GLPC Job Description Non-Manager
/ Job Title / Customer Service Officer (Customer Services)Department / Community Wellbeing
Section / Brent Housing Management Customer Services – Contact Centre
Grade / Scale 4-6
Reports to / Customer Service Team Leader
Staffing Responsibility / None
Organisation
Job Purpose:
1. To provide advice, information and assistance with enquiries, relating to customer services.
2. Represent the council by providing first contact resolution to customers; maintaining the highest standards of customer care at all times.
3. Providing advice and applying sound judgement in assessing customer needs.
4. Where possible resolve all enquiries on first contact with the customer, where not identify and carry out the actions needed to lead to resolution.
5. To carry out all duties in accordance with relevant Council and Customer Service policies, procedures and standards to ensure the delivery of excellent services to customers.
Due to the changing nature of the service, this job description serves as a framework to outline the main areas of responsibility and it will inevitably change. The post holder will be required to have a flexible approach to working patterns and schedules. The post holder may also be required to undertake other activities of a similar nature that fall within the remit of your area of work, as directed by the management team.
Principal Accountabilities and Responsibilities:
At Scale 4
1. The post holder must at all times carry out her/his duties with due regard to the Council’s Customer Care, Equal Opportunities and Best Value Policies and incorporating the Council’s Core Competencies as well as other policies and procedures.
2. The post holder is required to take reasonable care for the safety and health of themselves and others who may be affected by their acts; and to work with management to comply with Service/Unit procedures and protocols and with Brent Council’s Health and Safety Policy and all guidance, instructions and risk assessments. In particular the jobholder is required to attend training relevant to their post in order to ensure their health and safety responsibilities are met.
3. The post holder will support/assist team members to ensure targets are met.
4. The post-holder will be required to provide telephone support to the frontline housing teams.
5. The post-holder will competently operate a number of office systems, including excel, word and the council’s email system.
6. The post holder will ensure they are always aware of all council services and departments and that they direct customer’s enquiries with speed and accuracy.
7. The post-holder will keep abreast of organisational changes within the Council in order to provide up to date information for all customers
8. The post holder will support team members to ensure targets are met.
9. The post-holder will operate professionally both as an individual and as a team member for the benefit of the customer at all times, regularly contributing ideas, suggestions and feedback to team leaders thus providing a valuable contribution to the effectiveness and continued success of the service both locally and overall.
10. Accountable for the accurate and timely recording of information on systems in accordance with protocols for data entry and compliance with performance indicators and effectively use and operate the relevant ICT systems.
11. Work flexibly within any team and from any location.
12. The post-holder will take a flexible approach to changing patterns of work and undertake such other duties as are consistent with the job purpose and grade of post.
13. Maintain confidentiality of information at all times.
14. Undertake any duties that are consistent with the job purpose and post of the grade.
15. To understand the value of information to the council and to contribute to good information governance by keeping information safe, accurate and up to date and available to those who need it. Abide by the council’s information governance policies.
16. To provide assistance for first line advice, referrals, resolution of queries for customers across different access channels.
Plus at Scale 5
17. The post holder will own and resolve simple enquiries and requests for general information regarding Council services, via face-to-face, telephone, email, online, in accordance with the Council’s policies, procedures and standards.
18. Streamline customer enquiries, referrals and overall service delivery by interpreting the needs of the customer and applying the most efficient resolution by integrating service access options.
19. Ensuring that they obtain and record accurate information from internal/external customers at all times.
20. Work flexibly within any team and from any location resolving queries.
21. Deal with challenging behaviour with tact, diplomacy, sensitivity and empathy with due regard for staff safety.
22. Identify individual customer requirements and ensure that appropriate arrangements are made to support these needs and assist the person with their enquiry.
23. The post holder will search and utilise the relevant systems to provide customer contact resolution.
24. Ascertain the individual needs of customers and arrange the appropriate support in order to ensure fair and equal access to Council services.
25. To provide first line advice, referrals, resolution of queries for customers relating to a wide range of council services with the primary aim to ensure customers receive an efficient, positive and personal experience.
