Suzanne Houstein
Albion Park,NSW
Summary
Hardworking employee with customer service, multitasking, and time management abilities. Devoted to giving every customer a positive and memorable experience.
Overview
42
42
years of professional experience
Work History
Customer Solutions Specialist
Probe CX
11.2024 - Current
- I am providing a crucial role in assisting families and carers by answering inbound calls
- My responsibilities include providing information, discussing available options, and advising on services that support independent living at home, along with short-term and long-term care solutions
Driver
Sheppo’s Transport
04.2024 - 11.2024
- - Experienced driver at Sheppo's in a wide variety of vehicles including luxury sedans, stretch limousine, Hyundai IMAX and up to a 12 seater mini bus
- Providing door to door transport services to individuals and groups for Weddings, DVA Clients, to and from airport’s, cruise terminals, medical appointments as required
- - Followed all traffic laws and company policies
- - Maintained a clean driving record and upheld excellent customer service
- - Worked efficiently and effectively to meet deadlines
- - Collaborated with team members to ensure smooth operations
Support Worker
Warrigal Care
04.2023 - 03.2024
- I was employed as a Driver for Warrigal Social
- We provided Social activities for independent seniors
- It involves Driving a Toyota 10 seater bus
- Picking up each customer from their home
- Planning the route each day to the various outings
- Finding nice areas to have morning tea and ensuring there are satisfactory toilet facilities
- Ensuring the safety of each individual, getting in and out of the vehicle
- 2 days a week there is a day program in the centre, I have been facilitating craft activities which has proven to be a great success
- I also initiated a fishing trip with a number of our male customers
Driver / Aged Care Support Worker
LDK Seniors Living
10.2022 - 04.2023
- Driving Residents with various levels of mobility to and from appointments as requested
- Taking them to do their shopping, socialisation with the Knowledge they are safe and cared for
- Assisting to unpack shopping when possible
- Providing companionship services
- In any down time I assisted within the dementia care with our Supported lifestyles area
Casual Taxi Driver
Goulburn Radio Cabs Co-op
03.2022 - 10.2022
- I worked casually as a Taxi Driver in Goulburn
- I have a current Police Check and Working with Children Check
- Assisting passengers with entering and exiting vehicles with any luggage, shopping or mobility aids
- Ensuring passengers reach their destinations safely and on time
- This requires a high level of customer service, patience and at times empathy
- Picking up and delivering customers of all ages, helping to load and unload the vehicle, at times taking their shopping to the door
- Taking the fastest and safest route, calculating the right fare and returning the correct change or completing travel vouchers as required
Retired/Volunteer
Full time Carer
Gundagai
01.2017 - 02.2022
- I was a full time carer for my disabled Vietnam Veteran Husband up until February 2021
- In that time, I volunteered in numerous local activities, including Boomerang Bags, Days for Girls, cooking for vulnerable locals during Covid, I was also on the Gundagai Neighbourhood Centre Management Committee, assisting with events and decision making
- I setup a Group Gundagai Community Care to assist with meal drops offs, regular visits to isolated people, arranging for food hampers and deliveries to those in need
- I was awarded a NSW Premiers Award, nominated by our local Member Steph Cooke and nominated for an Australia Day Award
- Our CWA Group was also awarded a Volunteer award for assistance during the 2021 Bushfires
- I was instrumental in setting up a distribution centre in a church hall in Gundagai during the 2021 Bushfires and beyond
- In that time the group I set up were providing much needed food and drinks for the Volunteer Fire Fighters across the Riverina on a daily basis
- Emergency supplies for those fire affected or displaced and needing assistance with new bedding, pet food, money, clothes and food hampers
- In recognition of the work I did for the Gundagai Community, I was nominated as a DPI Hidden Treasure
Project Support Officer
Forest Industry Training Centre (FITC)
11.2008 - 12.2017
- Coordinate and maintain the campus student records and finance functions in accordance with Riverina Institute and TAFE NSW policies, procedures and guidelines to provide a high level of customer service to internal and external customers
- The key activities and duties are as follows: Student admin management for Core and most Commercially funded courses delivered across NSW (Course offerings, clams, assisting with online enrolments, entering paper based enrolments, RPLs’, print out transcripts and producing machinery/chainsaw cards)
- Update and manage new and existing online courses in Moodle via RI Learnonline, transfer grades to clams, print out transcripts
- Assist students with online enrolments, activate enrolment in Mevi, test via student eservices, email instructions on accessing Moodle (learnonline) and any other troubleshooting
