Customer Feedback Officer

This is a full time, permanent position. For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Tracy Pocklington, External Relations Manager 01482 616 153 or Tracy.Pocklington@hullcc.gov.uk.

The Housing Investment Service is responsible for the management and delivery of responsive and cyclical maintenance, specialist & compliance works, planned improvement works, and refurbishment schemes to a stock of 24,000 domestic properties, garages and associated buildings and surroundings. The service is structured around key delivery areas, with teams responsible for Responsive Repairs, Voids, Gas Servicing & Repairs, Electrical, Planned Improvements, Asbestos, H&S, Asset, Finance, Customer Engagement, Contract Support, Home Ownership and Claims. All teams work closely together to provide a uniform and consistent service for all our customers and stakeholders.

As a social landlord, we are particularly focused on excellent customer care and support to persons living in our homes, aiming to provide the best possible customer journey/experience, and are always looking to tailor our service delivery to accommodate individual customer needs. An opportunity has arisen for a Customer Feedback Officer to join our team. Hybrid working arrangements (home/office) will be considered once training has been completed.

If you feel you have the required skills, knowledge, and experience this may be an opportunity for you. The role will include:

• Responsibility for a caseload of customer feedback (complaints) that require investigation by liaising with colleagues and partners.
• The ability to produce complaint replies that meet regulation standards and best practice within specified timescales.
• Provide problem solving advice and decision making on compensation payments linked to complaints where required.

The Neighbourhoods and Housing Customer Feedback Team have the primary responsibility for eliciting and coordinating complaints, comments, concerns and compliments from service users of the Neighbourhoods and Housing Service. The primary focus of the Customer Feedback Officer would be Investment Services related customer feedback.

You will support the Neighbourhoods and Housing External Relations Manager to ensure that:

• All service users across the city are encouraged and supported to comment on the quality of the services which they receive through the customer relationship, complaints and compliments management process.
• The Neighbourhoods and Housing Service respond to feedback from customers appropriately, ensuring customers receive a prompt and pertinent response and that the service is able to utilise feedback in its service improvement activity.
• There is relevant consideration around the compliance with policy and the appropriateness of actions of the department and its staff when a complaint progresses beyond the initial stage.
• Where services responses to customers feedback/complaints appear to be inadequate or inappropriate, you will liaise with service officers, challenging where appropriate to ensure responses are accurate, fair and reasonable and an appropriate resolution is offered.
• The senior management of the Neighbourhoods and Housing service are appropriately appraised of critical service failures and trends in complaints activity, advising on potential appropriate remedies where appropriate.

You will contribute, as required, towards the delivery of tenant influenced, outcomes-orientated services which promote service users’ health, safety and satisfaction in accordance with national housing regulation and the aspirations of the City and the Council.

You will contribute through the use of complaints, comments, concerns and compliments and other sources of feedback to the ongoing regeneration and development of the city and its services, with a view to Hull becoming an excellent authority. You will work with service providers providing an independent viewpoint and helping to identify opportunities for service improvement. Effective monitoring and performance management of complaints and feedback issues is in place and corporate performance targets are met.

Principal Accountabilities:

• To promote and safeguard the welfare of children, young people and/or vulnerable adults.
• Statutory Obligations – works closely with the Neighbourhoods and Housing External Relations Manager making timely responses to Local Government Ombudsman and Housing Ombudsman as required.
• To exercise initiative, and effective time management skills, in organising and planning own workload within well-defined guidelines. To effectively make decisions on how to progress and resolve cases, including complaints and other customer feedback, working closely with the service area‘s External Relations Manager.
• The post holder will take ownership of the service area’s customer feedback caseload and be proactive in ensuring cases are addressed, by following procedures closely, and are resolved within appropriate deadlines.
• The post holder will contribute to reports indicating to the wider service and senior management key information regarding customer feedback matters, identifying trends in complaints and service failures and proposing appropriate remedies to ensure an improved service and increased customer satisfaction.
• The post holder will be required to work with individuals who are challenging and may have disengaged with the service area.
• The post holder will maintain an awareness of other support or counselling services that may be available to help support service users who have complex needs.
• To maintain a comprehensive knowledge base of relevant working practices, policies, legislation and procedures.
• To assist with the induction, training and mentoring of service area staff responsible for responding to customer feedback and complaints processes.
• To record and monitor all relevant data (in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018).
• The post holder will possess excellent IT skills to understand and help shape technological solutions.
• The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated legislation places responsibilities for health and safety on Hull City Council, as your employer and you as an employee of the council.

The above principal accountabilities are not exhaustive and may vary without changing the character of the job or level of responsibility.

We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality, and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

We adopt a ‘name blind’ approach to shortlisting. Recruiting managers will not have access to personal information, including your name and contact details, until a shortlisting decision has been made.

The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.