26. Dependent on area of work, ensuring that there is the required knowledge and understanding required for the role.
27. Promote, encourage, educate and support customers to confidently access services via alternative channels to ensure delivery improvement and performance for channel migration.
28. Search, utilise and update a range of specialist databases in order to resolve customer enquiries
Plus at Scale 6
29. To continually update knowledge of service areas and service delivery processes within the council.
30. Advise and support colleagues and service development fostering an culture of effective team working to achieve service delivery objectives.
31. Contribute and support the development of a performance and customer focused culture, identifying improvements in processes, systems and behaviours which could improve the customer experience. Being proactive and taking responsibility for raising these discussions and taking action.
32. Collaborate and network with colleagues in service areas and across the council to champion customer services.
33. Keep up to date with legislation, policies and procedural changes in order to deal effectively and efficiently with customer enquiries.
34. Identify customers with critical needs and requests made requiring immediate intervention including safe guarding adults and children at risk.
35. Identify, process and amend the customer’s service need following a rapid contact assessment in line with agreed criterion, authorisation and financial limits.
36. Proactively share and contribute ideas to support the continual improvement of service to customers and will contribute to achieving cross council, departmental and service objectives.
37. Providing a comprehensive service for dealing with enquiries and complaints, advice and information requests to all customers in a range of general and specialist council services.
38. Provide advice and information and consistently deal with complex customer enquiries, complaints and transactions regarding a range of council services adhering to customer service standards via all customer access channels.
39. Provide a comprehensive enquiry and complaints handling service that covers a range of council services to agreed levels as specified within policy and procedural guidelines.
40. Take ownership in dealing with complex and detailed enquires complaints and transactions.
Career Progression
The post is career graded based on performance against required competencies (see the Person Specification), level of supervision required, ability to operate on one own initiative and qualitative measures for example, service knowledge, performance against peer norms and end to end customer measures. Assessment will be every 6 months minimum via the appraisal and performance management process.
Carry out duties with due regard to the Council’s Customer Care, Equal Opportunities, Information Governance, Data Protection and Health and Safety policies and procedures.
Undertake any other duties commensurate with the general level of responsibility of this post.
DBS Status / N/A
Politically Restricted
(delete as appropriate) / No
Person Specification
Job Knowledge, Skills & Experience:
Specify the qualifications, experience, skills and abilities required.
Knowledge, Experience and Qualifications:
Scale 4
1. Maintain awareness of service changes and developments across the Council
2. Experience of dealing with customer enquiries
3. Clear verbal and written communication skills
Scale 5
The above plus -
4. Working in a fast paced and demanding customer focused environment
5. Successful delivery against set customer access standards and service level performance agreements
6. Knowledge and experience of providing a customer focussed advice, information, enquiry, transactions and complaints handling service
7. Knowledge and understanding of how local authorities or other large service organisations operate
Scale 6
The above plus -
8. Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of at least one of the following areas - Adult Social Care, Children Services, Housing, Neighbourhoods, Environment and Transportation
Skills and Abilities:
9. Ability to effectively resolve customer enquiries, requests, complaints or transactions and deal with a high volume of customer contact via various access channels
10. Ability to adjust to a changing work environment
11. Ability to effectively navigate a range of IT systems, interpret legislation and procedures and clearly advise customers and to effectively obtain and accurately record information
12. To have a systematic and methodical approach to work
13. To work effectively in a customer services environment
14. Effective team working skills
15. The ability to listen and explain information accurately and clearly
16. To deal politely, efficiently and courteously with a wide range of individuals, ensuring they feel supported, listened to, welcome and confident in the handling of their enquiry
17. To work effectively as an individual and as a member of a team by co-operating and supporting colleagues in the workplace and to have an understanding of the importance and application of this in a customer services working environment
18. To have an understanding and support customers individual needs e.g. linguistic or disability
19. To deal sympathetically with distressed, agitated, confused or irate customers
20. The ability to relate to and understand the needs of a diverse range of people
Version 3: January 2014
Date of Job Evaluation / Page 1 of 7