- Maintain schedule and calendar for core and commercial programs
- Update FITC Website with brochures and course offerings and keep up to date for Chainsaw program, commercial course brochures, and Forest Operation Licence requirements
- Liaise with Head Teacher, part time teachers and guest lecturers (8 people in different locations across NSW) on their availability and schedule into relevant events
- Car bookings, venue bookings, catering, preparation and printing of workbooks, written assessments, updating PowerPoint presentations to ensure they meet RI Style guide
- Assist Part time teacher’s with completing SAP travel requests, Authority to Travel, timesheets, accommodation, flights
- Produce paperwork and training materials required for each event and have it couriered to location
- Purchasing for FITC as required
- Report to the Forest Industry Development Manager on training activities for inclusion into quarterly reports to commercial clients
- Assist with course enquiries from students and potential commercial clients
- Liaise with various Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) staff under auspicing arrangement
- Liaise with EPA staff and students for Private Native Forestry courses and IFOA training for FCNSW
- Forest Operators Accreditation enrolments for online learning and machinery assessments
- Raising costing sheets to ensure the commercial moodle course funds are allocated and assisting with monitoring FITC budgets as well
Service Desk Manager (DBCDE Project)
KAZ Group Pty Ltd
02.2008 - 11.2008
- Manage a team’s delivery of output to achieve the business objectives, targets and, where applicable, client contractual commitments and Service Level Agreements, in accordance with established processes
- The key activities and duties are: Communicate work requirements to the team
- Direct and monitor performance of work activities/tasks by own team in accordance with defined processes/procedures and methodologies and within required timeframes
- Guide, coordinate and support team members to achieve output to required standards
- Maintain schedule of work and associated rosters in line with business requirements as required
- Monitor and report on systems and processes to improve performance, as required
- Undertake the tasks of the work team as required
- Resolve escalated issues through application of standard procedures and delegations, and escalate as necessary
- Implement agreed change initiatives for the team and/or business area, as required
- Provide feedback to the people manager regarding the operational performance and development needs of team members, including input into formal performance reviews
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with peer groups and key internal stakeholders
- Manage key external stakeholders relevant to the achievement of business objectives
Deputy Facility Security Officer
KAZ Group Pty Ltd
03.2007 - 02.2008
- The primary responsibility of the DFSO role is to Manage Security clearances for all KAZ Staff across several projects within a number of Government Agencies
- The key activities and duties are as follows: Provide security advice to management and staff
- Create and maintain of the Security Practices and Procedures (SPP’s)
- Perform security self-inspections
- Undertake staff education and awareness
- Initiating, transferring and monitoring of personnel clearances
- Maintaining a record of all security clearances held by employees and cleared visitors
- Perform support functions to Defence security personnel and agencies
- Provide security education & awareness to all Security Cleared staff
- Oversight all security measures to protect material held onsite
- Ensuring all cleared employees read the SPPs at least annually
- Implement and maintain the Facility Security Register (FSR)
- Supervise all classified material transmission procedures
Service Desk Training Manager
KAZ Group P/L
01.2006 - 03.2007
- Maintain and deliver induction training on the DRN Service Desk
- Identify, develop, maintain and present development training to existing staff
- Liaise with all areas of the Service Desk to provide and identify new training needs
- Ensure all new trainees have their accounts, passes and all required paperwork completed
- Complete weekly reports for the Service Desks for the Learning and Development area
- Schedule and maintain training rosters
- Maintain training records for the Service Desks through the SD Management Database
- Liaise closely with the Knowledge management team to promote the use of Get Answers
- Author relevant Get Answers articles
- Handle Control Support for new trainees and act as process and technical matter expert for their development
- Trainer to maintain Security awareness in the Defence environment
- Good knowledge of all Security Requirements within Defence and the ability to lead by example and promote these requirements to all staff
- Responsible for the management of new induction trainees
- Ensure staff are allocated and introduced to Team Leaders
