Castles & Coasts Housing Association

Customer Services Assistant

(36.25 hours per week, Workington)

Recruitment Pack

October 2017

Contents

Welcome3

Role profile4

Terms and conditions8

Recruitment timetable9

Closing date9

Appendix 1 – Recruitment Advertisement 10

1

Welcome

Dear Applicant

Thank you for your interest in this position and for taking the time to find out more about this opportunity.

On 31st July 2017, Two Castles Housing Association and Derwent & Solway Housing Association merged to form Castles & Coasts Housing Association.This new organisation now owns and manages more than 7,000 homes across the North of England in the areas of Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and North Lancashire.

Castles & Coasts Housing Association will focus on the needs of the local communities they serve, tackling the housing crisis, improve services within our communities, and use ourstrength and efficiency to meet housing service needs.

This is an exciting time to join a team in a brand new organisation and to help make a difference to our tenants’ lives.

Please read through this recruitment pack to find out more about the role, its terms & conditions, and the recruitment timetable.

If you have any questions about the role, please do not hesitate to contact myself (either by email at , or by telephone on 01228 635484).

Yours sincerely

Pamela Armstrong

Customer Services Manager

Role profile

Job Description

Customer Services Assistant

Reporting to:Senior Customer Services Officer

Purpose of Job:

  • To provide a high standard of customer service for all Castles & Coasts’ residents
  • To deal with customer enquiries at the first point of contact whenever possible

Key Responsibilities

Administration

  1. Dealing with general enquiries into the offices, passing specialist matters onto colleagues as required.
  2. Handling in and outgoing post in line with protocol.
  3. Servicing meetings at the offices including taking notes, arranging refreshments, reception duties as required.
  4. Creating and revising documents as required to support colleagues.
  5. Scanning, copying and storing documents as required.
  6. Respond to cold calls into the offices, gate keeping as required.
  7. Order office stationery in line with protocol.
  8. Depositing cash in line with Cash Banking Procedure.
  9. Co-ordinate bookings for rooms and pool cars.

Dealing with customer enquiries

  1. Supporting colleagues to respond effectively and confidentially to customer enquiries in person, by telephone and via email/website.
  2. Supporting colleagues to process repairs reported by customers using diagnostic tools and in line with procedures.
  3. Liaise with Property Services colleagues to deal with complex responsive repairs.
  4. Update customers on the progress of responsive and cyclical repairs.
  5. Obtain feedback from customers on completed repairs.
  6. Supporting colleagues to respond to enquiries about rent accounts, providing information, taking payments and discussing arrears in line with Rent Arrears Policy.
  7. Supporting colleagues to respond to customer complaints and comments in line with policy and refer on as required.
  8. Respond to enquiries about housing and explain procedures.
  9. Utilise all customer contact to update records and raise any outstanding issues relating to their tenancy.

Generic

  1. Facilitate continuous performance improvement.
  2. Seek best value and continuous improvement in all activities.
  3. Promote and act in accordance with policies and procedures including those relating to equality and diversity, customer care and health and safety.
  4. Contribute positively to the Associations’ values and objectives.
  5. Comply with Financial Standing Orders and Codes of Conduct.
  6. Comply with the requirements of external regulators.
  7. To carry out such other duties as may reasonably be required from time to time.

Person Specification

ESSENTIAL / DESIRABLE
Education & qualifications /
  • Holds minimum of 5 GCSEs (A-C) or equivalent including Maths & English
  • Administration/Customer Services vocational qualification (level 2)
/ √ / √
Experience, knowledge, understanding /
  • Experience of delivering customer services
  • Experience of different customer contacts, internal & external
  • Understanding of the principles of customer care
  • Knowledge of social housing environment
/ √ / √
√
√
Technical & professional skills /
  • Computer literate, with good knowledge of Microsoft Office packages
  • Use of bespoke IT systems, databases, spreadsheets
/ √ / √
Vision & Drive /
  • Demonstrates drive and tenacity
  • Self-motivated
/ √
√
People /
  • Shows respect, consideration and sensitivity to others
  • Contributes positively within a team and across teams
  • Embraces ongoing learning and development
/ √
√
√
Planning /
  • Effectively gathers, analyses and utilises information
  • Uses problem solving and decision making skills
  • Prioritises and plans effectively
/ √ / √
√
Communication /
  • Good all round communication skills
  • Understands what information is required through effective listening and questioning
  • Listens to others, without making judgements or assumptions
  • Presents information in a straightforward way
/ √
√
√ / √
Performance /
  • Shows determination to achieve targets and objectives
  • Handles pressures of meeting targets and deadlines.
  • Seeks ways to continuously improve and learn
/ √
√
√
Customer Focus /
  • Demonstrates customer focus at the core of all activities
/ √
Equality & Diversity /
  • Ensuring equality of opportunity in all activities
  • Values diversity, respecting difference
/ √
√

Terms and conditions

Remuneration

  • The remuneration for the role is: £15,080 - £17,449

Terms and conditions

Type / Details
Hours /
  • 36.25 hours per week (full time)
  • 8.00am – 6.00pm working patterns
  • Flexitime scheme in place

Pension /
  • SHPS Defined Contribution scheme
  • Employer contributions up to 8%
  • Life assurance (3x annual salary)

Annual leave /
  • 25 days per year plus bank holidays
  • Increasing up to 30 days with five years’ service

Time off /
  • Company sick pay scheme
  • Family friendly policies with company pay schemes

Additional benefits /
  • Corporate Performance Bonus scheme
  • Simply Health Plan (after 3 years service)
  • Employee Assistance Programme
  • Childcare vouchers
  • Long service awards
  • Discounted gym membership
  • Staff Forum
  • Cycle to work scheme

Additional information

Additional information about Castles and Coasts Housing Association is available on the following link:

Recruitment timetable

Recruitment stage / Date
Adverts go live / 5th October 2017
Closing date for applications / 5.00pm, 16th October 2017
Shortlisting applications / 19th October 2017
Interviews / 31st October 2017 in Workington
Appointments made / By 3rd November 2017

Prospective candidates must detail in their application if they would not be available for interview on 31st October

How to apply

If you need more information about the position prior to applying, please contact:

  • Pamela Armstrong, Customer Services Manager, on or 01228 635484.

Please complete a copy of the application form. This can be downloaded and completed electronically. Once complete please email your application form to by no later than 5.00pm Monday 16th October 2017.

Please note that we will only accept applications in our standard application format, we do not accept CVs.

If you are called in for an interview, you will be notified by email. Please provide us with your preferred email address for receipt of this information.

I regret that we cannot reply to each applicant in person, so if you have not heard from us by Wednesday 25th October 2017, then your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Closing date

The closing date for applications is: 5.00pm Monday 16th October2017.

Your application will be acknowledged and treated with strictest confidence. References will not be taken up until a job offer is being made.

Appendix 1 |Recruitment Advertisement

Customer Services Assistant

Workington

£15,080 - £17,449 + benefits package

36.25 hours per week

Our Customer Services Assistants are responsible for providing a high standard of internal and external customer service. Key responsibilities of this post include dealing with resident and customer enquiries at first point of contact (supporting colleagues to respond effectively to customer enquiries - in person, by telephone and via email / website), passing specialist matters onto colleagues as required, handling in and outgoing post in line with protocol, carrying out electronic filing, and servicing meetings at the offices.

For more information and to download the recruitment pack for above post, please visit our website

Completed job applications must be emailed (stating the post title) to:

Closing date for applications: 5.00pm Monday 16th October 2017

Interviews to be held: In Workington on Tuesday 31st October 2017

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