Customer Service Representative in Havant

Are you passionate about Customer Service and looking to develop your customer service skills within a Local Authority to support our organisation's priorities? We are seeking a Customer Service Representative to join our onsite team at Havant Borough Council. This position is perfect for individuals with a background in customer service. This is a highly diverse role where no two days are the same. By working closely with the public, you will play a pivotal role in delivering outstanding service and enhancing the community's interaction with their local authority.

As a Customer Service Representative, you will engage directly with the public, addressing a wide range of queries about council services. Your goal will be to provide accurate information promptly, ensuring an exceptional customer experience every time. This role makes a positive difference by providing customers with a first-class, understanding service by assisting with and answering any queries via the Council's various access channels while also supporting various administrative functions.

The role of the Customer Service Representative will act as the first point of contact for enquiries, handle requests, and perform administration tasks to support officers and teams throughout the Council thereby assisting in the delivery of services to residents of the Borough.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide efficient and effective customer service to all customers who are contacting Customer Services by telephone, personal visit to reception and customer access point, online, e-mail or in writing.
• Provide clear, accurate and concise responses to all customers ensuring compliance to Council policy and procedure.
• Ensure that records and information on Council's computer systems covering the full range of Council services, including case management systems are accurately recorded and updated where necessary.
• Manage and record customer complaints in a professional and timely manner in line with the Councils complaints procedure, escalating issues when necessary.
• Promote self-service and channel shift in line with Council’s strategy, supporting customers with the use of self-serve terminals and web access points located within reception areas.
• Monitor shared mailboxes and action/respond to internal and external emails as appropriate.
• Support with administrative tasks that involve working with spreadsheets and documents for activities such as gathering and compiling data, maintaining records and producing and formatting documents.
• Work with various teams to make updates and changes to the Councils website, intranet, policies and core records to ensure the information we hold and publish is up-to-date, accurate and good quality.
• Cooperate with the implementation of new services/processes into the team and help ensure that all arrangements, systems and resources are in place to enable services to be delivered in a customer focused and business-like way.

What do I need to have?

You’ll have experience of working in a busy customer services environment, responding appropriately to customer requests and identifying solutions to issues, making effective use of available information technology systems. You will also need to be understanding and have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, be approachable and willing to assist others as well as the ability to work under pressure. You will be required to be flexible and have an enthusiastic approach to work, with the ability to adapt to change at short notice, have good keyboard skills, including knowledge of word and excel.

What we can offer you

• Support for your continuous professional development.
• Generous Leave Allowance.
• Free Parking.
• Flexible working to support your work-life balance.

At Havant Borough Council, our values shape how we work, make decisions and serve our communities. We're looking for people who demonstrate our values every day:

• Ambitious: we want to be the best for our Borough, our communities, and partners; We are performance driven.
• Accountable: we take personal responsibility for our decisions; we are one team.
• Agile: we are responsive to change; we evolve our ways of working.
• H'avant Garde: we are solutions-focused, and we learn continuously.

If these values describe you, we would love to hear in your covering letter how you demonstrated them in your career and experience.

If you would like to discuss the role, please contact Sharon Jessup, Deputy Customer Service Manager via email sharon.jessup@havant.gov.uk.

Closing date for receipt of applications is midnight on 1 September 2026 and interviews will be held on 15 September 2026. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Due to the current employment climate, we are receiving a high number of applicants for each post and may not acknowledge receipt. You will be notified shortly after the closing date if you are shortlisted.

The council is an inclusive employer and appoints on merit. We are a Disability Confident Employer and have a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for Veterans. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff members to share this commitment.

Havant Borough Council is a Category 1 Responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. All employees of the Authority will be expected to support any necessary actions required during an emergency response.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR): As part of Local Government Reorganisation, current plans will see us combine with Portsmouth City Council and the district and borough councils of Fareham, Gosport and parts of East Hampshire and Winchester district councils to form a new, larger unitary authority for South East Hampshire. We are working towards an implementation date of 1 April 2028, known as vesting day, subject to Parliamentary approval. Until then, we remain focused on maintaining continuity, supporting our workforce, and continuing to deliver excellent services to our residents throughout the transition to the new unitary authority. This is an exciting time to join us, offering the opportunity to contribute to organisational transformation, develop your career, and help shape future services for our communities.