Customer Services Advisor

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our Customer Service team. You will be part of a skilled and committed team delivering HDC's Customer Contact Service, aiming to provide a first-class customer experience while ensuring value for money.

About the role - 12 month fixed term contract.
Customer Services are the first point of contact for residents accessing HDC services, handling enquiries across multiple communication channels, including face to face, telephone and email, using excellent communication skills at all times. The main access channel is telephone-based, meaning this is primarily a call-centre role. However, there may be opportunities to undertake additional training to support other channels.

Customer Service Advisors provide guidance and support across a wide range of council services, including (but not limited to) Housing, Council Tax, Operations, Environmental Services, Benefits, Planning and Elections.

Advisors also promote and support the use of the Customer Portal and self-service options. A key responsibility of the role is to accurately identify customer needs and resolve enquiries across multiple service areas, within the scope of the service.

Through their work, Advisors ensure customers are left with a positive impression of HDC, confidently handling both routine and complex transactions while consistently delivering excellent customer service.

Core hours are Monday to Thursday, 8.45am - 5pm and Friday, 8.45am - 4.30pm. Advisors work to a structured rota, with clearly defined breaks and working patterns.

The role is based at Pathfinder House, Huntingdon. Following the successful completion of training to the required standard, there are opportunities to work from home on a rota basis.

About you
You will deliver a wide range of council services directly to the customer and seek to resolve enquiries at the first point of contact. You will also take advantage of opportunities to resolve multiple enquiries at the same time to increase efficiency and enhance the customer experience.

You will have the ability to learn all systems required to provide the services mentioned above, as well as the ability to cope with change and remain flexible.

Receive on-going training and maintain up-to-date knowledge and understanding of HDC services and systems.

Proactively seek out and resolve potential issues before they arise, escalating more complex issues as appropriate.

Build relationships to inspire trust in both you and HDC.

Where appropriate, promote and encourage lower cost contact channels, including self-service.

Apply appropriate and effective communication techniques, including diffusing conflict and managing sensitive situations.

Recording customer feedback, including compliments and complaints.

Actively participate in performance reviews and 1 to 1s and work towards/meet Key Performance Areas agreed between the employee and the line manager.

Represent and champion the Customer Contact Service throughout HDC.

To recommend service improvement opportunities within both Customer Services and the wider council to improve the customer experience.

Maintain and update customer records, ensuring accurate and relevant information is captured.

Be part of a rota and remain flexible to support all contact channels to meet the business need.

To actively reduce avoidable contact to the council and increase first-time resolution.

Maintain a commitment to our icare values (Inspiring, Collaborative, Accountable, Respectful, Enterprising), all of which support our purpose of putting customers first.

Understand and adhere to HDC policies and procedures.

Be responsible for managing customer information in a secure manner and in line with HDC Policies and legislation such as the Data Protection Act (DPA).

The role is subject to a DBS check on employment.

An offer of employment is conditional upon having the right to work in the UK. HDC does not hold a Sponsorship Licence and is unable to provide a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) or take over sponsorship for any role., Please note that the official closing date is as above, and will be the correct date. Some third-party websites may have different dates. Please refer to the HDC website for the official closing date to ensure you do not miss out on applying.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident About Disability Confident A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.

Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is passionate about providing high-quality services to our communities, residents and businesses. This means we must employ and retain the most talented and dedicated people.

Situated within the heart of the Cambridge-Peterborough Growth Area, Huntingdonshire is a beautiful district that boasts thriving market towns and many attractive villages, each with its own identity. We are an innovative and forward-thinking local authority whose residents are at the heart of our decision-making.

At HDC we want to employ staff who embody our icare values (Inspiring, Collaborative, Accountable, Respectful, Enterprising), all of which support our ultimate purpose of putting our customers first.