agent de service

préposé au service à la clientèle

business services officer

conseiller clientèle

assistant spécialiste

Service Canada

A typical day at Passport Canada:
We start our day off with a quick 2-5 minute meeting, to ensure everyone is on the same page for the day. We are given applications/files to follow up on re. incorrect payment amount because of the validity periods and passport fee change. We are also responsible for creating worksheets for all the other files throughout the night and follow up on them as well. Towards the end of the shift, when we are not able to make any other calls due to time zone restrictions, we go through completed applications to ensure no original documents are being sent for waste .

I've learned different passport policies and also learned the different process/step of obtaining a passport (from the application to the print).

Our management team is great. From the managers to supervisors on duty, all are very helpful and understanding. 

The hardest part of the job I would have to say thus far is dealing with the applicants that are not willing to pay the new fee but after explaining the policy and the benefits of the change, the majority of applicants will then pay. 

The most enjoyable part would have to be the people/work environment. You're always learning new things. It is very positive.

I really enjoyed working for Service Canada. I worked in the mailroom, however I was responsible for more than just mail duties. I was in charge of fleet management for our halifax office, in charge of security (security cards, issues with security doors, taking photos for ids, etc.), and I did all inventory management for our office. This was a job I liked the most because I was always doing something different and I was very busy in this office. Therefore, the time flew by every day and did not drag on. There was not a lot of down time which was a great thing because I like keeping busy. One thing I did not like so much is that my supervisor worked in Dartmouth while I worked in Halifax so she could not be there everyday to check in and see if all was ok. However, being the good worker that I am, there was no concerns that the work would be done efficiently and fast. This has nothing to do with the department itself, but I did not enjoy working with my co-workers in the mailroom on most days. I found I had to pick up a lot of the slack and it made things a bit frustrating at times.

A typical day at work is to get your computer up and running, without breakdown or disconnection, and navigating inefficient systems that are old, archaic and not user friendly nor effective. You learn next to nothing in training and will be stressed as learning curve takes three to six times the length to learn than any where else. Job may take years to learn. Management can change each week and they do not care at all. They are not transparent, can be petty and do a very bad job in personnel management and are definitely not that qualified. They may not treat you honestly and they have no concern as they communicate one way and only their way. Bad management may make work unbearable over time and put unnecessary stress and burden over you. Culture at work does not exist, you are chained to the desk all day, and are micromanaged each minute. You may be treated worse than a number. It may be one of the worse gov jobs, as sure will not feel like gov job, and may not be worth the toll it takes on you as you may be stressed daily, without reason to be. Aside from helping citizens as civil servants and the joy that can bring, job can be bad choice in the end. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Pay is great, benefits are okay

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Short staffed, never know who will be there, where you will be sitting or what you will be doing day to day. Very stressful, chaotic. Constant pressure from management to do more. Rush you through training, no proper mentors or co-workers to train with on site with limited support online. Micro management and have to press a button to record how long you are with every client and what service you are providing. Awful experience.  Proper accommodations for persons with disabilities not provided.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Chaotic,  short staffed, huge amout of poor training all online, no one cares about you or to get to know you, no teamwork, very cold and uncaring

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Never know from day to day where your desk will be, who your co-workers will be or what you will be asked to do. Constant micromanagement built into job and have to account for every moment of the day, although great pay, avoid this at all costs

Production based work day with speed of service with quality monitoring in a super controlled environment focused on public transparency, policy adhesion and collective group effort to meet standards of the government.  Multi-tasking was invented here.

I learned to be skilled in listening (weeding through conversations for truths), coping with an ever-changing environment (policy, administrative (application/governmental, management). Knowing what program used what specific inputs (on a given day, over 10 programs open for assessment).  Complicated and involved job that required attention to detail. 

The most enjoyable part of the job was helping people who really needed the financial assistance and learning about patience while honing empathy and understanding for other human beings and their stations in life.

I've learned when to talk and when not to.  Diplomacy and tact - expert level.

Started at 8am until 4pm, Had lunch at work in breakroom. Started up all the programs first thing in the morning and check any new e-mails from team leader to see if any new items were on the list to get done asap. I learned a lot of different computer systems and programs. I was trained to call clients and verify their identy over the phone. The co-workers were excellent to work with and always had something on-going for every different ocassion on the calender. Saying good-bye to co-workers when thier term was up and when I got told that I couldn't work in Gander anymore. The laughing and telling of jokes and all the different functions that was always on the go to support different organizations. The only time you see the management was when they had bad news it seemed. Always had overtime in the fall and winter which was a plus.

Everyday is a new day.
We have a pretty awesome team, so if one person is unsure of something we will discuss with a co-worker to get their suggestion, maybe something new or program changes, but a learning experience.
 Every situation we deal with is different so we have to focus on what is required for each individual, in some cases redirect them to where they can get the assistance they require.
Management is very supportive, if we have an unexpected situation happen we can depend on support from management.
The hardest part of the job is listening to a heart broken parent or family member because somebody close to them has passed on, especially a child.
I love being part of a team that works together , and the opportunity to learn new programs.

There is a culture of laziness and blame shifting in the government that is unavoidable. I had good experiences with my manager, and this let me take risks and work to fulfill my potential, which was the only thing that kept me going; that isn't the case for all managers.

Things could have easily gone different during my time there. From what I could see the only people who can make a career out of this are the exceedingly dull, the truly lazy... Or the rare people who truly wish to dedicate their lives in the frustrating, necessary, painful, endless bureaucracy that is government public service.

For my part, the money was good, and there was room to advance. If you can stomach it and you're not going anywhere quickly you could spend a long time here.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The pleasure of assisting various people with their needs which significantly impacts them with their daily lives

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
It can get very busy with the volume of people you have to assist but it makes the day go by a lot faster. You will always be learning new procedures 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Excellent colleagues and a great culture 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Starts off by catching up on new service updates and procedures.Get ready by getting all your services related platforms. Take your appropriate breaks and continue serving clients to the best of your abilities always with a smile and a sense of care

Working at the College was very exciting as we were building it from the ground up.  It was very exciting because we welcomed up to 40 participants per week most weeks of the year.  I worked in the reception area so got to meet all of the participants daily, answer their questions, solve problems, create a "what's happening in Regina this week" poster to give participants options for what they could do or go to eat in the evenings and on the weekends as they were traveling in to Regina from all over Canada.  I also purchased supplies for all of the classrooms, ordered repairs to equipment and ensured my credit card was coded and paid every month to keep the machine moving smoothly.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Agent de service 26 salaries reported	$29.69 per hour
Préposé au service à la clientèle 1 salary reported	$60,424 per year
Business services officer 16 salaries reported	$63,637 per year
Conseiller clientèle 57 salaries reported	$61,152 per year
Assistant spécialiste 7 salaries reported	$67,330 per year

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