Meet Andrea Williams, Account Clerk!

We chatted with Andrea to learn more about her 37 years with Pittsburgh Water and what motivates her to be such a dedicated team member.

Tell us about your role at Pittsburgh Water and your typical responsibilities.

In my role as Account Clerk for our Customer Service department’s Collections team, I focus primarily on the balancing of customer accounts. In a given day, this may involve posting recently received checks to a customer’s account to settle their balance, researching potential billing issues that may have led to account errors, and a number of other account-related tasks, working both internally with Customer Service Representatives and externally with customers.

How many years have you been working for Pittsburgh Water? What motivates you to stay here? 

I have worked for Pittsburgh Water since 1989. Yes, you are not seeing a typo! I have been employed since the Water Department was still part of City government, before being separated into the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority (now Pittsburgh Water) in the 1990s. That’s 37 years: 10 years part-time and 27 years full time. Some of the main factors that motivated me to stay, then and now, include our competitive benefits and knowing that I had the opportunity to advance within the department. 

Consider your role and what you do each day. How do you contribute to the delivery of safe, clean drinking water for all our communities?

By catching and addressing account issues, for one example, I can help customers avoid service interruptions and make sure people continue to receive the water they depend on. Keeping accounts accurate and up to date also supports Pittsburgh Water’s long-term plans. When accounts are kept up to date, the organization can collect the revenue needed to replace old pipes, upgrade our facilities, and invest in the infrastructure that keeps our water clean and reliable. Even though the work happens behind the scenes, our Collections team makes a real difference in protecting public health and keeping our water system strong.

Which of Pittsburgh Water’s core values resonates with you most and why? 

Our core value of Accountability speaks to the importance of being a good team player. This can be especially important when we’re helping customers with service or billing concerns. It means taking responsibility for our work, being honest when something needs to be fixed, and following through on what we say we will do. When each of us makes sure information is correct and communicates clearly, both with customers and with our coworkers, we help everyone do their jobs better. Supporting the people around us and owning our responsibilities is the most effective way we can provide customers a more reliable and positive experience, which helps build trust in Pittsburgh Water as a whole.

Based on your experiences, what advice would you share with others in your line of work, or young people just starting their career?

My advice would be: be open to the possibilities. Some people tend to think a Customer Service role is starting from the bottom. I don’t see it that way. You might be very good with people in a way that someone else may not be. In an industry like water service that is so customer-centric, a strong team of cool-headed, emotionally intelligent Customer Service Representatives is critically important to making things run smoothly. When I first started as a Customer Service Rep., it became clear that it was not my calling. But I didn’t call it quits, because I knew Pittsburgh Water was a team I wanted to be part of. As the years went on, more positions became available. I eventually transferred into a Billing role and now I work as an Account Clerk on the Collections team – a much better fit that I never would have found without my time as a Customer Service Rep.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I enjoy live music, especially jazz, reading, theatre arts, plays, and taking walks. I also like to spend time with my dad, who’s 91 years young, and laughing with my family and friends. Another thing I enjoy is going to Church on Sunday.

What’s something that recently made you smile / something you're looking forward to?

What makes me smile is realizing that in a few short years I will be doing something I’ve never done before: Retiring! I’ll miss my Pittsburgh Water coworkers, but I’m excited to be able to move onto the next chapter of my life in the near future.