At a Glance
- Tasks: Manage customer complaints with empathy and professionalism, ensuring a high-quality service.
- Company: Join Bernicia, a leading housing provider in the North East.
- Benefits: Enjoy 28 days annual leave, health cash plan, gym discounts, and a generous pension scheme.
- Other info: Flexible working options and a supportive team culture await you.
- Why this job: Make a real difference by helping customers resolve their issues and improve services.
- Qualifications: Experience in complaint handling and excellent interpersonal skills are essential.
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Ashington
Salary: £13,466.50 per annum
Hours: 18.5 per week, Monday, Friday and half day Wednesday
Contract: Temporary
Closing Date: 5PM Friday 5th June 2026.
We’re looking for a passionate and customer-focused Complaints Handler to join our team. In this role, you’ll play a key part in ensuring our customers receive a high-quality, fair and efficient complaints service, supporting them through resolution with empathy and professionalism.
You’ll be responsible for managing complaints from end to end, from initial acknowledgement through to investigation and response, helping us continuously improve the services we provide.
Role Benefits:
- 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) for full time employees; pro-rata to part time employees.
- Working from home one day per week
- Health cash plan membership so you can save money by claiming cash back – over £1000 each year - towards essential healthcare such as dental, optical, physio and loads more. We’ll also cover the costs of including any dependent children in the scheme – up to the age of 21 or 24 if in full time education – that you may have.
- Access to savings on gym memberships plus cash back and discounts on purchases from major retailers including supermarkets, travel, cinema and more.
- Generous pension scheme with life insurance of 3 x salary
About the Complaint Handler Role:
This role will involve:
- Managing and coordinating customer complaints and compliments
- Liaising with customers daily to keep them updated and supported throughout their complaint
- Acknowledging and responding to complaints within strict timescales
- Liaising with our repairs team to investigate issues
- Supporting a range of service areas with complaints support and guidance
- Working with internal teams to resolve issues quickly and effectively
- Providing clear, accurate and timely written responses to customers
- Maintaining accurate records and updating of systems
- Identifying opportunities to improve services and the customer experience
Your Experience:
We’re looking for someone who is empathetic, organised and thrives in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment. Successful candidates will need:
Essential:
- Complaint handling experience within a regulated environment
- Excellent interpersonal skills both written and verbal
- Ability to emphasise and build relationships with customers and staff
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage deadlines
- Experience working in a target-driven or task-based environment
Desirable:
- Social Housing Experience
- Experience of working independently while collaborating across
About us:
- We’re all about helping people in need of housing. We believe a good home makes lots of other things possible, so we provide great homes and services that do just that.
- We’ve built Bernicia to be a business that people want to be a part of. We’re one of the North East’s largest and most successful housing providers; building, renting, selling and managing homes as well as providing services to over 60,000 customers.
- We operate within a set of simple, but effective values, which blend perfectly to create our unique ‘Bernicia Way’ culture. This ensures we are customer focused, through working together, respecting each other, being accountable for our actions and demonstrating integrity and leadership.
Interviews will be taking place week commencing 22nd June 2026. We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than advertised, should we receive a large volume of applications.
The Group is fully committed to the promotion of equal opportunities and we particularly welcome applicants from groups who are currently under represented at Bernicia.
Complaints Handler employer: Bernicia
Bernicia is an exceptional employer, dedicated to fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment in Ashington. With a strong focus on employee well-being, we offer generous benefits such as a health cash plan, flexible working options, and a robust pension scheme, all while promoting personal and professional growth through our unique 'Bernicia Way' culture. Join us in making a meaningful impact in the lives of over 60,000 customers as we strive to provide quality housing and services.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Complaints Handler
✨Get Social with Customer Support Communities
Join customer support groups on platforms like Facebook or Reddit. They often share job openings or temp opportunities. Engaging with these communities can help you learn more about the specific skills and experiences employers are looking for, plus you'll meet folks who might know about openings at companies like Bernicia.
✨Leverage Seasonal Hiring Trends
Since customer support roles can spike during busy seasons (think holidays and sales periods), keep an eye out for timelines when companies ramp up hiring. Make sure to apply early and stay active; sending a quick follow-up a week after applying can show your enthusiasm for the role.
✨Flex Your Communication Skills
In customer support, communication is key! Prepare for hypothetical scenarios that test your problem-solving and customer interaction skills. Practising answers to common role-play questions can really help you shine in interviews—trust us, it makes a difference!
✨Make the Most of Job Boards
Use industry-specific job boards like Glassdoor or Indeed to find temporary roles. Don’t forget to set up alerts for customer support positions at companies like Bernicia. The earlier you apply, the better your chances, so keep your finger on the pulse!
We think you need these skills to ace Complaints Handler
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Your Communication Skills:In customer support, top-notch communication is key. Make sure your CV showcases any previous experience where you’ve had to clearly convey information or resolve issues. If you’ve handled customer queries via email or chat, mention it! Let’s see those strong verbal and written skills shine through.
Showcase Problem-Solving Experience:Employers love to see how you've handled tricky situations. Include examples in your application where you’ve tackled customer concerns or had to think on your feet. It's all about proving you can keep cool under pressure and find solutions—something super important in a temporary customer support role!
Tailor Your Approach for Temporary Roles:Since this is a temporary gig, make sure your cover letter emphasises your flexibility and eagerness to dive right in. Mention that you're ready to hit the ground running and are adaptable to new tools or systems—this shows that you understand the urgency often needed in temporary positions.
Proof of Customer Satisfaction:If you’ve got any quantifiable achievements from past customer support roles, like improved customer satisfaction scores or successful project completions, make sure to include them. Numbers speak volumes! This not only shows your capability but also gives us a reason to believe you'll bring that same success to Bernicia.
How to prepare for a job interview at Bernicia
✨Master the Customer Interaction Game
In customer support, we need to showcase our people skills. Prepare for role-playing scenarios where you'll demonstrate how to handle difficult customers or resolve complaints. Think about the types of issues common in Bernicia's industry and how you can respond empathetically and effectively!
✨Know Your Products Inside Out
For a temporary role, it's crucial to familiarize yourself with the products or services Bernicia offers. Brush up on key features, common issues, and FAQs. This knowledge will enable you to respond quickly and confidently to customer queries, showing you’re ready to jump in at a moment’s notice!
✨Flexibility is Key - Emphasise Your Adaptability!
Since this is a temporary role, we're looking to convey how quickly we can adapt to new systems or processes. Be ready to share examples of how you've quickly learned new tools or adjusted to changing environments in past roles. Show them you're the go-to person when the pressure's on!
✨Prepare for Quick Conversational Q&A
You might face a rapid-fire round of questions about customer service principles or how you'd handle specific situations. To ace this, think through different customer scenarios ahead of time, and practice your responses to ensure they're concise and impactful. The aim is to demonstrate your quick thinking and problem-solving skills!
