergency calls, arranging appointments to service gas equipment to new and existing customers. Our representatives are not involved in "cold calling" or other such types of telemarketing. You can learn more about the role by visiting our Day in the Life page. Q - How much will I be paid? How often do salary reviews happen? A - Our hourly rates vary by location. Please refer to the job posting for the location that you're applying to for the appropriate hourly rate. Q - How often do salary reviews happen? A - For employees at our Niagara and Fredericton locations, a salary review is done at the end of the six month probationary period to determine eligibility for a set increase. In addition, we conduct annual salary reviews which typically take place in the fall. At our contact centres in British Columbia (depending on operational needs), there is a good chance that the position will be "up-grouped" within three to six months with additional training. The pay will also increase if you do have the opportunity to be "up-grouped". Q - Is training paid? At what rate? A - Yes. Your full training period is paid at the same rate as your starting wage. The typical training period consists of two to six weeks in a classroom setting with an additional practical experience to follow. The exact length of the training varies depending on the type of calls that you'll be handling. Q - What sort of benefits do you offer? When do they start? A - Benefits are effective on your start date / first day of training. Our Flex Credit Benefit plan gives you the opportunity to select benefits that best fit your needs. You are allotted a certain amount of credits to spend on benefits as you wish. The number of credits you're allowed is based on your salary and they type of coverage you select (single, couple, or family). You can select from three levels of coverage for both dental and health / vision - 50%, 80% or 90%. There are additional options for Accidental Death, Life Insurance, Health Spending Accounts, etc. All benefits are optional with the exception of Long Term Disability and Life Insurance. Anything else can be waived if you choose and remaining credits are paid out on a per-pay basis. Other benefits include sick leave after three months, performance bonuses, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. Please note, part-time casual employees at our B.C. locations are not entitled to participate in our benefits program, but receive 17.58% premium on top of their base hourly rage in lieu of benefits. Q - What shifts will I work? A - We operate a flexible shift schedule, meaning that your shift may change from month to month or change due to business needs with three days notice. You are required to possess a great deal of flexibility and must be available to work the required hours. Based on business needs, there may also be a requirement to work during statutory holidays. We primarily hire for full-time hours at our Fredericton and Niagara locations, which have individual shift bid processes. For part-time casual positions in B.C., We will advise you up to the last day of the previous week what the next week will be scheduled like. We try to give more advance notice however are not able to if the call volumes are not stable. Q - Will I have to work overnight? A - No. We do not hire for our overnight shifts, and no employee is required to work on those shifts. Interested employees in Niagara and Fredericton have the opportunity to apply for the overnight shift once they have completed their probationary period. Overnight shifts are not available at our Burnaby and Vernon locations. Q - What about weekends and holidays? A - Our Fredericton and Niagara centres are open 365 days a year, and some shifts will require you to work on weekends and holidays. At our British Columbia centres, weekend and holiday work only occurs in the event of power outages and severe storms. Q - Is there a dress code? A - We want our employees to be comfortable, so we've adopted a business casual dress code at our call centres. What is business casual? Well, its something less than a suit, but more than a pair of ripped jeans and a tank top. If you're dressed like you're ready to hit the beach, the gym or even a trendy club, then your clothes are probably too casual. Clean, professional looking clothes (even jeans) are perfectly acceptable in our work environment. Q - Is the room for advancement? A - We have an internal posting process which allows existing employees to apply for open roles. Most of these roles require that candidates be out of the six month probationary period to be eligible. Many roles are posted as temporary, or development opportunities, which range from 3-12 months, at the end of the opportunity incumbents may be extended in the opportunity, return to their previous role, or may be placed into the new role permanently. These decisions are based on business needs and individual performance. Q - Can I work from home? A - We are not currently recruiting for at-home positions. New hires are required to work on-site at this time.