Customer Service Officer

45 months contract with a Local Authority in Southwest England.

Job Summary:

Customer Services act as the front door for customers needing assistance with all services provided by Somerset Council.

This is a busy and highly rewarding telephonybased role handling high volume customer calls relating to a broad range of council service including Elections Waste Council Tax Housing Parking Childrens Service Education Adult Social Care and much more.

You will provide advice and guidance to customers and members of the public requesting support predominantly via the telephone.

Face to face email and digital customer interactions can also be involved.

Key Duties/Accountabilities:

Respond to all contacts from any Somerset Council Service. May receive calls including safeguarding from Adults and Children s and will be required to take relevant details and pass onto a colleague within the Customer Contact team.

Assess the needs of each contact through active listening questioning and some scripts to provide the necessary information guidance support or services.

Interrogate and interpret online information guidance documents and the use of other line of business systems. Wherever possible all interactions will be resolved at the first point of contact.

Use both formal procedures and their own judgement to identify if the enquiry requires further consultation or routing to a specialist within a Somerset Council Service.

Record in the appropriate system all customer data and service requirements and where required workflow to the appropriate individual or team. Record data to enable the Contact Centre managers to monitor and track service team and individual performance.

Maintain an awareness of contact volumes and manage their own availability using the telephony system to maximise their performance and the performance of the Contact Centre.

Review information held on systems and/or website to identify inaccurate information or to highlight areas of improvement and efficiency for system use and processes.

Follow the electronic feedback process to report this information as well as meeting regularly with Managers to provide feedback on behalf of the team.

Keep up to date with any changes to Somerset Council Services including consultations which may result in contact from members of the public or other organisations.

Liaise with staff within Services where there are discrepancies in information available on the Council s websites. Collate data/feedback to provide to the service areas.

Deal with all contacts in line with the Council s policies and procedures eg Equalities and Diversity and relevant legislation eg the Data Protection Act or Freedom of Information. All data recorded must be relevant and accurate.

Adhere to the Internal Customer Contact Working Practices. In addition the postholder has the additional responsibility of either a subject matter expert for at least one key activity/service area (see 913 below) and/or the daytoday operational lead for the customer service point (see1420 below).

Provide colleagues with coaching and support for complex issues or enquiries.

Review any changes to processes new information or feedback from Services.

Train and/or provide instructions to colleagues to ensure best practice and consistent advice and support to customers.

Take the lead in review of website content collation of feedback and liaison with operations staff within services.

Promote the customer shift to less costly access channels including digital delivery.

Identify opportunities or improvements to digital services. Support colleagues and managers in working with the service area to identify and recognise opportunities for development and improvement.

Provide colleagues with coaching and support for complex issues or enquiries.

Review any changes to processes and train and/or provide instructions to colleagues to ensure consistent advice and support to customers

Essential Experience Required:

Excellent customer service skills including listening empathy understanding and kindness.

Excellent all round communication skills including strong telephone manner.

Confidence and resilience to handle high volume sensitive and emotive interactions.

Good computer skills confidence to learn new systems and use multiple technologies Enthusiasm to learn about our services a positive and calm way of working and a problemsolving mindset.

Professionalism to adhere to process and understand the confidential and sometimes difficult nature of interactions we handle.

Experience is not essential however it will be useful and if you do have experience of any of our services on a personal or professional basis then please make this clear in your application

Additional information to note:

It offers hybrid working with 2 days per week required in the office (once trained) and the remaining days can be home or office based as you wish.

It s a fulltime position (37hrs) 8.305.15pm Monday to Friday so your work pattern will be within these hours.

We have offices in Deane House Taunton. Bridgwater House Bridgwater or Petters House Yeovil.

Customers can contact us between 8.305.15pm Monday to Friday so your work pattern will be within these hours.

The closing date for this position is ASAP