Behind the Tap Spotlight: Collections Team Members Yasmine Hammonds and Claudia Huezo

Meet CCWA’s Collections Team dynamic duo, Yasmine Hammonds, and Claudia Huezo. They play a crucial role in managing accounts and supporting our customers. The team handles various responsibilities, such as scheduling disconnections for accounts with returned payments, processing bankruptcies and liens, and finalizing accounts disconnected for over thirty days.

Yasmine and Claudia also take care of tasks such as transferring outstanding balances, monitoring monthly reports, and processing write-offs for debt agencies. They play a vital role in collecting night drop payments and managing kiosk transactions. Collaborating with utility assistance agencies, they secure funding for hardship assistance, ensuring crucial resources reach those in need.

The most rewarding aspect of their roles is the flexibility that comes with organizing their daily tasks. They also find satisfaction in helping customers that are facing hardships. Yasmine shares, “We take pride in assisting our customers during a vulnerable time of need.” In 2023 alone, the team applied hardship funding to 204 accounts totaling $32,587.84 and applied Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) grant funding to 1,371 accounts totaling $590,396.00.

Navigating the Collections department presents its own set of challenges. “As you can see Collections can be a very demanding department to work in due to the multiple day-to-day duties, so the most challenging part would be ensuring that you are prioritizing your duties throughout the day to maintain a productive schedule,” Claudia adds.

Yasmine has been a part of CCWA since 2015, contributing as both a Call Center agent and a Front Counter Specialist. Claudia, who joined CCWA in 2019, brings her expertise as a Front Counter Specialist. Both Yasmine and Claudia have enjoyed their tenure in Customer Service and are very passionate about their job. They attribute that passion to their supervisor, Customer Service Manager Catrina Tanner. “We appreciate Catrina for creating such a positive work environment and the support she has provided us over the years,” they said. #waterprofessional