What's involved with this role: Job Title: Customer Service Centre Advisor Ref: K&C 5281010 Pay rate: £17.73 per hour PAYE Role length: Anticipated 3 months Additional requirement: Must not have any holidays booked for the duration of the role. The office will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day but you will be expected to work on all other dates The role: We are seeking a Customer Service Centre Advisor who will provide help, information, advice and/or redirection to all people who either visit the Customer Service Centre or contact by telephone or email, by ensuring that information and advice provided is straightforward, relevant, accurate and accessible to all sections of the community. You will need to have excellent customer services skills, experience of working in a front-line customer service role, the ability to handle high volumes of telephone enquiries and the ability to deal with difficult, angry or abusive members of the public in a calm and professional manner. Key responsibilities: To be the department’s customer focused interface with the public on all initial contacts, whether by telephone or email giving a prompt, helpful and suitable response at all times in line with corporate customer care standards To listen, question and take appropriate information to establish the nature of the enquiry and the degree of urgency, being responsive to the needs and feelings expressed by the customer To use and/or access the most appropriate communication methods to meet the needs of people where English is not their first language and people who have communication difficulties Working within the Council’s financial regulations and audit requirements when taking payment over the telephone Updating internal Council systems in accordance with information received, ensuring it conforms to quality standards Participate in local software development and assist with the training of less experienced staff in use of computer software applications To participate actively and positively in team development including assisting in the induction/training of other staff Working with manual and computerised systems, the post holder will at all times, need to be fully aware of responsibilities under the Data Protection Act 1984 for the security, accuracy and relevance of personal data held on such systems What the client is looking for: Experience of working in a contact centre environment or a customer focussed environment where interpersonal communications using the telephone has been a key element Ability to deal with difficult, angry or abusive members of the public in a calm and professional manner Experience of handling calls of a sensitive nature and dealing with vulnerable individuals Ability to show empathy and be able to advise in an appropriate caring manner Ability to handle high volume telephone enquiries in a consistent manner throughout the day Ability to resolve problems and be proactive Ability to present information in a clear and structured way How to Apply: Quote the Job Title and Reference Number in your application. Submit your CV in Word format. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis—early submission is recommended. We will also add your details to our mail out lists. Please note you may receive details of roles outside of your immediate vicinity, as many candidates are able to relocate temporarily for work. Please disregard any such emails that are not of interest and let us know if you would rather not receive such mailouts and/or if you wish us to delete your details and prefer to apply direct to our advertised roles. If you do not hear from us within three working days, unfortunately your application has not been shortlisted on this occasion. Thank you for your interest in working with us. Please quote the Job Title & Vacancy Reference No. in your application, or we will be unable to match your CV to the role being applied for. JE Please note that clients invariably ask us to strip out contact details from CVs before we submit them for consideration. This is always quicker and easier to do if you send your CV to us in Word format, rather than as a PDF please.