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Customer Services Officer

Job details
Posting date: 16 January 2025
Salary: £37,938 to £40,476 per year
Hours: Full time
Closing date: 02 February 2025
Location: UK
Remote working: Fully remote
Company: North Somerset Council
Job type: Permanent
Job reference: CSDA0145

Summary

The Role

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced Customer Services professional to join our Customer Services team. The Customer Services team are responsible for building a customer-focused culture within North Somerset Council. The role is predominantly home-based, coming into the office as needed for meetings and collaboration.

In this role, you will; take the lead on customer service issues within the council. The team are responsible for developing and evolving customer service strategies, policies and procedures, and promoting excellent customer service across the council. The team manage escalated complaints on behalf of the Chief Executive, members, MPs and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. We also develop training courses and deliver training to the organisation to raise standards.

Key Responsibilities:

Dealing with escalated customer complaints and feedback, ensuring that issues are resolved satisfactorily using our case management system.

Taking a lead role in the resolution of customer complaints received by the Chief Executive, Councillors and MPs, and analysing and presenting customer service information and data.

Building and maintaining a good relationship with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, responding to their requests quickly and efficiently.

Promoting excellent standards of customer care across the council, through engagement with and providing advice to officers

Development and delivery of training designed to improve the customer experience.

Recording and monitoring customer feedback and overseeing the wider recording and monitoring of complaints in all directorates.

Work Style

At North Somerset Council, we offer a hybrid working environment based on four distinct work styles. Depending on the role and personal circumstances, you will fall into one of these categories. However, please note that during the induction period, it may be necessary to spend more time in the office to support your learning and development. We are flexible and open to discussions about your preferred working style, and if you wish to be in the office more frequently, this can be negotiated.

This role falls into the category of Mobile Worker which means you can expect to work in the following way:

0-1 day in the office per month
Comes into the office for meetings or focused work.
Virtual connections with the team are essential, with portable technology supporting work on the go.

About You

We are looking for an individual who is passionate about customer services and who possesses the following skills and experience:

Essential Criteria:

Excellent customer service skills, experience and knowledge.
Ability to understand complex complaints and write clear responses in plain English.
Experience of delivering training over Teams and ideally face to face.
Confidence to deal with senior leaders, councillors, MPs and the ombudsman.
Experience of dealing with complex issues over the phone with customers.
Experienced at collating complex data and presenting appropriately for different audiences.
Desire and curiosity to investigate service failures where they occur, and work with officers to put solutions in place.
A can-do attitude and resilience

Desirable Criteria:

Experience of creating training courses
Experience of dealing with complex complaints
Working knowledge of dealing with complaints about social services
Knowledge of Plain English and how to deliver training on the subject
Experience of working within a local authority

What We Offer

At North Somerset Council, we value our employees and provide a supportive and inclusive work environment.

We offer:

Competitive salary and benefits
Flexible working arrangements
Local Government Pension
Opportunities for professional development
Inclusive Staff groups including Carers, Disabled, LGBTQ+, REACH (Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Heritage), and Young Staff Forums
Opportunity to purchase up to an additional 10 days annual leave each year
Dedicated in house Wellbeing Team
Salary sacrifice Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle schemes

Further details of our excellent rewards package can be found in our Benefits booklet.


How to Apply

If you share our vision and values and are ready to make an impact to North Somerset, please select the apply online button below. If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please submit your application by 11.59pm on the application closing date. When completing our online application form, please detail how you meet the essential criteria for the role.

Contact Information

For further information about the role, please contact Simone Woolley, Customer and Digital Services Manager at simone.woolley@n-somerset.gov.uk or 01934 427 370.

Important Information

As a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job role.

Interview Date: Monday 10 February 2025.

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.