Laura Russell

My expertise and strong communication skills, reading Government legislation and prioritizing my time and tasks within a team environment, positions me to make a significant impact on our client base. I strive to achieve high-impact results while exceeding KPIs in challenging Government sectors.

I demonstrate exceptional customer-handling capabilities, with over 30 years of Customer Service experience.

Key points:

• Works collaboratively in teams to manage Senior customer service functions effectively.
• Explain complex Government Legislation to clients, facilitating understanding and compliance.
• Handles confidential information with discretion, upholding high ethical standards.
• Recognise the contribution of the Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman, to the general public, in fostering industrial relations knowledge in the workplace.
• Utilize strategic thinking to prioritize tasks and enhance team efficiency in my service delivery.

The Victorian Bushfire Case Management Service was established to support people affected by the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, helping with accommodation, finance, employment, education, counseling, health and legal services, and other personal assistance. It was delivered through a partnership arrangement with Australian Government agencies, state agencies, local government and funded not-for-profit organisations.

I temporarily suspended my role with the Fairwork Ombudsman and went over the the Victorian State Government to the DHS. My role was to take calls from victims and support workers of victims, assist with Grants for bereavement, funerals, pastoral fencing, accommodation and health etc. These calls were always of a sensitive nature dealing with extremely vulnerable members of the public.

Each week we were required to format and collate the calls, locations, and nature of the Gov Grants disbursement, and recovery requirements for affected areas and submit this directly to the Minister for her to present in Parliament.

• Identified customer needs in Mobile Technology and recommended tailored solutions.
• Performed root cause analysis to resolve complex customer issues in network usage.
• Coordinated cross-departmental efforts to address escalated customer complaints and enhance retention.
• Researched customer inquiries utilizing internal databases and resources for accurate responses.
• Managed escalations while fostering positive client relationships and resolving issues effectively.

Handled diverse customer queries, including billing inquiries and high-level complaints.

Delivered exceptional customer service to both Consumer and Business segments consistently.

Surpassed monthly performance targets regularly, demonstrating commitment to excellence.

• Facilitated public calls to emergency services as 999 operator.
• Managed communication for police, ambulance, fire, and other emergency departments.
• Processed emergency calls with precision and urgency to ensure rapid response.
• Handled non-emergency calls effectively to provide appropriate guidance and support.
• Stayed on line offering assistance and victim support till help arrived.
• Liaising with emergency services to provide call details.