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Customer Service Officer

£26,765 pa

Full time and Permanent

Closing Date: 31^st October 2023

In this role you will to be the first point of contact for incoming customer queries and to provide an end-to-end customer service, ensuring that everyone is satisfied with the outcome to their enquiry.

We value colleagues who consistently demonstrate and champion our values and who create positive relationships with colleagues, customers and stakeholders.

Although not an exhaustive list, this role will:

• Deliver a professional, positive and customer focused experience whilst providing great customer service in line with our values and strategic objectives.
• Provide our customers with a one-stop service that is able to advise and give informed guidance on a variety of services, in particular repairs and including housing management, tenancy management, estate management, rent (including service charges, sundry debts and Former Tenant arrears) enquiries and other housing related matters via a variety of communication channels including telephone, email, by post, social media, web based channels and in person.
• Identify, accurately diagnose, and initiate customer repair requests, issuing the appropriate repair instruction, costing, and priority in line with the company’s repair obligations and policy, also monitoring that the Out of Hours service operates effectively.
• Pro-actively seek solutions to customer enquiries by communicating with colleagues and contractors to resolve queries, promoting, and sharing knowledge and good practice with colleagues.
• Remain calm and diffuse difficult situations whilst dealing with a wide range of enquiries, sometimes from upset customers and/ or vulnerable customers or other members of the public.
• Identify and escalate concerns or safeguarding issues to the Customer Service Manager.
• Handle personal and sensitive information in a professional, confidential manner and in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
• Accurately input data, update records, create reports and administer requests for specialist works as and when required.
• To work towards team and individual performance measures including call quality assessments, telephone surveys and other service specific targets.

About You:

Whether you join us to share your skills or gain new ones, to lift people up or learn about yourself, you’ll be valued, challenged and very welcome. No matter who you are, where you’re from, or the journey you’ve been on so far, we’ll welcome your unique experience and perspective – and help you find your brighter future.

Depending on the role, we don’t always require relevant experience and via our Brighter Places University we offer training and mentoring to help you get the most out of your role.

For this role we are looking for individuals who have:

• Experience of working in a team.
• Knowledge and experience of working in a customer focused environment.
• Customer contact service experience and ability to communicate effectively with both internal and external customers.
• Experience of dealing with customers in stressful situations.
• Great customer service skills.
• Ability to communicate clearly and accurately with a wide range of internal and external customers.

• Excellent administrative skills and professional and positive telephone manner.
• Technical problem solving and skilled in assessing technical information and devising and implementing appropriate solutions.
• Can do attitude.
• Keen eye for detail.
• Resilient when handling conflict.
• Determined to go the extra mile.

About Us:

• We are a friendly team of almost 110 people and are committed to being a great place to work
• We are a ‘Best Companies Very Good to Work For’ winner in 2023
• We operate a hybrid working environment with a mix of in office and remote working, depending on your role.
• We offer 30 days of annual leave + bank holidays + one day volunteering annually + the ability to buy up to five extra days each year
• We offer a £700 flexi-benefit that can be used towards breaks away, treatments, counselling, fitness activities insurance and many more options
• 6.16% pension contribution + life insurance
• Company sick pay of up to 14 weeks full pay + 14 weeks half pay
• Interest free employee loans up to £1000
• Development opportunities via the Brighter Places university
• Paid professional memberships and subscriptions
• Plus a whole host of other benefits including; free immunisations, eye tests, discounted bus fares, independent financial advice, an employee assistance programme, fresh fruit in the offices and more

How to apply:

Sound like you? If you think you have the right attitude, drive and determination but perhaps not the right experience don’t worry, we’d love to hear from you!

At Brighter Places we recognise and nurture talent. We like to recruit both highly skilled, experienced colleagues and those who are looking for get their foot on the ladder; perhaps just starting out or looking for a career change.

So, if you think your values match ours and you’d like to apply for this role, here’s what to do:

• If you’d like an informal chat about the position please contact us at hr@brighterplaces.co.uk
• Your application can be in any format you like; letter, CV, presentation, video, voice note – we will accept all reasonable adjustments to support your application to work with us. It must include;
  • Why you are suitable for the role
  • Your previous experience
  • Your qualifications and skills

• Equal opportunities monitoring form
• Job applicant privacy notice
• Application
• Role profile

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and positively welcome applications from all sections of the community. If you need any reasonable adjustments or have any specific needs we can support with in relation to your application please do let us know at the email above.

Brighter Places is a disability confident employer and any applicants who disclose a disability and meet our minimum criteria will be offered a guaranteed interview.