Customer Service Officer - Housing Services in Cheltenham

Purpose

• To provide a consistently high level of customer service to customers, stakeholders and third parties who contact Cheltenham Borough Council housing services.
• To work in partnership with other Customer Services Officers to respond appropriately and effectively to every customer contact which comes in via the Customer Services Team, to provide a positive customer experience, and achieve high levels satisfaction.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• To provide a service that, wherever possible aims to deal with customer’s queries at first point of contact ensuring that a high-quality of service is always delivered.
• To be effective and pro-active in dealing with customer enquiries.
• To process requests and queries from various sources / parties (for example from tenants, tenant representatives, colleagues) by telephone, email, or customer portal, ensuring a consistent high level of detail and appropriate prioritisation, so not to negatively impact on resources and service standards, particularly those linked to logistics and repairs.
• Ensure are at all times treated with dignity and respect, and in accordance with their individual needs and those set out in the Equality Act.
• To respond appropriately to any customer safeguarding concerns, and in line with CBC housing services policy and procedure, to enable any required actions to be determined.
• The ability to maintain customer confidentially when responding to contacts.
• To comply with any relevant legislation, GDPR and CBC’s customer safeguarding responsibilities.
• Use a computer-based contact centre telephony system, understanding and responding appropriately to real time call handling data displayed on wallboards.
• To respond professionally to customers displaying unreasonable behaviour and reporting any incidents to the Customer Service Team Leader.
• Have an excellent knowledge of and ability to utilise all IT systems and data bases effectively including Microsoft packages and housing management systems.
• Ensure all contacts received into the organisation are correctly classified and recorded on the internal housing management system with an appropriate level of detail to enable any further action to be determined.
• Have a good working knowledge of the services provided by key areas of the business such as Repairs, Tenancy Management, ASB, Housing Options and Benefit & Money Advice to ensure correct routing of requestions / queries through the organisation, to allow a timely response to be provided to the customer.
• Administer and monitor the customer web portal, Customer relations email inbox and out of hours service reports.
• Process customer payments via telephone and incoming and outgoing mail at the HWRC Area Office.
• Process Compliments. Comments and complaints in line with CBC’s policy and procedure.
• To aid the Customer Service Team Leader with monitoring customer satisfaction, both through following up on quarterly customer satisfaction surveys, and by ensuring that any live feedback is promptly passed to the relevant Service Manager, to ensure that it can be acted upon to maintain a customer focussed service.
• To work with the Customer Service Team Leader and the Project & Change Team to support the identification of factors which impact on the quality of customer service the CSO is able to provide and suggest developments to team and wider organisation processes.
• To support the Customer Services Team Leader to induct new Customer Service Officers into the team through support with training and by acting as a mentor.
• To aid the Customer Service Team Leader with the monitoring and calculating of a range of performance indicators including those related to the allocation of customer services resources and contact centre service levels.
• Deputise for the Customer Services Team Leader as required.
• Assist with other duties as requested by Customer Service Team Leader.

This job description sets out the key outcomes required. It does not specify in detail all the activities required to achieve these outcomes.

General Accountabilities

• Work to add value to, and be a valued member of, the team and to be valued by customers.
• Maintain a safe working environment and ensuring, as reasonably practicable, that safe working practices are adopted by employees within the working environment.
• Work in compliance with the codes of conduct, regulations (including financial) and policies of the council.
• Exercise proper and absolute integrity in respect of all confidential matters and the confidentiality of personal and sensitive information.
• Show a commitment to safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable adults, young people and children, in line with the organisation’s policy.