- Responsible for the condition of the training room and its cleanliness
- Organise and attend meetings to liaise with subject matter experts to create accurate and relevant training material
- Confidently deliver training material orally and visually in a classroom environment
- Show commitment to their work
- Has the people skills to be supportive to existing and new staff
- High level oral and written communication skills
- Uses initiative wisely
- Is goal orientated and persistent in achieving Service Desk objectives
- Show consistent care & attention to detail
Service Desk Analyst
Department of Defence
11.2004 - 01.2006
- Responsible for - Providing IT Support in the Defence Service Desk
- I was responsible for providing technical support on the Defence Restricted Network (DRN)
- It requires well developed communication skills, both oral and written, a high level of commitment to completion of tasks and effective time management skills and the ability to work effectively as a team member
- I am adept at assisting clients by troubleshooting their technical issues by using a variety of applications and tools
- Service Centre which is used to log and track incidents and change requests, Tivoli remote control, User manager, lotus notes and the 2 operating systems used on the DRN WIN XP, WIN NT including Microsoft Office products and Citrix management Console
- I have also been trained to provide support on the Defence Secret Network (DSN)
- I have been very pro-active in updating Get Answers content and was given authoring access to create new articles
- In September 2005, I was involved in assisting with training of all new staff members with buddying and assisting in Controlled Support
- In November 2005 I was successful in applying for a newly identified role of Controlled Support Person (CSP)
- This position has full control of new starters in the 2nd week of training which is very important in molding each staff member and providing them with as close as possible to a stress free introduction into the Service Desk
- This involved quality checking their work, monitoring their break times, passing on corporate knowledge to assist them in improving their knowledge and confidence, promoting the Get Answers database and providing feedback to the trainer to improve training material
- I was required to identify and follow up on any additional training issues which are addressed during their first week in Controlled support
Customer Service Representative (Call Centre Operations) Level 2
Tele Tech International
03.2001 - 10.2004
- Responsible for - Providing Technical support in a Call Centre to TeleTech's clients
- It requires a high level of Customer Service, excellent phone manner, problem resolution in a prompt and efficient manner following contractual guidelines
- Meeting productivity and services levels
- I have been trained in and have maintained a high level of program and product knowledge in the following Operating Systems Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, NT, XP and Apple Macs, and various programs run on those operating systems which enables me to provide over the phone Technical Support for Telstra Bigpond Clients for both dialup and broadband
- In September 2001 I was promoted to a Level 2 Position
- In December 2002 our company held the 4th Quarterly Awards I was awarded with an Excellence Award for the quarter and then also won the overall Quarterly award which was a great honor
- In May 2003 I completed Certificate 2 in Telecommunications (call centers)
- I completed additional cross skilling into the Broadband (ADSL) as a Bronze agent in June 2003 then in September completed my Certificate 3 in Telecommunications
- In December 2004 I was once again awarded with the Bigpond home Excellence Award – these awards are based on votes and nominations from Management and fellow staff members
Floral Merchandiser
Lynch Nominees
10.1996 - 03.2001
- Responsible for - Removal of old stock from flower display, arranging flower display adding in new stock, writing up of credit notes and ensuring the correct price ticket is displayed on all buckets
- I estimate daily requirements and advise head office in Sydney
- I liaise with the Store Managers and Produce Managers in each Woolworths store to ensure that a high quality of flowers is available to customers at all times
Casual Driver
Department of Defence
10.1998 - 03.1999
- Responsible for - The safe driving of an 8 seater mini bus for Department of Defence Personnel in and around all the Defence Buildings
- I was required to be courteous and friendly to Defence Personnel of all levels at all times to operate a two-way radio
Home Duties
09.1994 - 10.1995
- I resigned from the Public Service to care for my newborn daughter and 2 year old son
- During this period I was involved in organising activities and outings with a local playgroup
- I was also appointed as the Purchasing Officer for Gordon Preschool Parents Association Committee and attended regular meetings
- In that time away from the paid workforce I self taught myself the use of Windows 98 and various Network applications
Administrative Services Officer level 3
