Customer Service Advisor (23 Hours Weekly / Permanent)
Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is passionate about providing high-quality services to our communities, residents and businesses. This means we must employ and retain the most talented and dedicated people.
Situated within the heart of the Cambridge-Peterborough Growth Area, Huntingdonshire is a beautiful district that boasts thriving market towns and many attractive villages, each with its own identity. We are an innovative and forward-thinking local authority whose residents are at the heart of our decision-making.
At HDC we want to employ staff who embody our icare values (Inspiring, Collaborative, Accountable, Respectful, Enterprising), all of which support our ultimate purpose of putting our customers first.
Job details
An excellent opportunity has arisen to join our fantastic Customer Service team on a part-time, permanent basis. You will be part of a highly skilled and committed team delivering the council's Customer Contact Service, offering a first-class customer experience, and maximising value for money.
Customer Services are the first point of contact for the public accessing council services. Multiple channels of communication are dealt with, such as face-to-face, telephone and email, using excellent communication skills throughout.
The main access channel is the telephone therefore the role is predominantly call centre based. Advisors are required to work in any of the Customer Service locations on a rota basis, with approximately 90% and 10% split.
The Customer Service team advise on a wide range of council services including but not limited to Housing, Operational Services, Environmental Issues, Council Tax, Benefits, Planning and Elections, and encourage the use of our Customer Portal for self-serve purposes.
A key responsibility of the role is to effectively identify customer needs and be able to resolve and deal with enquiries in all service areas within the limitations of the service.
Through working in the Customer Service team, advisors will leave customers with a good impression of HDC, perform routine and complex transactions, and offer excellent customer service.
The core working hours are Monday- Thursday 8.45am
- 5pm and Friday 8.45am
- 4.30pm, where advisors work to a structured rota with defined breaks and working patterns.
The role is based in Pathfinder House, Huntingdon. Following completion of full training to the required standard, there are working from home opportunities on a rota basis.
About you
You will deliver a wide range of council services directly to the customer and seek to resolve enquiries at the first point of contact. You will also take advantage of opportunities to resolve multiple enquiries at the same time to increase efficiency and enhance the customer experience.
You will have the ability to learn all systems required to provide the services mentioned above as well as the ability to cope with change and remain flexible to undertake a variety of duties.
Receive ongoing training and maintain up-to-date knowledge and understanding of council services and systems.
Proactively seek out and resolve potential issues before they arise, escalating more complex issues as appropriate.
Build relationships to inspire trust in both you and the council.
Where appropriate, promote and encourage lower-cost contact channels including self-service.
Apply appropriate and effective communication techniques when dealing with customer contacts including diffusing conflict and managing sensitive situations.
Recording customer feedback including compliments, and complaints.
Actively participate in performance reviews and 1 to 1's, and work towards/meet Key Performance Areas agreed between the employee and the line manager.
Represent and champion the Customer Contact Service throughout the council.
To recommend service improvement opportunities within both Customer Services and the wider council to improve the customer experience.
Maintain and update customer records ensuring accurate and relevant information is captured.
Be part of a rota and remain flexible to support all contact channels and meet the business needs.
To actively reduce avoidable contact to the council and increase first-time resolution.
Maintain a commitment to our icare values (Inspiring, Collaborative, Accountable, Respectful, Enterprising) all of which support our purpose of putting customers first.
Understand and adhere to HDC policies and procedures.
Be responsible for managing customer information in a secure manner and in line with HDC Policies and legislations such as the Data Protection Act (DPA).
This job description is a guide to the range of duties involved. The post holder will need to be flexible and adaptable to respond to other duties that may be required sometimes interchanging throughout the day as necessary.
When applying for the Customer Service Advisor role, please state in your application form if you are applying for the Fixed-Term Contract role or the Permanent role.
ApplyTo apply for this position please complete the application form.
The closing date is 9am 13 October 2024 and interviews will be held the week commencing 21 October 2024.
However, this is a rolling campaign and we'll be reviewing applications on an ongoing basis and will close the advert early should we receive suitable applications, so please don't delay in applying!
Please note that the official closing date is as above, and will be the correct date. Some third-party websites may have different dates. Please refer to the HDC website for the official closing date to ensure you do not miss out on applying.