Customer Service Advisor in Westminster

About The Advocacy Project

We help people speak up and make decisions about their health, wellbeing and social care. We’re here to make sure people who are vulnerable because of their circumstance can understand their rights, make effective choices about their lives and voice their concerns. Some of the ways we do this include:

• Advocacy services that make sure people can express their wishes when decisions are being made about their care or wellbeing.
• User involvement projects that help organisations improve what they offer by listening to people who use their services.
• Local Healthwatch services, which act as health and social care champions for the areas they serve and give people a direct channel to share their feedback.

Our services are independent, confidential, and free to those receiving them. Together, our teams are standing up for essential rights and supporting people to have a say on the issues that matter to them.

About the role

You’ll provide a warm and professional presence and a welcoming space to everyone that contacts The Advocacy Project. You’ll interact regularly with senior managers from local government and the NHS, local councillors, charities, and people in need of our services. Some of those who use our services may be unwell or in desperate need of help. A calm, professional manner is therefore key. You’ll be proactive in finding ways to help people, whether through making a referral to our services or signposting to services provided by other organisations.

Key responsibilities

• Answer calls professionally and in line with our customer service standards.
• Manage the info email box ensuring all queries are dealt with in a timely and professional manner.
• Listen to voicemails and take appropriate action.
• Refer queries about existing referrals to the appropriate advocate or service manager proactively. Where appropriate chase to ensure that the advocate or manager has continued to work on the case.
• Make referrals to our own service using the web form which helps you enter relevant information into our Case Management System.
• Maintain a list of services provided by other organisations so that you can signpost people if they need a service that we do not offer.
• Upload reports received from external agencies into our Case Management System.
• Act with care and attention in line with our data protection and confidentiality policies; you’ll be dealing with sensitive personal data.
• Follow a simple flowchart; remain alert to potential safeguarding situations where prompt action needs to be taken to keep people safe.
• Call the Duty Advocate and request assistance on complex cases.
• Raise potential issues and problems with your manager at the earliest possible opportunity.

General responsibilities

• Participate in team meetings and training.
• Participate in personal, team and organisational development.
• Contribute to monitoring reports.
• Keep to our policies, including health & safety, safeguarding and risk regulations.
• Work to our mission, vision, and values.
• Carry out other projects and tasks as needed.

Person specification

We welcome applications from people with transferrable skills and qualities, and people with diverse employment histories and personal backgrounds.

Essential qualities and attributes:

• Aligned to our values – voice, rights, and choice.
• Calm empathetic professional manner.
• Shows professional curiosity – no stone unturned when trying to find the root cause of issues that individuals face.
• Proactive and responsive.
• Committed to high quality work.
• Team player.
• Experience of customer care or helplines, including handling telephone calls.
• Good knowledge of IT – Microsoft Office and other databases.
• Experience of data entry.
• Experience of working to customer service standards.

Desirable knowledge, experience and qualifications:

• Ideally you have worked in health and social care. Experience of working in consumer organisations such as a utility company would also be beneficial.
• Good understanding of advocacy.

Benefits of working for us

We’re committed to providing an empowering, flexible and supportive working environment for all our staff. Our employee benefits include 30 days annual leave (including up to 3 days between Christmas and New Year), participation in a pension scheme with 6% employer contribution, access to a free confidential counselling service, and an interest-free travel/bike loan. All our staff are supported to learn and develop in a variety of ways, including a monthly lecture series where we invite sector experts to talk to our staff on topical issues.

We are a Disability Confident and Mindful Employer.