Australian Taxation Office
09.1989 - 09.1995
- Responsible for - Reviewing of stock levels, purchasing, printing and distribution of forms required in a total 24 Branch offices
- I maintained the smooth running of the Apple MacIntosh network by instructing staff in the use of new software and installing new software in my capacity as Network Administrator and was required to be on hand to assist staff in any technical difficulties that may have been experienced
- I also developed the ability to use a DOS based F3 Pro-Designer package which is PC - based forms composition software
- As part of my duties I was required to fly to Sydney at short notice to machine proof and approve for final printing some of the Australian Taxation Offices' larger forms including Return forms and the Tax File Number Request forms both of which had over 1 million copies printed
- I was also responsible for arranging and running of a tender for the procurement of the department’s business cards
Clerical Assistant Grade 3
Department of Defence
12.1984 - 11.1985
- Responsible for - collecting and updating of floor plans for all of the Department of Defence buildings throughout Canberra, ensuring that floor load limits were not being exceeded and assisting in the preparation of staff relocations whenever required
- I was officer in charge of all the First Aid Officers in the Department of Defence, organising staff training and maintaining stock levels of consumables in First Aid rooms and kits
Clerical Assistant Grade 2
05.1984 - 12.1984
- Responsible for - Communicating at high level and liaising with Staff in the Military forces of all levels
- It was here that I developed the skills to allocate work to and supervise removals staff in the delivery orders/requests for furniture to ensure they were dealt with as promptly and efficiently as possible
- I also set up a system to prioritise requests for furniture items
Acting Clerical Assistant Grade 2
01.1984 - 05.1984
- Responsible for - Sorting and delivering the daily mail throughout the Defence complex at Russell Offices
Clerical Assistant Grade 1
Australian Taxation Office
02.1983 - 01.1984
- Responsible for - Opening mail, checking client information on microfiche, and stamping cheques
Education
NSW School Certificate -
Mulwaree High School
Goulburn01.1982
Skills
- Attention to detail
- Customer account management
- Information gathering
- Software navigation
- Multitasking Capability
- Service level agreements
- Professional telephone demeanor
- Teamwork
- Resourcefulness
- Call documentation
- Customer data confidentiality
- Customer service
- Problem-solving aptitude
- Microsoft office expertise
Training Courses Completed
- Written Communication Course, 1985
- YMCA Apple Mac Course - Word 5, 1990
- Approved Systems Design - MacDraw, 1990
- 3 day in house course on F3 Pro-Designer
- David Whitbread Typography Layout and Design Seminar, 07/1991
- Approved Systems Training Centre - MacDraw Pro 1.5, 06/1994
- Logical Solutions - Pagemaker 5, 06/1994
- Dealing with Difficult Customers Workshop, 06/2001
- Extraordinary Customer Service, 08/2001
- Certificate 2 in Telecommunications (Call Centers), 05/2003
- Cross Skilling for ADSL (Broadband Tech Support), 06/2003
- Certificate 3 in Telecommunications, 09/2003
- Coaching Workshop, 10/2003
- Ethics and Fraud Awareness, 11/16/2005
- Defence OHS Awareness, 11/28/2005
- Employee Performance – Providing Feedback, 11/28/2005
- Certificate ITIL – Foundation Certificate in IT – Service Management, 12/23/2005
- Certificate IV – Workplace Training and Assessment, 08/2006
- Business Writing skills, 02/2007
- Introduction to Protective Security Course, 08/07/2007
- Online Enrolment Training for Admin. Staff, 10/2010
- Getting it Together with LearnOnline, 05/2012
- Tips and Tricks to use in SAP, 05/2012
- Various in house training provided by TAFE NSW
Timeline
Customer Solutions Specialist
Probe CX
11.2024 - Current
Driver
Sheppo’s Transport
04.2024 - 11.2024
Support Worker
Warrigal Care
04.2023 - 03.2024
Driver / Aged Care Support Worker
LDK Seniors Living
10.2022 - 04.2023
Casual Taxi Driver
Goulburn Radio Cabs Co-op
03.2022 - 10.2022
Retired/Volunteer
Full time Carer
01.2017 - 02.2022
Project Support Officer
Forest Industry Training Centre (FITC)
11.2008 - 12.2017
Service Desk Manager (DBCDE Project)
KAZ Group Pty Ltd
02.2008 - 11.2008
Deputy Facility Security Officer
KAZ Group Pty Ltd
03.2007 - 02.2008
Service Desk Training Manager
KAZ Group P/L
01.2006 - 03.2007
Service Desk Analyst
Department of Defence
11.2004 - 01.2006
Customer Service Representative (Call Centre Operations) Level 2
Tele Tech International
03.2001 - 10.2004
Casual Driver
Department of Defence
10.1998 - 03.1999
Floral Merchandiser
Lynch Nominees
10.1996 - 03.2001
Home Duties
09.1994 - 10.1995
Administrative Services Officer level 3
Australian Taxation Office
09.1989 - 09.1995
Clerical Assistant Grade 3
Department of Defence
12.1984 - 11.1985
Clerical Assistant Grade 2
05.1984 - 12.1984
Acting Clerical Assistant Grade 2
01.1984 - 05.1984
Clerical Assistant Grade 1
Australian Taxation Office
02.1983 - 01.1984
NSW School Certificate -
Mulwaree High School